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  #1  
Old 03-01-2011, 02:36 PM
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Man Crushed working on car

4-year-old daughter Finds Dad Crushed Beneath Van
http://www.news4jax.com/news/19086437/detail.html

Man killed after car falls on him
http://www.wtoc.com/Global/story.asp?S=14157000

Genesee Township man dies after car in garage falls on him
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2011/02/genesee_township_man_dies_afte.html

Shaler man killed when car falls, crushes him at garage
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_497275.html

Man crushed under car in Lawrenceville
http://www.ajc.com/news/gwinnett/man-crushed-under-car-116926.html

Man Dies While Working Underneath His Car
http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/dpp/news/local/121010-man-dies-while-working-underneath-his-car

Man, 27, killed when car he's working under falls
http://jaxairnews.jacksonville.com/news/metro/2011-01-08/story/law-disorder-man-27-killed-when-car-hes-working-under-falls

Toronto man pinned, crushed to death by own car
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Toronto+pinned+crushed+death/3791555/story.html

Man Crushed While Working on Car in Mall Parking Lot
http://www.cbs3springfield.com/news/local/Man-Crushed-While-Working-on-Car-in-Mall-Parking-Lot-105151964.html

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A car fell on top of a 27-year-old Navy man and killed him at a Northside home around midday Friday
http://www.news4jax.com/news/26402651/detail.html

Tauranga man crushed by car in own garage
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10628465

Man crushed by car meets his rescuer
http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/news/Man-crushed-car-meets-rescuer/article-193766-detail/article.html

Man Gets Crushed by Car During Cannonball Race
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jejL0p83oSI

Man crushed by his car
http://www.wdtn.com/dpp/news/man-crushed-by-car

Man crushed under car.
http://www.tcpalm.com/videos/detail/man-crushed-under-car/

Man Was Working Under Car When Jack Shifted
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/24294069/detail.html

MAN CRUSHED WHILE WORKING ON CAR
http://thedenverdailynews.com/article.php?aID=10886

Man crushed by falling car
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/man-crushed-by-falling-car/story-e6frea83-1225735876158

Man crushed underneath car
http://www.fenlandcitizen.co.uk/news/local/man_crushed_underneath_car_1_2368524

Victim died after a car fell ontop of him
http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/police-identify-man-killed-when-car-falls-ontop-of-him-as-roger-koury

Man, 71, killed on his own driveway after vehicle collapses on top of him
http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/man_71_killed_on_his_own_driveway_after_vehicle_collapses_on_top_of_him_1_3129144

Man Killed After Car Falls on Him
http://fingerlakes.ynn.com/content/all_news/505967/man-killed-after-car-falls-on-him/

Grainger man killed in mishap while working on truck
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/jan/31/grainger-man-killed-in-mishap-while-working-on/

Man found dead pinned under vehicle
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/mobile/Man-found-dead-pinned-under-vehicle-97805249.html?viewAllComments=y

Man working on vehicle found dead in Dunbar
http://sundaygazettemail.com/News/policeblotter/201006030256

Dead Man Lies In Driveway Unnoticed For Up To 4 Days
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2004-06-22/news/0406220174_1_heil-shepherdstown-parking-brake

Man Found Dead Under Vehicle in Indianola
http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/87030232.html

Man Killed After Car Falls On Him
http://www2.wspa.com/news/2010/dec/08/man-killed-after-car-falls-him-ar-1185472/

Man Killed After Car Falls On Top Of Him In Smyrna
http://www.wtvf.com/story/13653259/man-killed-after-car-falls-on-top-of-him-in-smyrna

Bexar Co. man killed when car falls on him while hd made repairs
http://www.kens5.com/news/local/Bexar-Co-man-killed-when-car-falls-on-him-while-hd-made-repairs-114638314.html

Man killed when car falls on top of him
http://murfreesboronewspress.com/2010/12/man-killed-when-car-falls-on-top-of-him/

