PHOTO: Using your vehicle’s jack to change a tire or for other roadside emergencies could prove to be extremely hazardous if not used properly. A Toms River man today was seriously injured after the vehicle he was working on fell onto him when the jack turned over.
Toms River Police Chief Micahel Mastronardy tells TLS at 11 a.m. today, emergency personnel responded to an injured male who was trapped under a vehicle at the Park Ridge Apartments on Walnut Street.
The investigation showed that a 57 year old man was working on brakes on a minivan when the jack turned, causing the vehicle to fall onto the victim, Mastronardy said.
Luckily though, three heroic witnesses saved his life.
“Erik Kelly 43, Brian Hock, 52 and Jonathan Pasquarelli, 29, where able to re-install the jack and remove the victim from under the vehicle prior to police arrival,” Mastronardy says.
The victim was flown from Winding River Park to Jersey Shore Hospital in Neptune Township, where he is being treated for numerous chest injuries including a broken clavicle. [TLS-CCP]
the moral is get a good jack
1. always remove the lug-nuts with the car on the ground.
2. always reinstall the lug nuts GENTLY(just enough for a snug fit) while the car is on the jack
3. Finish by tightening the lug-nuts with the car back on the ground.
NEVER: make repairs using the original jack. use a high powered hydraulic jack / bottle jack with proper support stands
Why does the spare tire of a minivan so inaccessible? Also, spare tires need to be checked for air. It also helps to have a phone close by. I heard that from a man that somehow nailed himself into a closet.
Whenever possible I stay with my husband when he goes under the cars for repairs.
My uncle died after being crushed from his truck falling on top of him – on shabbos – right after giving me chazaka for being frum. Please be careful b’klal and machmir shmerias shabbos as well.