• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

A reminder to be careful in the garage

Wow. Good lesson for everyone-- always chuck your wheels. Also, put your spare tire under the jacked up wheel so if it does fall, you don't get crushed.
 
A friend of mine from down the street learned this the hard way. He's finally able to get out of the wheelchair for short periods, the accident happened in early spring 🙁
 
Good to read he survived without major injury.

That said, I'm surprised the hospital released him with a 25% pneumothorax (collapsed lung) and didn't hook him up to a pleurovac for a week (very low suction device to restore the negative pressure within the chest cavity and reinflate the lung).


I suffered a 12% spontaneous pneumo about 15 years ago---just standing around talking before a night class---and was taken to ER. Couldn't breathe worth a damn.....and hurt like hell. Thought it was a heart attack being left sided and all (41 y.o. at the time.)

ER doc missed it on x-ray that night but got a call from the hospital early the next morning to please return .... quickly, after I'd spent the entire night sitting bolt upright and trying to sleep because laying down made breathing impossible. Got admitted and lived a week with a chest tube with the reason that once a pneumo starts, it takes very little to make it complete itself, like bumping into a door frame or whatever.

Just odd.
 
Throckmorton said:
Wow. Good lesson for everyone-- always chuck your wheels. Also, put your spare tire under the jacked up wheel so if it does fall, you don't get crushed.
Click to expand...

I always do this...always always always. And double check everything before you start wrenching to make sure the vehicle is secure and stable.

I want my worst injury while working on my car or my bike to be a scraped knuckle.
 
I have a friend at work that did this in Memphis a few years ago, but he was working on his mustang. Pretty much the exact same thing happened to him, and if it wasn't for his neighbor being late for work that day he said, that he is sure that he would have died.
 
good reminder to check your jack stands, jack, wheel choks. when i am working on the jeep i always jack it up a bit and put stands under it, even though i can almost sit upright without them.
 
That's nuts. To be honest, at first I assumed from your description that this was a repost of that guy who was welding an old fuel barrel or something and almost died of inhaling noxious fumes, then didn't got to the hospital for 3 weeks and is now permanently f'ed up. The responses made me realize it isn't, so I read it.

That's one of my greatest fears. I was under my car changing the oil Sunday and every time I'm under there, the thought of the car coming down on me basically never leaves my mind.
 
jhu said:
Well, there's the problem.
Click to expand...

I've had enough E-brakes fail to avoid relying on them when I'm under a car. Cables stretch and break. It's extremely easy to throw something there to chock it and be 100% sure, cheap insurance. It just takes a second to chock a wheel with something. Even if you don't have chocks (I don't) you probably have plenty of things lying around that will work.
 
fbrdphreak said:
Damn. This guy is LUCKY to be in the condition he's in. If he couldn't get up to make that phone call, he probably would have died of asphyxia.

[soapbox] So be sure to support your local Fire & EMS services. Budget cutting can delay care and could mean a situation like this doesn't turn out so well.[/soapbox]

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=79684
Click to expand...

Crazy story.. I work on a flat gravel driveway and I'm constantly questioning whether I have enough plywood displacing the weight and have it in the right positions. So far so good.. but as the story indicates it just takes one lapse in judgment and it's 911 time.

BTW.. Fire, police, EMS, all socialists you know. 😉
 
jhu said:
Well, there's the problem.
Click to expand...


No its not. The e-brake should NOT be used to hold your vehicle while working under it. You can use it as a backup, but not as the main source. E-brakes fail all the time and if working on the rear you can easily cut, damage, or do something to the cable to cause the brakes to not hold.

When I work on cars at my new place now I have the wheels in a hold area, put car on jack stands, leave the jack near a holding point, set trans in gear/park, and set e-brake. After setting all that up I push on the car to make sure the jack stands are holding correct. If they make any noise or settle more I relift it and reset the jacks.

I worked on cars for over decade and I have seen some stupid stuff and peoples old scares/injuries due to things like "the car was in park..." or "the e-brake was on so I thought...".
Had one idiot try to run me over when they started it for me and left it in gear. I learned real fast to never stand in front of a car when it is being started. That was my stupid autotech mistake and I got even more anal for safety after that.

So e-brake and trans brake is only for backup. It should not be your main safety source.
 
That was posted yesterday on LS1GTO.com
He forgot to set the Parking Brake and forgot to chock the wheels.
So truck was being held by tranny. When he pulled out the driveshaft,
off it went. It could have been deadly.
 
bruceb said:
That was posted yesterday on LS1GTO.com
He forgot to set the Parking Brake and forgot to chock the wheels.
So truck was being held by tranny. When he pulled out the driveshaft,
off it went. It could have been deadly.
Click to expand...
Thanks for...summarizing the article that everyone read?
 
ouch, dude is lucky, can tell me what the pic is in his post. i dont wanna register just to look at it
 
My 1994 Dodge 2500 diesel (5-speed) truck's parking brake popped sending the truck down into my neighbor's Kia. I was closing the gate (the truck was idling), the truck's parking brake was pushed all the way in, when I heard a popping noise and saw my truck slowly rolling down my driveway. During a micro second I thought about jumping into it while it was moving, but then changed my mind. I am fortunate there were no people around.

I found quite a few posts on TDR and dodgediesel by people whose Dodge trucks' parking brake failed on slight inclines. One fellow redesigned the parking brake assembly spring to exercise pressure the opposite way. I followed his instructions - that fixed the problem. Btw, Chrysler was contacted about these incidents, but preferred to ignore them.

To be honest with you, I agree with the above poster - these parking brakes are not designed to hold the vehicles the way we want them to.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top