Man Killed When Car Falls On Him
http://www.ketv.com/r/15960375/detail.html

Man killed after truck falls on him
http://salisbury.wbtv.com/content/man-killed-after-truck-falls-him

Kevin L. Rock Sr., a Prince William County sheriff's deputy, died Thursday after a car he was working on fell on him.
http://www.wusa9.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=94621&provider=top

Seneca man killed after a car he was working on falls off a jack and crushes him
http://www.koamtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12044896

Man Is Killed When Car Falls On Him
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19960806&slug=2342868

Man Killed After Car Falls on Him
http://fwix.com/rochester/article/7326585b7d/man_killed_after_car_falls_on_him

Man Killed When Car Falls During Repairs
http://www.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/1421201/

Man killed after truck falls on him
http://salisbury.wbtv.com/content/man-killed-after-truck-falls-him?page=7

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Man Killed for craigslist car parts
http://www.startribune.com/local/east/102800539.html

Man killed by explosion while working on car
http://www.freep.com/article/20110223/NEWS01/110223007/Man-killed-by-explosion-while-working-car

Man killed driving recall car to garage
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2890835/Pensioner-Frank-Beer-is-killed-driving-recall-Peugeot-car-to-garage.html

Officials ID Tucson man killed trying to douse garage fire
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/article_572c9b38-3f69-11e0-b1fe-001cc4c03286.html

Man crushed by car door while trying to access underground garage
http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/11/07/man-crushed-by-car-door-while-trying-to-access-underground-garage/

Man Crushed by Car in Garage Accident
http://www.newyorkcaraccidentlawyerblog.com/2011/02/man_crushed_by_car_in_garage_a.html

Man Killed When Car Pins Him to Garage
http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Man-Killed-When-Car-Pins-Him-to-Garage-96131054.html

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  #2  
Old 03-01-2011, 08:39 PM
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Cars falling off supports used to happen with a fair regularity. Some people even survived. Hopefully it occurs far less today.

It probably does just because fewer work on their own cars now than for many previous decades.

I have never really feared almost anything. Still getting underneath a car not really supported so it just could not drop on you was always beyond my fear threshhold.

I do not even trust jackstands. I know that is a little irrational yet I cannot help it. The car always had to be solidly blocked up in a way that satisfied me.

Also if you use a set of drive up on ramps to change oil or whatever. The cheap ones can collapse. I have seen it happen. Get a block of wood that just fits inside them if not certain of their strength. Or properly weld additional support to them. These old mercedes diesels are heavy on their front ends.
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  #3  
Old 03-01-2011, 08:47 PM
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After getting the car on stands, I try and knock it off before I get under it. My son asked why I did it that way. I replied "wouldn't you rather it fell off now than when you are under it"?
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Old 03-01-2011, 09:27 PM
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This is something every DIYer should be mindful of. Something you can do if you are taking the wheels off is place them under the car. If the car should fall, the wheel will keep the body from falling completely to the ground.

This is also why I like using quality ramps whenever I'm doing something that doesn't require removal of a wheel. The car is already at rest.

That's not to say you can't have an incident with ramps. At a VW get to gether once some friends and I were working on a noobie's new to him Jetta. A friend pulled the car up on some ramps to take a look at the turbo oil return, and parked the car in gear. We asked the owner to start the car, which he did, but then didn't notice the car was in gear, poped the clutch, and sent the ramps skidding out from under the tires. The car came almost straight down on my friend. Fortunately there were about 20 people standing around watching, and all of them immediately picked the car up and my friend got out from under it. He had some bruised ribs, but was otherwise ok. Scary stuff though!

-Jason
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Old 03-01-2011, 09:28 PM
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The thought of that poor little girl trying to fix Daddy with Band-Aids makes me feel like I've been punched in the gut.
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  #6  
Old 03-02-2011, 11:09 AM
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Second that on the diesels being front end heavy. I like the idea of placing the wheels under the car in case of a fall. Scary stuff, indeed.
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Old 03-02-2011, 01:52 PM
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Originally Posted by HuskyMan View Post
Second that on the diesels being front end heavy. I like the idea of placing the wheels under the car in case of a fall. Scary stuff, indeed.
yep, that's what I do too. in addition to using a high quality pin-style jack stand with a large saddle. I absolutely will not get under any car supported by those china-made ratchet-type stands you see at most auto parts stores.

