(BEROWRA NSW) - Man dies after being trapped under Car

uniacidz · 07-03-2015, 12:15 AM

Hey all

Just saw this on their Facebook page.

As a reminder, never go under a car unless safe to do so.
Always use precautions and never skimp on safety.

And at all times, try not to use scissor jacks.
Use proper jacks and stands + chocks and or ramps

Check and recheck as whilst cars are great to work on etc, their weight is unforgiving.

RIP to the fella.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quote:

Traffic and Highway Patrol Command - NSW Police Force
9 mins ·

Man dies after being trapped under car - Berowra

Friday, 06 March 2015 09:55:21 PM

Police will prepare a report for the Coroner after the death of a man at Berowra today.

Shortly after 6.30pm (Friday 6 March 2015), emergency services were alerted to a man who was trapped under a car in Woodcourt Road at Berowra Heights.

Police from Kuring Gai Local Area Command attended with other emergency services and attempted to revive the man without success.

A crime scene was established and police commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the 19-year-old man’s death.

It appears the man was attempting mechanical repairs on the car prior to this incident.

A report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner.

Police are urging anyone with information in relation to this incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au/ Information you provide will be treated in the strictest of confidence. We remind people they should not report crime information via our Facebook and Twitter pages

jimt3te50 · 07-03-2015, 03:33 AM

Just terrible to hear. I lost my father the same way before I was born and actively encourage everyone to use the proper precautions when working under vehicles. Please.

Makes my blood run cold hearing this. Deepest sympathies to his family and friends, so tragic.

xxx000 · 07-03-2015, 01:13 PM

And beware when jacking a car up on a driveway or concrete slab

The driveway or slab may be a waffle slab which can rupture or fail under the load with catastrophic consequences

**aussiblue** · 07-03-2015, 02:13 PM

Quote:

The driveway or slab may be a waffle slab which can rupture or fail under the load with catastrophic consequences

They can also be laid over soak wells and similarly collapse.

**aussiblue** · 07-03-2015, 02:17 PM

Using jacks not jack stands it seems.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-0...garage/6287784

Quote:

Teen dies after being crushed by car he was working on in Berowra, Sydney

Updated about 2 hours ago

Map: Berowra 2081

A 19-year-old man in Sydney has been found crushed to death in his family's garage, after the car he was working on fell onto his chest.

Police said the man was working on his car in Berowra, in Sydney's north, yesterday afternoon when the vehicle rolled off its jack.

Inspector David Hogg from Kuring-gai Local Area Command said paramedics worked for an hour to save the man, but his injuries were too severe.

"He was alone in the shed doing some work on his car, and was only noticed by his mother when she called him for dinner and he didn't respond," he said.

"She's subsequently gone out to the shed, and located him, under the vehicle."

Police have urged people to be careful when working on and around heavy machinery.

"Obviously take care if anyone is working on their vehicle in the shed and don't be complacent," Inspector Hogg said.

"Take care with how you set up the vehicle, and what repairs you are doing, to ensure your safety is always going to be paramount."

uniacidz · 07-03-2015, 03:07 PM

Thanks Aussieblue.

One jack perhaps....

Oh man, makes me get water in my eyes
Poor mum discovering him.

Such a terrible accident

**aussiblue** · 07-03-2015, 03:45 PM

I used to work with a paraplegic who got that way when his MG he had supported on bricks fell on him.

Franco Cozzo · 07-03-2015, 04:40 PM

We lost a fellow apprentice at TAFE because of this, and I keep telling everyone stands stands stands.

One of my good mates is also an auto electrician and was half *** with safety or didn't care, he put a stand under the car but didn't raise it up.

Jack collapsed and the car was caught by the stand but it permanently damaged his wrist.

Because he survived I always ask how the wrist is going and I told you so.

Safety is always a pain in the *** until you lose your eyes, hands, legs or life.

