bsaint
Well-known member
Happened locally over the weekend.
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/10/man_dies_in_accident_at_holyok.html
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/10/man_dies_in_accident_at_holyok.html
Car falls off jack and kills a man
- Thread starter bsaint
- Start date
meissen
Well-known member
And that boys and girls is why you never work under a car that's only supported via a jack.
At least he won't do i agian!
On a more serious note: Jacks are used to lift a car. Once up in the air, ALWAYS use good jackstands! I know some people will shove a spare wheel under the frame, or use wooden blocks... But seriously, the few extra bucks spent on jackstands are cheap insurance. Do not, under any circumstance, use breeze blocks! They have a tendency to work fine for ages, until they suddenly disintegrate and crumble to pieces instantly. Additionally, always block the wheels, so the car doesn't roll off the jackstands.
On a more serious note: Jacks are used to lift a car. Once up in the air, ALWAYS use good jackstands! I know some people will shove a spare wheel under the frame, or use wooden blocks... But seriously, the few extra bucks spent on jackstands are cheap insurance. Do not, under any circumstance, use breeze blocks! They have a tendency to work fine for ages, until they suddenly disintegrate and crumble to pieces instantly. Additionally, always block the wheels, so the car doesn't roll off the jackstands.
nehog
Well-known member
I've watched way too many cars and trucks fall, slide, roll and drop off a jack. And personally I don't think when a car is falling you're going to be able to get out in time.
aqr81
Well-known member
It's amazing that more people never grow out of not realizing that is a problem. I suspect most of us did it in our youth, but thank God, became aware of the dangers before there was a problem.
Where I live I see people all the time working on there cars because they dont have parking spots where they live... I even saw a guy painting is hood in the walmart parking lot and he just drove right after finishing lol!
oldgoat
Well-known member
Considering that he was in the parking lot I doubt that most of us would have a jack stand available and we don't know what he was trying to do. In a pinch you sometimes do things you wouldn't normally do.
eborcim
Well-known member
I've put them on a curb before in a parking lot.
drmoonshine
Well-known member
Unfortunate but maybe this will call attention to repair safety and the danger for every here that doesn't already do this.
Cobra4B
Well-known member
Darwin strikes again.
Professur
Well-known member
I guess I'm unique, but then, I've got a trunk more than big enough to suffice. I've got not only stands and proper chocks ... but the factory jack for the Parisienne has a footprint about 2 foot long and positive locks. It's almost solid enough for me to trust working under the car on it alone ... almost.
Everyone already knows that a 2x4 behind the wheel isn't a chock, don't they?
Everyone already knows that a 2x4 behind the wheel isn't a chock, don't they?
We have just recently talked about this on another thread. I love the Aluminum Racing Jacks at Harbor Freight, they are cheap and get the job done. On that same note I also love my 30 pound each Jack Stands...
No matter what, still an unfortunate tragedy.
No matter what, still an unfortunate tragedy.
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Almost happened to me in my dumb(er) days... The jack did not fail, the floor did ! The car's weight was on the 2 right side tires only (porsche side jack), and the weight of the car combined with the sticky tires unstuck the existing vinyl tile from the floor and it slid 1/2 way over the next tile, at which point the jack was at 45 degrees instead of vertical and the car fell (I had just bought the house, did not really know the floor was glued on).
The 2 wheels/tires I put under there as a safety saved my bacon that day, and gave me time to bail. Still, after I replaced that set of underwear, I went out and bought me a scissor lift - never looked back... Now I've graduated to a 4 post, but if I can, I leave another car under it at all times, even when I work on the car above. Once bitten....
The 2 wheels/tires I put under there as a safety saved my bacon that day, and gave me time to bail. Still, after I replaced that set of underwear, I went out and bought me a scissor lift - never looked back... Now I've graduated to a 4 post, but if I can, I leave another car under it at all times, even when I work on the car above. Once bitten....
seagravedriver
Well-known member
That is terrible. Has anyone heard of Harbor Freight and the like jack stands failing? I look at mine that I have gotten through the years as gifts and kinda wonder.
