Driving without a thumb

[frenzal]

I didn't bother doing a search on this as i figured my problem isn't that common. As the result of moronic neanderthal co-worker where i was doing some casual work not affixing guard properly to saw, i have an utterly mangled driving thumb. The prognosis is that with one third of the top joint diagonally destroyed from the tip to the knuckle, feeling may or may not return and effective use is likely to be severely limited in the long term.

My question is this - now that the DSC is no longer of any use, can the steering wheels be used without requiring a thumb. Please excuse me if this should have been in the wheel section, i figured it might be best suited to the general forum. The defence rests on an insanity plea. Pain killers are quite effective at the moment.

 

[Loon]

Minus one thumb you should still be able to use a wheel. May I ask which hand said mangled thumb is on?

 

[Gonz013]

That sucks about your thumb. I hope you get properly compensated for it.

If you can afford it, Get yourself a G25 steering wheel. Its the best one on the market ($500 retail in Aus, but you can find it cheaper surfing the web - I've seen as low as $380, so do some research.

You can also place the shifter on either side of the wheel, so the hand that has the thumb intact can grip the wheel, use the injured one to shift (sequential shifter). You can also use both hands on the wheel and shift with the paddles if that helps.

 

[BobK]

You'd be able to drive just as well as ever with a wheel, unless you use the handbrake a lot, and I think you need the thumb to activate nitrous (on the DFP anyway).

Sorry to hear about your accident.

 

[superwally]

That really sucks about your thumb. My friend works at a soap factory, he was doing maintainence on a giant press that shapes the bars, the operator was in visual contact and still pressed the big red button-mangled my friends entire right hand. I just can't fathom how someone could be so stupid.

You shouldn't have any problem using a wheel at all.

 

[Duke]

Hoo boy - sorry to hear about your accident, especially since it wasn't your accident.

 

[Gonz013]

"There is no such thing as an accident- only lack of care"

Methinks that quote seems pretty applicable here.

 

[Moloch_horridus]

You'd be able to drive just as well as ever with a wheel, unless you use the handbrake a lot, and I think you need the thumb to activate nitrous (on the DFP anyway).

Sorry to hear about your accident.

You can assign the buttons however you want so using nitrous would not be a problem - I assume it is the same with the hand brake.

 

[frenzal]

Thanks for the feedback. Firstly, it's my driving thumb ( the right one). Secondly, it's in pretty bad nick, i'm still on pain killers and it's gonna be some weeks until it's fully healed, but will be not an attractive sight even then

So i'll have plenty of time to shop around for a wheel as it sounds as if i'll still be able to drive

Thirdly, and not the bestly, the feedback i have after discussions today is that it sounds as if they are looking to sheet all fault onto the casual who hurt himself, rather than the permanent worker who removed the guard from the drop saw to clean the machine, and then when reattaching it didn't fit the guard properly. ( When letting go of the handle, i had moved my hand through to remove the piece of timber i had cut, expecting the saw head to spring back up as it should. But the saw head only went back up a third of the way and the guard didn't roll back down over the spinning blade as it should have, leaving the blade exposed ). Therefore, if the worker is at fault, it's going to be bloody difficult to receive any compo.

Anyways, it's happened, just got to see how it pans out.

 

[Bram Turismo]

If you can afford it, Get yourself a G25 steering wheel. Its the best one on the market ($500 retail in Aus, but you can find it cheaper surfing the web - I've seen as low as $380, so do some research.

I'd say a DFP rather than a G25, unless you want to shift with clutch off course. Sorry to hear about your thumb but driving a steering wheel without it shouldn't be a big problem 👍

 

[Touring Mars]

Sorry to hear about your thumb ... I can wholly sympathise since I have been suffering from a problem with my left thumb for a few months now, although it is improving, and I can still play GT4 (evidently)... while my thumb was too sore to play, however, I did try using the wheel and it was a little awkward at first, but didn't experience any real problems... my only major problem is that I'm very inexperienced with the wheel and suck very badly at GT4 using it!! I had a quick go on the new G25 wheel at UKGTP7, and (guess what?) I still sucked at it, but it certainly was alot smoother and quieter to use that the DFP - and a few people have already reported an overall improvement in their GT4 times using the G25 over the DFP - also, a sharp eyed person noticed an interesting feature in GTHD... that the software may be incorporating a clutch feature in the future - hence the G25 would be a better long term purchase...

As for your compensation claim, get yourself some decent legal advice and sue the sods. I'm no expert, but I was under the impression that your employer is liable for your safety, regardless of who did what - the onus is on them to prove that you recklessly injured yourself, which is clearly not the case. When my ex-gf fell off a ladder and broke her arm while fruit-picking in Shepparton, Victoria, she got several thousand dollars compensation, even though no-one else was involved. Her employer (a farmer) was ultimately responsible for ensuring the safety of his staff and that's the bottom line. Good luck and I hope that your injury doesn't prove to be too debilatating.

 

[Famine]

A friend of mine, mentioning no sukerkins... I mean names, used to drive with a DS2 with R1 as accelerate (right index finger) and R2 as brake (right middle finger).

But yes, wheel use with no thumb should be fine.

 

[Alfaholic]

Personally, I find a wheel preferable anyway for GT4. I only have a DF but I get more precision with it than I can with a DSC. I can lap most circuits one or two seconds faster with a wheel than I can with the dualshock, though there are people on the forum who experience the opposite effect.

