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Car Fell on Guy Working Underneath

skippy_ps

skippy_ps

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A '64 Eldorado, no less. A good lesson for all of us shade tree mechanics.

As for the Eldorado…. Bad day 4+ weeks ago. Man.. I have been a car hobbyist my whole life, 50+ years, and have been under cars 1000’s of times, and never had anything like this happen. All of us… please check, and double check our safety practices. I will never get under another car without something backing me up (2nd line of defense, such as blocks you spport a boat with) as a back-up to the 1st line of supports (e.g.; jackstands, etc).

As for the Caddie.... The 64 Cad has a split driveshaft with a center bearing / slip joint joining the 2 drive shafts under about the mid point of the car. That center bearing was starting to do the ‘humming’ thing, so was pulling the shafts to chg the center bearing. The bolts holding the yoke of the center bearing were pretty frozen, and with all the tugging I was doing, it was just enough foot / lbs I guess rock one of the stands and side-load it a bit. And once one side-loaded, the other 3 stands came down like dominos as well.

Yes… as pointed out... I was nearly dead… I actually self rescued myself from under the car as I knew no one was coming looing for me for hours. I was under the differential carrier housing (which landed on my chest) got out by somehow getting enough of the weight off me (in excruciating pain) to slide sideways under an axle tube. From there I went unconscious for an unknown time as I was still be compresssed. Later I regained consciousness and managed to side out from under the axle tube to the rear gas tank area of the car where my cell phone was. I called 911 pretty much with my last breath and gave them an address. Went unconscious again. The next thing I remember was being removed from the Med-Flight chopper into the E-Room / Trauma Center. Net result; 2 collapsed lungs, one ruptured lung, 10 broken ribs, 1 separated shoulder, 1 dislocated shoulder, numerous torn ligaments and tendons on arms and back muscles. I am in pain and feel like ‘crap-ola’ everywhere, but I keep thanking a angle for how bad it could have been ! No spinal or head injuries. Got out of hospital a week-ish ago.

Again, to all the car enthusiasts, coming from someone that has been under cars 1000’s of time, please be double sure to keep safety in mind. Forever now I will as noted, always have some secondary means to capture a falling car (e.g.; large blocks of wood) while I am under it.

(found at corvetteforum. If anyone wants a link, let me know)

Murray
 
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This is why I like my 4x4's. There is enough space that I can crawl under them with no supports at all. If I must remove the wheels, I set them under the axles if at all possible.
 
yup and yup, respectively.
Cars are heavy. Our skeletons are tough, but they have limitations.
... and a man has to know his limitations.
 
That guy was VERY lucky indeed.

That's probably my worst fear when I have to work under my car. I drive an Acura Integra and it sits pretty low. If it comes off of the stands while I'm under it I'm done for.

Since I live alone and don't really talk to friends or family all that often it would be days before someone found me.
 
Put cribbing under the car, you can work under loads weighing hundreds of tons when they're cribbed. Jack the car up, set the cribbing and then let the car down onto it and pull the jack. No sweat.
 
Now Everyone that reads this post should be potecting themselves.
A pair of Jackstands will cost Ya about $20 bucks at Autozone, Pepboys or Advance.
There is no reason any of Us good folks should be Going Out Crunched like that.
 
Damn lucky. Lots of folks have not been so lucky. My boss lost a friend over the summer, had basically the same thing happen. The ramps he was using collapsed and crushed him to death when the car came down on top of him.
 
had all my safety stuff stolen ..axle jacks axle stands .. everything metal and heavy no guesses who took it .. not gypsies as it happens .. had a close miss the other day but that was my fault really .. i have to make do now like before i had good tools ...still got my wood blocks i keep em wedged under a car ..
 
Please everyone be careful. I was a tech in a hospital and I had to respond to any trauma situation. I remember doing chest compressions on a man whose car had just been on his chest. No way to describe it. He was dead but we tried. Recovery would have been hell for him.
 
besides jack stands I have 2 10 inch aluminum rims with no tires on them that I will put underneath the car and put close to my work area so if the jack stands somehow give out the rims will catch the vehicle with plenty of room for escape.
 
thanks for the reminders.
Today at work I was using an overhead crane to lift a locomotive axle assembly (axle, 2 wheels, bearings and gearbox) when one of the cables snapped. It was only about 3 feet off the tracks but I was steering it with my hand at the time. It swung and hit the ground fast, I was very lucky to come out of it with only some soiled underwear.
Yes, don't take any chances. :nono:
 
Excellent warning. I was at the race track last weekend and there was a guy under his car using only a floor jack. We reminded him, and he got out his jack stands.

Here's another tip for you, after you get the car up on jack stands, walk around it and try to knock it off by pushing on the fenders. If it wobbles, then you haven't got it supported correctly.

People think I'm strange for doing this, but if it's going to fall, I want it to fall with me beside it, not under it.

I even do this when using the lift.

Stay safe out there.

bs
 
that is why when I lower the car on jack stands, the next thing I do is try to push the car off the stands
 
I always make it a habit to put the tires underneath anytime I remove them. They may not be real high, but pinned and alive is better than crushed. I also use stands and blocks. When I used to race you'd see guys under their cars constantly with just a floor jack. Worst thing Is the pits were SAND, and jacks would always sink.
 
I jogged by a neighborhood service station one night. The mechanic had somehow flipped the car of the pneumatic lift. The car was sitting half off on it's side.

Be safe.
 
Having worked on cars, Hot Rods, and Race Cars my entire life I Never get under one wiyhout at least TWO forms of safety equipment. I had one fall on me when I was 17 and it was Not fun. Be Careful out there guys.
 
We had a death here recently from a car falling off the jack. The guy’s neighbor had to go ring the doorbell to tell his wife that he was under the car dead. Just horrible……

I was at AutoZone the other day and there was a guy in the parking lot sitting Indian style under the rear of a Suburban. It looked like he was removing the gas tank (probably replacing the fuel pump). It was supported by one jack under the differential pumpkin. Crazy dumb.
 
My wife is an ER doc so I get to hear lots of stories. She came home one day and told me about a guy who had come in via ambulance. There was a line from the top of his left shoulder to under his right arm and everything above that line was purple from blood profusion (basically bruised).

She asked what happened and found that he was a big truck mechanic and was working under a semi trailer when it fell. The line was where the edge was laying on him. He was on a soft surface so it compressed and saved him. Having a keen grasp of the obvious, she said something along the lines of "Holy cow! That must have really hurt!" He said, "Of course it hurt but it really wasn't that bad. What really hurt was when they were jacking it up off of me and it fell again." I can't even imagine.

He came away with the above noted profusion and nothing else. No broken, torn, or mutilated anything. Pretty much a miracle and a testament to supporting the vehicle you're under.
 
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