Dan in Pasadena
Well-known member
I've always wondered about this myself. I now own a friggin HUGE '08 Chevy crewcab dually 4x4 and I've thought about buying the largest jackstands HF sells. I want to say they're rated like 6 tons (?) could be more. But the idea of those "teeth" on the HF jackstands cracking off always makes me nervous.
The stupid part of this is that for at least 30-35 years I've been using the cheapest (like $2.99 back then - seriously!) steel jackstands I got at Montgomery Wards (remember them?) when I was a kid. I ALWAYS leave the jack in place as a fail-safe device to the jackstand, but still.
The other thought is: If I go get jackstands from some other place, how do I know they're not "lowest-common-denominator" jackstands just like HF's anyway?!
I am livingproof that you can get out from under a car falling off of a bumper jack. Many years ago. To this day I will now put a car up on stands and then give it a heavy shove before I get under. I have knocked a couple off of the jack stands too.
lg
no neat sig line
lg
no neat sig line
metal1313
Well-known member
i'll shove my spare under the truck, but my wheel tire combo is large, and wide, on my older truck, 35x12.5. it gives me more than enough room incase something happens, but when working at home i use a block of 8x8 timber, my jack and jack stands
ErickForest
Well-known member
I knew there was a reason I bought some jack stands last week. $20 for safety is not that expensive.
djd99
Well-known member
lol I hope that question mark was a joke, any way I see people making unnecessary risks all the time. I was in home depot 2 weeks ago and some kid was changing his starter with just a 19.99 jack holding it up nothing else. He could of at the very least put the tire under the truck but it was leaning up against his door. The way he was shaking his truck I thought for sure he was a goner. He must of lucked out as he wasn't in the paper the next day for stupidity.
en
Yes. Last week the car shut off as the owner was turning in his drive. It was dead and it would not start with a jump box. I helped him push it down the drive to a spot by his house and he told me the reason it would not start is because a repair shop told him the cam seal in the alternator was leaking. He has a mechanic friend that comes to his house to repair his cars so he is waiting on him to come over, and I know that mechanic would not go under the car supported with bottle jacks.
Yes. Last week the car shut off as the owner was turning in his drive. It was dead and it would not start with a jump box. I helped him push it down the drive to a spot by his house and he told me the reason it would not start is because a repair shop told him the cam seal in the alternator was leaking. He has a mechanic friend that comes to his house to repair his cars so he is waiting on him to come over, and I know that mechanic would not go under the car supported with bottle jacks.
Lawson4450
Well-known member
my uncle was killed the same way and my grandmother and her sister found him they ripped a post off the front porch and shoved it under the car and they both sat on it and waited until help arrived. she used to yell at us everytime we were near a car on a jack even with jackstands.
southernfriedcj
Well-known member
On another forum I frequent guys are always asking about how to get their car on jack stands. There are usually numerous posts advising the use of a spare tires, timbers, etc. or just leaving the jack under the car along with the stands.
This type of accident happens all too frequently.
This type of accident happens all too frequently.
James E
Well-known member
I've seen cars fall off of bumper jacks, bumper jacks fail, bumper jack bases slide--even a couple of bumpers that broke off the car. Even after seeing all that, I used to get under a car supported only by a bumper jack all the time and rarely used any kind of chock under the wheels (if I did, it was usually just a brick or a 2x4). Heck, my idea of safety was to use two bumper jacks at the same time.
It's a wonder that any shadetree mechanics survived the 60's and 70's.
It's a wonder that any shadetree mechanics survived the 60's and 70's.
Grumpy365
Well-known member
I always put the wheels under the car so if it was to fall it would give me a little room.
With my expanding gut, i think i may need to start putting wider wheels on my stuff.
I have a good friend with messed up teath, because he was under a car working on a u joint and accidentally dropped the drive shaft in his mouth.
With my expanding gut, i think i may need to start putting wider wheels on my stuff.
I have a good friend with messed up teath, because he was under a car working on a u joint and accidentally dropped the drive shaft in his mouth.
