On a Friday morning in September 2005, Hulsey was helping another employee install ductwork at an off-site construction project. They had completed their work at one location and were moving equipment to a new area.
"I was carrying ladders and other stuff to the new site, when I stepped on a sheet of plywood that had been thrown over a hole in the floor," Hulsey recalls. "It wasn't nailed down, and as my foot hit the plywood, it slid away. I started to fall into the hole."
As Hulsey tried not to fall, he twisted his back, hip, and leg. "Afterwards, I was limping, and my legs felt like rubber bands," he says, "but I let people know about the hazard and kept working."
By Monday, however, he knew he needed to see a doctor. The first X-ray of his hip didn't show anything, so he stayed on the job. "I was able to work," he recalls, "but I'd be sweating because it hurt so bad."
His second doctor ordered an MRI that showed that he had a broken disc wedged between two nerves. He underwent surgery and had hopes of a quick recovery.
But after the surgery, Hulsey was bedridden with pain for a month. "I thought it was part of the healing process," he says, "and I was waiting for it to go away. It never did."
For the next several months, Hulsey says he felt like a dog in a cage that couldn't get out. He endured an endless cycle of pain, doctors, and problems with medication. Most of all, he feared that he wouldn't be able to go back to work.
"Who's going to take me? That's what I kept thinking," he says. "I needed to go to work. I've always worked."
Hulsey learned to weld while working with his father on a California grape farm and has been a sheet metal worker all of his life. He began working for Umpqua Sheet Metal when he came to Oregon 17 years ago. Changing careers at this stage of his life wasn't something he had anticipated.
After his injury, SAIF helped Hulsey begin vocational training, which included assistance with basic skills. It didn't look like he would be able to go back to the job he enjoyed. "I loved the training I received," says Hulsey. "I gained a lot of confidence by improving my reading, math, and calculator skills, but a new career would have meant less money. I've always started at the bottom and worked my way up. I could do that. But I wanted my life back."
By May 2006, Hulsey was released for modified work, with restrictions on what he could lift. "We definitely didn't want to lose him," says Jan Derrick, secretary at Umpqua Sheet Metal. "He is so driven. Jerry's not a guy who wants to sit at home. We wanted to make sure he had what he needed, but he couldn't have gone back to his old job and would probably get fewer hours."
Hulsey and Umpqua Sheet Metal were still trying to find a way to make it all work when they learned he qualified for the . One of the benefits of that program is money for worksite modification — in this case, it provided an overhead crane in the metal shop to help with lifting. The crane made it possible for Hulsey to return to his regular job. If he needs extra help, some of the other workers can give him a hand.
"I'm glad SAIF had something like that for him," says Derrick. "And it's been a benefit for everyone. Everything here is about lifting, so the crane may have already saved someone else's back."
Hulsey is just happy to have an important part of his life back. "It still hurts," he says, "but I can do things."
One of the things Hulsey has done since returning to work is design a movable exhaust hood that helps remove fumes and impurities from the air in the shop. Two of the hoods have been built and are installed near the welding stations.
"I love what I do," he says. "I love creating things. I've been active all my life, and being up is better than being down. I'm very grateful to Umpqua Sheet Metal for bringing me back and to SAIF for taking care of me."