Anyway, with any luck, a wheel might improve your GT4 experience at least.

There are some functions on the DF which need the right thumb - I can't remember what they are, but it would equate to whatever is set to the R1 and R2 buttons. I am sure though that you can drive effectively without using them, and as said, they can be changed. I think one is change view and the other is nitrous?

EDITED because my spelling sucks..

 

[frenzal]

A friend of mine, mentioning no sukerkins... I mean names, used to drive with a DS2 with R1 as accelerate (right index finger) and R2 as brake (right middle finger).

But yes, wheel use with no thumb should be fine

I gather he uses AT. I spent enough time learning to drive MT without going back

So yeah, i'm gonna have a squizz around at wheels and use the appreciated feedback on looking for what suits me best.

Thanks again.

 

[Fireball27]

I dunno... if i were you i'd be more worried about driving a real car... ...

 

[Ignignoc N Err]

Frenzall, MAN that sucks! I hope your thumb heals up well. I guess this means there aren't going to be any race reports from you for a while...

Best to you and yours.

 

[frenzal]

I dunno... if i were you i'd be more worried about driving a real car... ...

Drove yesterday, using forefinger and middle finger to turn key, difficult using window winder, no trouble driving as i reckon anybody who needs a thumb to guide steering wheel is gripping too hard anyways. Long term, probably will have bugger all feeling in the thumb tip, but shoudln't pose any real problems. It's just while it's still healing.

Frenzall, MAN that sucks! I hope your thumb heals up well. I guess this means there aren't going to be any race reports from you for a while...

Best to you and yours

No, no reports, just gonna have to wait and see. I'll still drift through here to keep up to date, i do enjoy reading the good reports, they can make the experience so very visual.

 

[Gonz013]

hence the G25 would be a better long term purchase....

He's Right.👍

As for your compensation claim, get yourself some decent legal advice and sue the sods. I'm no expert, but I was under the impression that your employer is liable for your safety, regardless of who did what - the onus is on them to prove that you recklessly injured yourself, which is clearly not the case. When my ex-gf fell off a ladder and broke her arm while fruit-picking in Shepparton, Victoria, she got several thousand dollars compensation, even though no-one else was involved. Her employer (a farmer) was ultimately responsible for ensuring the safety of his staff and that's the bottom line. Good luck and I hope that your injury doesn't prove to be too debilatating.

The Martian is right again - get some legal advice.

In Oz, I believe that the first meeting/ consultation/ advice from a lawyer in compo claims is free- they will be able to give you some idea where you stand.
If they go to trial/ mediation- they typically don't charge you- they take a percentage of what you win. I think its law that if they lose, they don't charge. So you have little to lose, and potentially a tidy sum to gain that will help you out.

Just be careful about any extras outside their percentage fee: eg. photocopying charges can cost up to thousands, so make sure all costs and disbursements are included in their 'lump sum' fee.

Your situation might just require little more than a letter from your lawyer to solve it. You would be surprised about how often people that are in the wrong will cave in with just one of those.👍

 

[frenzal]

Well, it's good news and good news. I guess i had jumped the gun a little, again i use the effects of painkillers as a defense regarding my lack of clear thinking.

The advice was that due to only losing a relatively small portion of the thumb, any compo payout was going to be fairly minor as the actual use of the thumb for gripping wasn't going to be affected that much as it was only a portion of the tip which was ripped off. The advice was that it may not even be worth my while(read worth solicitor's while lol) to pursue it through that avenue.

The work placement co. who i was with were more than supportive when it came to fronting the actual co. i was working at. My biggest issue was my studies, as i am also studying and would have no use of the thumb to write my work. A bloke who i knew at the work placement co. who i had known for a while ('twas he who got me the part time work with them) generously loaned me the use of a laptop computer to help with my studies, i only type two finger so no prob there. I only missed a week of TAFE, so again nothing i couldn't catch up on. The best news is that they also went into bat for me with the employers, i don't know what was done or said, but i have just signed off on a one off payment of $4,000 conditional on no further claim at any later date. With the advice from the surgeon that recovery is likely to be fairly positive, with only long term numbness and having a portion of the tip remaining being the only negatives, i decided to take it up. At least it'll help me getting a wheel *grins

Recovery is progressing well, the healing process is going a little better than anticipated. I'm still no near to GT4'ing for a while yet, i'm just going to play it by ear.

Thanks again for the advice, as i said i prob. wasn't thinking that clear at the time due to the drugs. I had a couple of mates telling me the same things lol

 

[mattman_199]

👍 👍 👍 👍

good luck mate hope you back in the game soon

👍 👍 👍 👍

 

[Touring Mars]

That is good news, I'm glad to hear that you're making some progress and that you've got some support (and some compensation)

I'm still no near to GT4'ing for a while yet, i'm just going to play it by ear.

I've tried doing this and it's bloody difficult. For one thing, you get earwax everywhere Seriously, though, I'm still in a similar boat - my thumb is still dodgy and although I can still play GT and other racing games, I have to stop when I feel my thumb has had enough. Take it a step at a time, your PS2 (and/or PS3) isn't going anywhere...

👍 👍 👍 👍

good luck mate hope you back in the game soon

👍 👍 👍 👍

Possibly the most ironic use of the 👍 smilie ever, but I agree with the sentiments entirely.