I electrocuted myself.
After patching up a gaping hole in our family room ceiling, a replacement ceiling fan was to be put up -- a project I said I could handle, no problem.
What I didn't do was cut the electric to the room at the circuit-breaker panel, thinking I could handle splicing wires with the wire screws supplied with the ceiling fan. Unfortunately, I started by replacing the wall switch with a battery-operated remote control, which meant splicing the wires in the switch box together (making the ceiling wires live).
I then spliced the remote control receiver into the wires from the ceiling (and, after that, to the fan). Three live wires hung from the ceiling... and made contact with my right forearm.
I immediately jumped backward off the bench on which I stood, and howled. She Who Must Be Obeyed, who was watching from the next room where she was working on something, responded quickly. I was jittery the rest of the night.
I talk about safety all the time. But what I did drove home a message: Be as safe as you expect others to be. Oh, and turn the damned breakers off before wiring anything again.
Geez DJ, watch yourself. I learned that the hard way as well. Back in Ohio we had a large saltwater fish tank (How large? Tank on first floor, pumps in basement-large). To store replacement water we had a large Rubbermaid garbage can with a heater in it. One day I stuck my hand in the water to mix in some salt and ZAAAAAP!. The heater had gone bad and electrified the water. HINKY! That little dance of kilowatts shocked the snot outta me and forever prompted me to turn EVERYTHING off at the breaker. And to get rid of that damn tank!
Old copy-editor quibble: Electrocute means to kill by electric shock.
I can't say I'm not shocked that someone corrected my use of the word "electrocute."
So let's just say "zapped."
Why would you attempt any electrical work without turning off the breaker switch?
Because I've done it that way before. Just flip the switch off, and go at it.
Problem is, I'd already taken the switch out and wired the open circuit closed -- so the wires were hot. Shoulda waited until after I put the fan up to close the circuit. Oops, I forgot.
And no, it wasn't a design solution, just a lapse in judgment.