I was working on a friend's Audi one time and he had those cheap ratch-type stands. All of a sudden, one of them just collapsed!! For no reason! Nobody was even touching the car! Thankfully no one was under it either. The problem is the tooth engagement of the ratchet mechanism. It is only engaged by a very tiny edge of a tooth. Take a look at one, it's pretty scary. We looked this one over after the incident, and nothing was broken, the ratchet mechanism simply fell off the tooth. From then on, I only go near a car supported by the pin-style stands.

Pin = OK. Ratchet = No Good!
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Man Crushed working on car-standpin.jpg   Man Crushed working on car-standratchet.jpg  
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  #8  
Old 03-02-2011, 05:27 PM
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Almost sounds like the ratcheting jack stands you guys were using were improperly manufactured. The set I have was one of those $20 auto parts store specials (included a floor jack too) and the ratchet mechanism has enough play to go to the middle of the shaft. They can get caught on the tip of a tooth and drop down a notch if they're wiggled, but from what you said (fell all the way down) it sounds like your friend had a faulty jack stand.
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Old 03-04-2011, 07:55 AM
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I find I'm way more cautious about stuff like this the older I get.
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Old 03-11-2011, 08:59 AM
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I have always been super safe with vehicle support, good jacks, good stands. (*I like the ratchet style stands though.) but when my old boss/mentor got killed in his own driveway under his car, I make a special effort to double and triple safe protect myself.
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Old 03-11-2011, 10:34 AM
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Some may not know that CINDER BLOCKS are not strong enough to support a car. Cinder blocks are the large gray blocks with holes in them; probably mentioned in at least one of the horror stories above, but I got the point without actually reading them. Here in the south, the hillbillies refer to them as Breeko (brand name) or "bricko" blocks. Used mostly as tornado tees for mobile homes.

Good point on the ratchet type jackstands; I'll check mine next time.

Lastly, I guess we all know to CHOCK THE WHEELS well, I use a dead blow hammer (has metal shot in the head to prevent rebound when hitting bouncy things like wood blocks against tires), to wedge them tightly under the tires' edges.
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Old 03-12-2011, 02:09 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dee8go View Post
I find I'm way more cautious about stuff like this the older I get.
You too, huh? Maybe there is something to "older, but wiser".
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  #13  
Old 05-03-2011, 08:38 PM
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Just wondering what the better ramps to purchase are? Where do you get them, what is it made out of, and how much did they cost?

And Instead of keeping it to the best ramps, maybe give a 2nd runner up, honorable mention, or works with safety measure (like putting blocks of wood under it for support.
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  #14  
Old 05-03-2011, 10:04 PM
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If you do more than oil changes on a regular basis, having two quality floor jacks is a must. I also like to buy bigger jack stands than needed. I have some 6 ton's for working on my 300E. They are freaking massive, very nice large pads, but so solid that you will never think twice about their stability. Could I have gotten away with 2 ton stands? Probably. Placing the wheel under the rotor, body also is another good backup.
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Old 05-11-2011, 04:27 PM
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[B]REDUNDANCY[B]is the key to survival.

You cannot put too many sturdy things between the ground and the bottom of your car. Jack stands, then lower the car onto them, and then use a floor jack or your car jack as a backup. Me, I also have two sturdy wood stools that go in the right place. Excessive? I don't think so when most of this is Chinese handywork, and I am not content with a 10% failure rate. Ever wonder why many of the hydraulic floor jacks only have a 90 day guaranty?

And JohnM (adjacent), buying an over-sized jack stand will do little to change the overall failure rate. The tire is also a good idea. Do you have 2' x 2' piece of 3/4" plywood on top of it? You might also save your wheel and your rotor.

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