Then its too late.

mik · 07-03-2015, 05:09 PM

Speaking of bricks , i recall as a young bloke a mate asked me to do clutch on his hg holden , so there i did it on brunswick rd melbourne with the car swaying in the breeze, it was propped up with bricks we found laying around the neighborhood , had bugger all tools back in those days.
makes shake my head what a tool i was and makes me wonder how how i made it to my adulthood.

had a couple of close calls over the years, a couple with collaping scissor jacks , lets face it , even doing maintenance in the driveway or in the garage on the car and attempting to do it the right way still has danger in it.
even changing a tyre on the side of the road you can come to grief.

these days apart from the fact im an old fart and slowing down, if im doing work with the car off the ground, i spend a heap of time getting the vehicle properly stable up on some qaulity car stands , and i give it a good shove to make sure it is not going to go anywhere if i start wrenching on something under the car.

and also we should not forget safe practices working with heavy lumps of metal like engines on engine cranes dangling a metre or so above the ground, when you start playing with gravity and heavy weights and put a human body in close proximity, the chance of harm being done is always there.

asagaai · 07-03-2015, 08:24 PM

I remember being a 11 year old boy, watching my Uncle work on his Mercedes in carport, he had it jacked up with bricks, there was a cracking noise, car started swaying, he slid out and the whole car came crashing down, bricks turned into cordite, sparks as the car axle hit concrete. Neither of us said a word to either ourselves or anyone else, but that made a huge impression.

9 years later, there I was, blown diff in my worked Cortina GT (serious axle hop), and worked it on the public road where the diff blew, used bricks to jack the vehicle up ...My desperation to fix the car replacing the diff and yanking axles out caused a brain explosion...

Nowadays, I only go under a car with ramps. If I have to go under a car with a scissor jack or any jack (which I will avoid at all costs) I will put a spare wheel slid underneath the chassis as a backup (or a ramp) -secondary controls in case of primary failure is always a good idea, and if the jack fails you need to ensure that there is a liveable space afforded by the secondary control in play.

Working on cars is dangerous, it is heavy machinery and the number of death/serious injury cases in industries involving heavy industry (like mining) is sobering.

Good tips guys (and girls) - keep them coming....

Ford Falcon XR6 · 07-03-2015, 08:55 PM

My apprentice a few weeks ago was doing an oil change on his mates Toyota 86 with it only supported by a jack. It slipped off the jack when he tightened the sump plug and he was lucky to just get away with a sprained wrist. I've been a mechanic for just about 6 years now and have had 1 or 2 near misses from carelessness. One of the problems I found was the longer you've been doing a job the more complacent you get. Another important this is when you have only the rear or only the front of the car raised on stands make sure you have the handbrake on and Both wheel chocked. Even with the right equipment accidents can still happen if its not set up correctly.

**pwr4ce** · 07-03-2015, 09:30 PM

When I was about 19 I was changing a set of rear coils and springs on my car
The car came off the jack but fortunately I had placed a tyre on each side of the axle which saved me and didn't damage my car

I was lucky that day (32 yrs ago)

SavVYute · 07-03-2015, 10:42 PM

Strikes me as strange....that new cars can be awarded a five star safety rating and yet have a crappy scissor jack supplied in the tool kit.
Would make sense to award some points for having a quality jack with inbuilt jacking points.

**aussiblue** · 07-03-2015, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Would make sense to award some points for having a quality jack with inbuilt jacking points.

It might just encourage people to use them for more than changing a tyre and thus perhaps more risk of people killing themselves.

**ebxr8240** · 08-03-2015, 01:35 AM

Had XA Faccon fall on me a few years ago .. Blood was come out of my ears and nose . I managed to jam a hammer between body and floor .. Could only take real short breaths..
Car rolled down car ramps! While replacing universal ..Those XA's had long joints on there sills ...
Lucky people near by lifted car... I have about 4 sets of stands now...

HULK_I6T · 08-03-2015, 01:56 AM

My mates car got stolen years ago and he was called up by police saying they found the car and the offender.. He had jacked it up in bush land and tried to take parts off the car. Car fell on him trapping his leg. He managed to call emergency services with his phone... Dope lol

Another time I was changing wheels on my car and used a scissor jack. I started taking nuts off the wheels when all of a sudden the jack just failed. Car dumped and lucky wheel was still on. I'd hate to have been doing something under the car at that point.

