Car Fell on Guy Working Underneath

[Ohighway]

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.

I had to look up the word cribbing. Turns out this is exactly what my old man used to do and it's an excellent way of supporting the vehicle safely. However being the type he was, he'd let the cribbing absorb the weight of the vehicle, but leave the jack there as a backup.

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.

Agreed. I do this too. Sometimes I'd feel like it was ovedoing things a bit.... that is until I shook my car one day and it wobbled because a jack stand had slightly moved and wasn't seated on the ground properly. I cured that pronto and was damn glad I had not gotten under the car....

Working under cars it's essential to adopt a 'what could happen' attitude to protect yourself. Literally it can save your life.

Worst thing, or worst potential thing I ever saw happen was at the automobile repair club we had at work. We had a 2 post Weaver-Hoffman electric lift. Club rules stated that once a car was raised up , some tall screw jacks had to be placed front and rear under the car to help stabilize it.
I guess in theory that could be a good thing. I never really liked that idea but couldn't put my finger on why.

Turns out there was a BIG problem with it and it reared it's ugly head one evening when I was there. A fellow had his Volvo up on the lift and stabilized with the stands. After finishing his work he hit the button to lower the vehicle -forgetting to remove the stabilizer jacks- . Next thing I know I hear screaming and yelling, and turn around to see a Volvo teetering on the lift ready to pitch forward and to the right. It took us about 15 minutes to work around with screw jacks and other equipment to get that car down safely. What a mess. But luckily, no one got hurt.

 

[icenine]

I never get under cars period. I even freak out when changing a flat tire at the point where the wheel is tireless and being supported by just the car jack or whatever you are using. One day I was in the ER and they brought in someone who had been trapped under a car for three hours. He died.

 

[ebacon]

Scary.

When putting a car on jackstands I always do it twice. The first time around I use a floor jack to get the car up on the stands. This always leaves the jack stands with some torque on them. The second time around I lift each corner of the car ever so slightly off of each jack stand and let the stands wiggle into their naturally stable positions.

During the second lap around the car it is easy to see how one could push a car off the stands. They are pretty torqued up when the car is first wrestled onto them.

I also agree that secondary blocking should be used in addition to the stands.

 

[Cruzah]

What about working in a Garage with HYDRAULIC JACKS that takes the car up overhead that Us mechanics stand under em and fix underbody problems.
Imagine on of those failing and squishing Your whole body...Top of your Head down to the bottom of your feet.
(the Accordion Factor is what I call it) LOL!
I really hate standing under a car, looking up with a light and fixing a muffler or something, and Ya hear Shhhhhhh.

 

[dr*audio]

Thanks for the reminder! I have gotten out of the habit of putting a safety holder under the car. Bad, bad! Never again. I have jack stands, and I'll use them.

 

[jaguar06]

Some years ago, I had a Jaguar XJS in a shop for a rebuild following a fire caused by the Motorola phone wiring harness. It took months for the rebuild, though the shop had said "two weeks". On one of the many mornings I went in to cattle-prod the shop owner, I noticed a rare European-only production V-12 sedan in the shop. The shop owner said, "Yeah, but look inside". I did. The entire interior of the thing had been upholstered in genuine leopard skin--seats, carpet, doors, dash and all. He told me it belonged to the exiled prince of Austria. I got nowhere prodding that day but saw what bad taste can achieve.

A week or so later, I went in to try prodding some more. On entering the garage, first thing I saw was that leopard-filled attrocity laying on its left side, between the two tracks of the lift, which was still fully raised.

"What happened?" I asked. The shopowner scratched his head and said, "We have no idea."

Then it hit me--we'd had a 3.6 earthquake, centered precisely under that shop the night before. Just enough side-to-side shake to scoot the Prince's car off the lift tracks.

The shop never left cars on the lift overnight thereafter.

I was glad it'd not been my car on that lift that night.

So sometimes even a good lift is a risk, even if it doesn't collapse, but just shakes.

 

[jaguar06]

Mostly, my rule is, "under the car--to a shop, otherwise, I do the work", but if I violate that rule (to avoid shop schedule delay), I use a good floor jack, jack stands, and cribbing. When you're dead, there's no such thing as "overkill".

 

[blhagstrom]

Lots

You can NEVER be TOO careful.

My buddy in high school lost his father one day due to a jack slipping out.

My father was reckless too.

I ALWAYS use jack stands and backup blocks and jacks. I collect them from yard sales and thrift stores and have them all over all my garages.

AND, for ANYTHING else that will trap you or cut you or crush you or etc...
I have TOO many friends with missing fingers or arms or eyes.

TURN IT OFF!
SHUT IT DOWN!
DON'T PUT YOUR FINGER IN IT!
STAY OUT OF THE WAY!

You HAVE to be smarter than what you're working with!

 

[eteller]

I gotta crawl under my Trans Am tomorrow to replace the fuel filter and tranny mount. I always hate working under a car unless it's on a lift. Think I'll use ramps AND stands, I don't trust either.

 

[mfrench]

My dad was a "car guy", hot rod buff in the earlier part of the mid-50's, before he met my mom, and married.. He had a car come down on his chest while working on it, and survived it.
Me: Two sets of heavy duty jack stands under the frame of the vehicle. My truck weighs 8,800lbs without load (Dodge 24v HD Cummins Diesel 4x4). If it came down on me, you might as well consider it an oil press, 'cuz all you'll find of me is a grease spot.

I did a driveline redesign of a GMC S15 from an IFS 4x4, to a hybrid with Jeep solid axles, all on my back, with the vehicle on four stands; the GMeep SJ15. I made damn sure to shake the crap out of it on the stands before I started cutting away OE components (with a reciprocating saw, and angle grinder).
You had to have been there; it was truly an inspired moment,... (of insanity).

 

[mfrench]

Oh yeah,... A friend of mine brought his really clean Ford Bronco 4x4 (full size) to a dealership in the late 80's. It fell off the lift, and totaled it. The dealership claimed not their fault, take it up with your insurance, or sue us.

 

[bshorey]

"What happened?" I asked. The shopowner scratched his head and said, "We have no idea."

Then it hit me--we'd had a 3.6 earthquake, centered precisely under that shop the night before. Just enough side-to-side shake to scoot the Prince's car off the lift tracks.

The shop never left cars on the lift overnight thereafter.

I have a lift installed back east, never thought twice about leaving a car on it, with another parked underneat, some times for long periods of time.

I just installed a lift out here (Gilroy, CA). I spent all kinds of time tying the top posts of the lift off to the rafters in every direction (using 3/4" rod). Still, I lower the car every time I'm done for the day.

bs

 

[CoogarXR]

I am paranoid about falling cars too. I used a cheap scissor jack to change a tire once after having a blow-out on the interstate. I couldn't find a flat spot to make the change. I jacked it up, pulled the bad tire and slid it underneath (my Dad always told me to do that). Right then the jack kicked out and the car flopped down on the bad tire! Thank goodness too, since the tire held the car up enough to get the jack back under there...

When I have to work under the car, I use my huge thick ramps (I jack the car up and slide the ramps under rather than drive up). I let the jack down until the ramps are supporting the weight, then I bump the jack back up snug (not lifting, just snug to the frame). Then I shake the car to test stability.

I did get trapped under a car once in a different way. Back in the early 90s when I still rocked a long mullet, I was rolling under the car on a creeper and my hair rolled up in the creeper wheel. Any direction I tried to roll only tightened the mess. I ended up pulling the creeper out from under me and scooting out and having to cut a wad of hair off to get free, lol. That hurt more than the time I got a wad of hair yanked out buy a serpentine belt. I definitely had more hair than brains back then...