Man, I feel for you! Once when my wife was out of town I crawled under the house to investigate what I thought was a vent or damper flapping, and crawled into a raccoon. In the process of trying to either back up at 90 mph, or beat him to death with my forehead, I dislocated my shoulder.

It took me a long, long, long time to get out and to get help.

You're experience just seals it for me: it makes much more sense for me to hold the ladder for my wife.. to keep her covered if SHE wants to crawl under the house or in the attic, to spot for her if SHE wants to tack down that loose shingle, etc. She's tiny. I could (probably) catch her if she did a Mississippi off of a ladder.

By the way, here in Tennessee you would have had to have a beer in one hand and a paintbrush in the other to qualify for the Darwin award.