DONT EVER DO IT!

nctom

nctom

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2008
Location
CONCORD NC
I know that we all probably know this, but... Dont EVER stand on or between a trailer and the tow rig when loading a car. I spent an hour today getting a good friend out from under my Scout after it rolled off the front of the trailer and pinned him to the trailer tounge. He knew better, but took a chance and stood there as he winched it onto the trailer. He got distracted and was looking the wrong way when the rear tires came up over the dovetail and it picked up speed. The front axle dropped onto his left leg and pinned him to the tounge when the front tires dropped off the front of the trailer. His leg is crushed and his ankle is broken. He needs to Thank God that it didnt keep going and cut him in half. He has always been Captian Safety and over straps everything. He just got caught in a bad spot and should not have been standing there. I grabed a jack handle and got enough weight off his crushed leg to pull it out. Then a neighbor ran over and got some chocks under the tires to keep it stable. He was still pinned between the front of the scout and the back of the Tahoe. I thought he was crushed for sure. I have no idea how I lifted the front axle of the Scout off of him. We all like to think we can jump out of the way if something happens. He stumbled and it cost him. Thanks to all the fire, rescue and police that helped and my 2 neighbors. Some guy from Brother's HVAC showed up out of the blue before the fire dept got there and helped. I dont know who you are, but thanks! For a while there, it was a bad scene.
 
Damn! I hope he's OK!
 
He just went back for surgery so I came home to clean up. He is going to get pins and a carbon rod installed. His knee was bent 90 degrees in the wrong direction. He is tuff... Never screamed or showed any pain the whole time. At first I thought it was because he couldnt breath, but he was just tough. He sent me a text from the ambulance asking if the Scout was ok?!!
I give him my vote for the the 'Man Up" of the year award! Good guy. Just made a bad call and got caught.
 
Hope all turns out ok for him.. We all know that when things go bad they go bad fast. It helps when others can keep calm and get us out of a bad situation. We' ll keep him in our prayers. And extend the thanks to those who help y'all out.
 
please please add a vehicle stop bar to the front of the trailer.. to hopefully stop that from happening again

hope he gets well quick,,
 
Ken, I agree, it was his brand new trailer and it didnt have a tire stop on it. It never should of happened on a lot of different levels. The diff went right over the winch since it was neatly recessesed into the deck and the Scout was wearing 40 inch tires. It was like a perfect storm of things that could go wrong. The main point of my post still rings true. Never stand where you can get run over. Getting run over sucks in a big way. I have been loading/rigging uncooperative, broken, equipment for a long time. Rule number one is dont get caught napping or between an immovable object and anything challanging its status as immovable. Been a long day. G'night all.
 
Pics or it didn't happen!


Kidding. Pictures would help get the point across to those that can't take a subtle hint, though. I'm with you on the safety issue. I don't stand in front of a car being started, even an auto. I knew somebody who ran over himself that way. We all do some stupid things sometimes, and occasionally somebody has to pay for it. I hope your friend comes out OK. That leg's going to be a constant reminder, though. Was the trailer facing downhill? I've never seen a vehicle being winched on take off like that!

PS: To qualify my statement, if I was pinned under a car for an hour, you'd better damn well believe I'd be telling somebody to take pictures! I'm not going to go through that and not get to see what I looked like! Tell me you wouldn't be curious!
 
Yea, that's unreal! But all my trailers have had a bar. Never thought about the barless! We do STUPID every day, & seldom think of it. I had to jump off a flatbed Friday, as a guy loading equipment, turned, a 10k piece over. I shouldn't have been as close as I was!:eek:
 
Prayers for a quick recovery. I am glad everyone around had a clear mind and was able to act quickly to begin the rescue. Sound like a tough cookie to not make any whimpers or screams.

I loaded a 13k pound mini ex on a trailer that was hooked to my cruiser one day. It lifted the rear end of the cruiser about 1' and then the whole mess rolled forward about two feet as I was cresting the ramps. We all do questionable stuff and get away with it up to a point. This gave me wake up call for being complacent. You can do something 100 times, but it only takes one time to cause serious injury or death.
 
