Another Jack-off Accident

This afternoon a neighbor down the street decided to work under his minivan using a scissor jack on the soft earth. Needless to say, the jack slipped and the van fell on him.

Police, three ambulances, emergency services, and a medivac helicopter decended on the neighborhood.

I'd be more sympathetic, but it seems he's going to be OK, or at least he was coherent an talking as they took him away.

There's a lot of threads on this subject, but I thnk it bears repeating. Friends don't let friends get under cars without proper support!

 

Very kool post, glad to hear that he is doing ok. Something to remember, most of our
vehicles have less clearance then a mini van.

Happy Trails, Mick

 

Amen Mike.

 

I'd we word that thread title

 

Nope it got your attention didn't it.

Jack stands are cheap at any price although they usually don't work well in soft earth.

 

I just don't get it. I've had a car fall over from a stock VW "widowmaker" scissor jack while changing a tire on the side of the freeway... now I carry a spare aluminum "racing" floor jack at all times. I wouldn't even reach my hand under the car using one of those, let alone put my whole body under it.

 

I think that's deliberate to get our attention, and don't anybody use a scissor jack ever, they're just plain dangerous, a trolley jack and stands is better, or if you are stuck, put your spare wheel under the side of the car as added protection.

 

What an idjit... good thing he's OK but I wouldn't work under a car on hard ground supported by a floor jack.... let alone this nonsense.

 

Sissor jacks + cinder blocks = Darwin award candidates

 

We have a "no hat rule" at my house .... I greet people at the door with the words "take your hat and jacket off"!

I was jacking up a car as a kid, changing a flat. As I was working the lug nuts the car rolled off the bumper jack and my foot was stuck under the tire .... didnt hurt, just stuck ... nothing to do for about half hour till a friend walked by and rolled the car off my foot.

Alot goes through a guy's mind at a time like that .... like "coyote ugly", I was thinking of chewing off my leg.

EDIT How weird is this? ... the car that landed on my foot was a 55 Ford Salmon color just like below!

 

My dad always yelled at me for working on my truck as a teenager without jack stands. I had one fall off once while I was 20 feet away not even touching it. Lesson learned.

 

If I have a wheel off, I lay it under the rocker panel, along with the jack stands just to be extra safe.

 

And apparently some people are dangerous even WITH jackstands.




Don

 

wheel under car is good insurance

 

Well, I hope he is ok, coherent and talking at the scene does not always equate to alright in a crush type injury. Hopefully he doesn't have too many internal injuries. Nothing works well on soft earth, but jackstands would have helped some...

 

Always use the proper jack stands

 

One time my hand slipped off because of the lotion I was using and I punched myself in the nose.

 

What is your nose doing down there??

Don

 

Heck I even place jackstands under my hydraulic lift.

 

After I jack up a car and use stands and I shake it on purpose and try to knock it off. If I cant, its ready for me to get under.
I also like to leave my 4 ton jack up right next to where im working just for extra insurance.

 

Outstanding!! LMAO!!

 

I was laying under the rear axle tube of a 70 ElCamino as a kid with just a floorjack under the back. Well I knew the jack had a slow leak but that didn't stop me from working under there for about an hour. Didn't realize it until I couldn't slide forward or back. Was under there for about an hour and a half, took another half an hour to get my dad to stop laughing long enough to jack it up....

 

When i was teenager i had a 1950 chevy truck, the clutch went out. So, me being the idiot that i am, I set out to change the clutch. With this truck having a torque tube I just couldn't pull the drive line out (it may be possible it was the only time that i have dealt with a torque tube). All knowing, I unbolted the u-bolts for the rear end. The next hing I knew, the rear spring was on my hand (bed empty). luckily for me I was able to get my legs under the bed and lift it high enough to free my hand. No harm but a big lesson for me.

 

I got a flat at the top of the hill next to the 'State Hospital for the Criminally Insane' with my '65 VW bug. When I put the lug bolts in the Baby Moon VW cap, a gust of wind sent it spinning all the way to the bottom of the hill...I jumped up and down, frustrated, and cursing loudly...

A head appeared at the top of the fence..."Yoo hoo..." I looked. The wild look in the eyes of the 'observor' made me wary.

"Why are you so mad?"
I thought I'd better answer. "All my wheel bolts blew down the hill, and I've gotta get 'em to put the spare on!"
He said, "Why don't you use one from each wheel, then DRIVE down and get 'em?
I said, "Hey, that's pretty smart! Why're you in THERE?"

He said, "I'm in here for being crazy. Not stupid..."

 

I do the same test with jack stands,shake the car to see if it will fall......It did...crap.....still a great post!

 

When I read the title, I thought it was the obituary for David Carradine.....................
What??? Too soon???

 

lo, lol i was thinki nthat too LOL LOL

 

I zoomed to the end to say - another reason I love my gasser, no jack needed. Then there it is again, The Ghost of Elmirage!

 

With a bagged/juiced car I'll usually support the frame and suspension with a total of eight stands before getting under there.

 

A fellow about 7 blocks away, lived behind a friend of my wifes did the same thing except he wasn't so lucky.I don't care what I'm doing the jackstands go under.About 40 yrs ago my then not yet brother in law stopped by my apartment I was living in at the time, and got a flat tire on his 57 Chevy. He used a bumper jack and was squating pulled the tire off and car came down on him got his leg pretty good but no permanent damage.Better safe then sorry.