I'll use stands and jack and spare tyre now. Can't be safe enough.

HULK_I6T · 08-03-2015, 01:59 AM

I once lifted my xr8, took front wheel off and I thought I was lowering it on stands.. But stands were too short and seriously with no jack or stands car was still up. Just 3 wheels on and no support at all.

Feathers · 08-03-2015, 02:12 AM

A family friend with a mechanical business last year found one of his long time employees (and best friend) crushed under a car in his workshop, after some kind of jacking/hoist incident. He'd been working alone for awhile, and they found him hours later.

Tony's had a pretty rough time. First his son contracted viral meningitis on a cruise (which had been a family gift for his 21st birthday) and passed away, and then this...

Maka · 08-03-2015, 11:16 AM

Condolences to the mans family. :(

Flat tires happen occasionally while driving too, so don't stress out while having to jack the car up while on the side of the road. Some people tend to rush trying to change to the spare (so they can get back on their way asap) & sometimes not think about what they are actually doing & doing it safe.

Always try to park the car on a square & level surface on the side of the road or a servo if near by before changing a flat to a spare out on the road.

I have for years like mik suggest's gave my cars a good couple of shove's to make sure the car is stable while jacked up & placed the spare or flat tyre under the sill if no stands & ramps are available like out on the side of the road. Place a chock under the tire on the other side of the car too.

It don't matter what jack is in use same rules apply, do your best to be safety first when jacking your car up.

cheer's, Maka

mik · 08-03-2015, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ebxr8240

Had XA Faccon fall on me a few years ago .. Blood was come out of my ears and nose . I managed to jam a hammer between body and floor .. Could only take real short breaths..
Car rolled down car ramps! While replacing universal ..Those XA's had long joints on there sills ...
Lucky people near by lifted car... I have about 4 sets of stands now...

where we still using bumper jacks in the xa days ? from memory i had a bumper jack on my xc, and on my 67 xr, i dont know what scared me more , the scissor jack or the bumper jack

.

Edit : i used to hate the way the bumper jacks would push the bumper out of alignment too.

Ford17 · 08-03-2015, 08:19 PM

Also, don't be afraid to ask anyone on here how to use a trolley jack, where to place it under the car to jack the car up, and where to place the axle stands.

I put this together for a post a while ago, showing the location points for the FG:

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showpos...11&postcount=5

99AUXR · 08-03-2015, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Damo

We lost a fellow apprentice at TAFE because of this, and I keep telling everyone stands stands stands.

One of my good mates is also an auto electrician and was half *** with safety or didn't care, he put a stand under the car but didn't raise it up.

Jack collapsed and the car was caught by the stand but it permanently damaged his wrist.

Because he survived I always ask how the wrist is going and I told you so.

Safety is always a pain in the *** until you lose your eyes, hands, legs or life.

Then its too late.

Same brother, I work as apprentice and always try and urge stands safety glasses and hearing protection. Amazing how many of the old school guys miss alot of the simple safety things.

Safety only takes a few extra minutes but can save a lifetime of anguish.

Tragic mother going out to find that unbearable for anyone.

Evgeni · 08-03-2015, 10:12 PM

Poor bastard - What an absolutely horrible way to die.

One of my biggest fears when working under a car. You hear these stories everywhere and very rarely does the poor bloke survive.

funford · 12-03-2015, 08:03 PM

Yep Experts do it safely...
But I still remember the 4x4 shop in Hallam Vic that dropped a near new 4x4 off their hoist about 15 years ago.
I was not placed on the pads correctly and fell off sideways. Fortunately no injuries to any people.
As others have commented we can get a bit blas'e when experienced.

OffRoadFalcon · 12-03-2015, 08:23 PM

Very sad to hear, can't imagine how hard it'd be for the family right now. He was about my age too, I turned 19 yesterday.

Hopefully, at least, this may help to save many more lives, increasing awareness.

This is why I'm always very wary when I have to work under a car. Even though I do everything I can to make it safe, including resting the car on the jackstands at all times. Just hearing about stories like these is enough for me.