So true, and never stand behind one when it is unloading either. Very glad to hear he is going to be ok, that could have ended very badly.

I was unloading a 78 Trans Am off of my flatbed trailer once, I undid one side and walked very closely behind it to do the other when the strap broke and the car rolled off the trailer. It caught me and dragged me down the driveway, luckily there was enough of an uphill slope into the garage that by the time it hit the back wall of the garage it just kind of bounced off of me and stopped. Hurt like a mofo, but other than some bruises in my legs I was ok.
 
"Was the trailer facing downhill? I've never seen a vehicle being winched on take off like that"!

Slight down hill angle, but that wasnt the issue. What caused the Scout to spring forward was that the winch pulled it over the wheel chock he put down to (ironically) keep it from going to far. He thought it was pulling hard to get the rear tires over the dove tail. When it hopped the wheel chock it was like a arrow coming off a bow, it came at him pretty fast. He said his first reaction was to try to stop it. He was standing close to the front edge of the trailer and it pushed him off and came down on top of him.
No one would want to see a picture of that knee bent backwards, personally I am trying to get it out off my head, but I cant find a delete button.
 
Surgery in a couple weeks to repair 3-4 torn tendons. You would not have wanted to see a "Before" picture.


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Yup. Neighbor Gary and I were discussing that today. The tires would have jumped right over it and actually would have hurt him worse. The axle would have landed on his waist (or worse) instead of his leg. In the instant that it happened, his reflex was to try and stop it instead of jumping out of the way, and let it eat the back of the Tahoe. All is well, he is gonna heal up after surgery and rehab. Just wanted to raise awareness among my friends. Never stand there.
 
I'm glad your bud is doing well. I try not to let it happen often, but when I do something stupid, I own it. Don't hide it, let my pain be an example to you. I had to chuckle a little to myself when you mentioned the chock. Ain't that just the kinda thing that happens? Right there with hiding something so you won't lose it, then forgetting where you hid it. I hate it happened, but it also goes to show: You can't prepare for everything. You're right. Having a stop bar might have made things worse, and it certainly wouldn't have stopped the truck. You just need to be aware of everything you can, and anticipate the worst.
 
Not sure what it is... Just found it laying there. I am sure they thought his chest was crushed.
I found 2 dents in the tailgate of the Tahoe from the 2 frame horns on the Scout. He was right between them. You can see a piece of 1 3/4" tube spot welded between the 2 horns thats recessed about 4-5 inches back. This had his chest pushed against the back of the tow rig. Think he is lucky to be alive?

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damn glad he is ok. Def gotta put a front bar on my trailer. Never even thought of anything like this happening.
 
Dammmit man. Hope you heal fast. At least you still have a leg. IT is always that second of not paying attention that will get you. Several years ago we were loading a Ford F350 on the trailer on a huge hill - no way around it. In the process the old trailer coupler jumped off the ball and stood the trailer straight up in the air. We had been rear ended several weeks earlier and it had done damage internally to the coupler is all I can figure. The pin was still in the coupler lock. My wife had been sitting on the front of the trailer operating the winch just seconds before and I told her to move away.
 
TheWarBeast said:
Dammmit man. Hope you heal fast. At least you still have a leg. IT is always that second of not paying attention that will get you. Several years ago we were loading a Ford F350 on the trailer on a huge hill - no way around it. In the process the old trailer coupler jumped off the ball and stood the trailer straight up in the air. We had been rear ended several weeks earlier and it had done damage internally to the coupler is all I can figure. The pin was still in the coupler lock. My wife had been sitting on the front of the trailer operating the winch just seconds before and I told her to move away.
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Beast, Its actually a buddy of mine that got run over and hurt. But you are right, not standing or sitting in the wrong spot is the purpose of the thread. Take a look and figure out which way that winch cable, truck, etc... is gonna' move if the :poop:hits the fan. Cause you wont have time to react and think about it like they do in the movies.
 
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