Not to start an argument but, wooden blocks make excellent jack stands. I worked in a steel mill and we would place several tons of weight on large blocks of wood when repair things. You just have to know the limit of the blocks you are using. And make them large enough to be steady. Laminating several 3x3s, 4x4s or even 2x4s should make good supports. Don't forget your house is sitting on wooden studs placed 16" apart. So, wood makes a pretty good support. But I do agree that some kind of backup support should always be used.
g9m3c
Well-known member
I work at Advance Auto Parts, so I get to see the armpit of wrenchers all the time. This past weekend, a guy was changing a battery in his Dodge Stratus (in the front wheel well - gotta remove the wheel/tire to change it). Well, he had it jacked up with the flimsy factory jack and nothing under it for support. I walked by and saw this and told him to slide the wheel under the edge of the car for safety reasons. Well, he did that, but he apparently barely slid it under the front bumper cover. Long story short: It fell and screwed up the front bumper. Thankfully, he wasn't under anything when it happened. He thanked me afterwards and said he should have known to put it under something more solid. Geeze, some people just do not have an understanding of basic physics.
Long story short: It fell and screwed up the front bumper. Thankfully, he wasn't under anything when it happened. He thanked me afterwards and said he should have known to put it under something more solid. Geeze, some people just do not have an understanding of basic physics.Just for the record, I never said that wooden blocks could not be used. They have all the qualities you would want from a support material. Only thing is, jackstands are often more convenient, as they are adjustable, sometimes take up less space, and so on.
The most important thing is to make sure the car is properly supported and secured before you crawl under it. And that means making sure it can't roll, giving it some good shoves to check stability, and using common sense. Avoid being in the direct path of parts that may be falling when loosened. The law of gravity WILL get you EVERY time, and there is NO rebate for first offenders.
These rules applies to all situations where you are under a car, no matter if you are using a floor jack, ramps, or a lift.
The most important thing is to make sure the car is properly supported and secured before you crawl under it. And that means making sure it can't roll, giving it some good shoves to check stability, and using common sense. Avoid being in the direct path of parts that may be falling when loosened. The law of gravity WILL get you EVERY time, and there is NO rebate for first offenders.
These rules applies to all situations where you are under a car, no matter if you are using a floor jack, ramps, or a lift.
Shadowdog500
Well-known member
The timbers used for lifting heavy equipment are very dense wood that is specific for that application. The typical piece of lumber that a homeowner has laying around is usually pine, which will snap in half easily. I had a pine timber fail on me while under my 3,000+ lb 21' Grady White boat. Luckily I heard the wood start to split and rolled out just before the boat fell to the ground. The choice of wood is important.
Years ago I also had a pair of heavy duty stamped car ramps fail right before I was ready to crawl under my '73 Caprice Wagon. Never trusted car ramps again either.
Chris
brassspike
Well-known member
Being in emergency services I have seen quite a few. Kind of makes you wonder sometimes
I remember one guy that was working on his van in the drive (sloped drive). He had it on ramps with little blocks of wood behind the tires. Well the emergency brake does not hold well in backward motion so when he took the last bolt out of the rear u joint........ Rough thing for the family to experience first thing on Sunday morning! DRT... dead right there.
I remember one guy that was working on his van in the drive (sloped drive). He had it on ramps with little blocks of wood behind the tires. Well the emergency brake does not hold well in backward motion so when he took the last bolt out of the rear u joint........ Rough thing for the family to experience first thing on Sunday morning! DRT... dead right there.
Sad story.
I know I took risks when I was younger and did my fair share of mechanical work using only the factory supplied jack. At the time it was because I didn't think I could afford jackstands (I assumed they were expensive and never actually priced them out...stupidity/ignorance at its finest).
For those concerned about the HF stands...compare them to other semi-budget priced brands found at Sears, PepBoys, Autozone, etc. Last weekend I picked up a pair of 3-ton stands from HF for $14 w/coupon. Look to be the exact same as the Craftsman stands I saw at Sears for about twice the price.
I know I took risks when I was younger and did my fair share of mechanical work using only the factory supplied jack. At the time it was because I didn't think I could afford jackstands (I assumed they were expensive and never actually priced them out...stupidity/ignorance at its finest).
For those concerned about the HF stands...compare them to other semi-budget priced brands found at Sears, PepBoys, Autozone, etc. Last weekend I picked up a pair of 3-ton stands from HF for $14 w/coupon. Look to be the exact same as the Craftsman stands I saw at Sears for about twice the price.
