croatbob

he all, just reminding everyone that as much as we love our hobby plz do things safely, from driving to using car stands while working under cars. lost a friend and fellow car enthusiast yesterday back home (australia). it seems as tho he was working on his car without using car stands and the car rolled off the car jacks. RIP brad lane. true motor enthusiants and great bloke!

http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/...-1226892894134

theblue

I also lost a friend recently to a horrible car accident. He'll be in my thoughts as I race this weekend at NJMP.

silver74vette

Sorry for your loss, this is a sad story. My Father used to be an auto shop teacher and beat this into me at a young age but I have still been lazy a time or two.

familyman's C7

Poor guy, I hope he went fast.

mcandrew67

sorry to hear... From another immigrant.... (UK)

JAvery20

I hate getting under cars for this very reason. If there's a pit or a 4 point lift no big deal, but jack stands scare the **** out of me.

Boomer111

Especially out West in shaky ground.

VET4LES

A few weeks ago I installed a new exhaust system on my C6 (Corsa Sports and X pipe). The entire time I had four jack stands and the floor jack under it. With all of that it was still a relief when I was done.

Tally Ho

I have two permanently disfigured ribs to remind me to ALWAYS make sure the car is secure before crawling underneath. 33 years ago I was removing a flex plate off of a 1974 Plymouth Fury cop car. I had recently purchased the torqueflite trans from the Fury's owner for my 70 Challenger and found out the flex plate was different.

I went up to where the car was and it was still set up from the trans removal. I "assumed" all was secure. The nose of the car was on blocks and I took for granted the rear was chocked. As I broke the last bolt loose I managed to pull the car off of the blocks onto my chest. The left front tire ran over my right side and squeezed me out from under the car like toothpaste.

It knocked the wind out of me and almost collapsed my right lung. I was able to pull the ribcage out and regained normal breathing. X-rays showed no organ damage but two ribs were cracked and bent pretty bad.

I was very lucky and learned my lesson. I've been twisting wrenches since I was six years old (55 now). It's very easy to get complacent or in a hurry. I'm very sorry for the loss of your friend.

billyboy47

sorry for your loss. even when changing the oil with the car on the race ramps i still put jack stands underneath each side. people have to slow down especially when your under your vehicle to make safety a priority. two things scare the hell outta me, being under a vehicle and doing electrical work.

Stockcar Axeman

Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. I always use the jackstands with the floorjack and also through the wheels under the car. Maybe a little overkill but it's better than the alternative and only takes an extra second. Besides the tires have to some go somewhere anyway and they are outta the way while under the car.

09Z06pj

Sorry for the loss of your friend and thanks for the safety reminder. We all get complacent at times and this is what can happen.

Neil Baker

SmileyOr

My condolences on the loss of your friend.

I too have been under a car doing maintenance and repairs. When I'm in a hurry I have used the curb to get one side of the car up but I have always put a block under a tire on both sides to reduce the chance of the car rolling off if bumped. Of course, the street opens up that possibility of a car losing control and hitting you while you're under it