Another death

[dave180]

Guys, DIY is great if you can, job satisfaction, saves money, etc., but be careful!

From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal:

Lisbon man dies after car he was working on falls on him

A 56-year-old Town of Lisbon man died Sunday afternoon when a car he apparently was working on at his home fell on top of him and crushed him, according to the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department.

The man was alone at the time of the accident. His wife called 911 at 4:40 p.m. when she found him, according to spokeswoman Jennifer Wallschlaeger.

Despite efforts to resuscitate him, he died at the scene. The man's name has not been released, pending notification of relatives.

 

[demarpaint]

Sad, very sad.

 

[Turk]

Terrible!

I used to have visions of that happening to me.

Absolutely need at least "2" jacks when raising & working under a car. NEVER just "1".

 

[A_Harman]

Another good reminder to be safe when working on your car: concrete floor, high-quality jack stands, etc.

You'd look awful with a car sitting on your head.

 

[JDW]

I may be a bit overboard,But I leave the floor jack under the jacking point after the floor jacks are placed , Just for good measure .

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: JDW
I may be a bit overboard,But I leave the floor jack under the jacking point after the floor jacks are placed , Just for good measure .

I do too, but make sure the load is on the stands, and if the stands fail the jack will support the vehicle.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

This is sad. Hear about it every so often

I use jack stands to hold the vehicle up if I'm going to be under it, jack in place to catch it and pile tires/wheels under it just in case both fail.

 

[meep]

I usually shove whatever wheel I took off beneath the car as well. easy ssafety measure and it also gets the wheel out of the way!

 

[Fleetmon]

I too use jack stands and leave the jack in place and, if I have the wheels off, slide them under for good measure. I've never, knock on wood, had a vehicle shift on me though.

Although these are always tragic to learn about, incidents like this should serve to remind all of us to take an extra few minutes and lift vehicles properly and securely.

 

[pottymouth]

When I was younger, I would crawl completely under a car on stands with zero concern. Now, It really makes me uneasy. I had to change the valve body in my old Concorde a few years ago and I hated every minute of it. Made the decision then that it was not worth saving a few hundred bucks and that next time I need to do something similar, I'll bring it to someone with a lift.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: meep
I usually shove whatever wheel I took off beneath the car as well. easy ssafety measure and it also gets the wheel out of the way!


Yup, I do this as well.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I also do my best to knock / shake the vehicle off of the jack stands before getting under. Even with an oil change when it's on ramps and I don't crawl under it.

 

[Rolla07]

I have it on ramps and have a jack right under it as well as a jack stand. You can never be too safe.

 

[147_Grain]

Originally Posted By: A_Harman
Another good reminder to be safe when working on your car: concrete floor, high-quality jack stands, etc.


+1

Prevention is much better than redemption!

 

[VNTS]

Always use jack stands, and leave the wheels on if possible and leave jack in place.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: JDW
I may be a bit overboard,But I leave the floor jack under the jacking point after the floor jacks are placed , Just for good measure .


Not overboard at all. I do the same thing. And I refuse to use those stamped steel jackstands with a pin you slide into holes- like these:

Only jackstands with a cast ratcheting peg, like these:

If the sheet metal type ever get bent, their load carrying capacity goes way down and they're more prone to fail completely.

 

[IndyIan]

Of the two you show, I'd think the pin in type is stronger in design though? Whats wrong with the pin type?

 

[doitmyself]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Of the two you show, I'd think the pin in type is stronger in design though? Whats wrong with the pin type?


I agree. Steel is more forgiving and will bend. Cast iron will crack and break off.

 

[threeputtpar]

That's always sad to hear.

I just did a D&F of the ATF in the Audi on Sunday, which requires the car to be level. I have two 3 ton floor jacks and 4 3 ton jack stands to hold up the car, and I even put the ramps under the front wheels as a third layer of safety.

Back in my early 20s, I never thought twice about sliding under a car that was only supported by a scissors jack that probably was rated by the pound and not the ton. Now, as the car was airborne with 8 points of contact to support it I thought to myself "is it still safe?" I guess having 3 young children will change a guy's thought process a little.

The $25/hour rental fee for the new local rent-a-hoist seems pretty enticing now. I just wish they had better weekend hours for us busy fathers.

 

[PierreR]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Of the two you show, I'd think the pin in type is stronger in design though? Whats wrong with the pin type?

I agree with you, i would never get under a car that stands on those ratcheting jackstands.
Steel gives you a little warning when they are about to fail because you can see them bend and hear them groan.
The cast iron just snaps, loud crash and your dead before you even realize what happend.

Saw that happen at work when a salesperson wanted to show his "super awsome" jackstands...
They were rated alsmost double as the old type, but when we put the weight of the trucks frontaxle on it the peg just exploded on the jackstand.
The jackstand with the weakest rating in our shop is 7 ton and then they just gets biggger and stronger.

Might have been a factory error but we did not buy them from him, we still use our old pin design jackstands for both trucks and trailers..
If an factory error means instant death for anyone who happends to be under it when the stand fails they are not worth it.