Tragic, yet preventable accident!
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Tragic, yet preventable accident!



I am extremely sorry to hear about that trajic accident, as once again we are reminded how extremely valuable life is. I would like to make a suggestion to everyone reading this....Do NOT TRUST Jackstands by themselves! As we all know there are all makes and sizes of stands out there and sometimes in the interest of saving a few bucks we buy the cheaper ones. #1) As all IMPERIAL owners know, BIGGER is BETTER. Always use overkill in deciding on a purchase that could affect your life when working on your automobile. Jackstands should be of the TRIPOD design, meaning THREE legs, and not FOUR. They should also have sufficient bracing and the height adjustment should be PINNED in place. I myself very rarely use Jackstands, and MOST CERTAINLY DO NOT use CEMENT(cinder) blocks( the weight of 5,000 + lbs. can easily crack the blocks!! I would rather use WOOD. I have over 1 dozen 4"x6"x12"long pressure trated blocks along with several 4"x4"x6" p.t. blocks that I arrange in a criss-cross pattern under each side of the frame. The top block is always a 4"x4" that should end up placed perpendicular to the frame, so that when the car is lowered onto the wood it will compress across the grain of the wood so as to compact it, not split it. The wood acts like a cushion and conforms slightly to the steel resting on it. You can actually take a 20lb long-handled sledge and give them a few good wallops; with the weight of the car and the pavement against the wood, it WILL NOT BUDGE! #2) Any Jacking device should be of the 3 Ton or better #3) Ramps are another point to consider- some are TOO small for a 15"+ wheel, I had a pair where the backside of the tire was actually a few inches DOWN the ramp even though the tire was up against the stop! When using ramps, ALWAYS use a Wedge block behind BOTH tires on the ground; a few whacks with a hammer to lock them in place won't hurt either(as long as you don't miss the blocks and whack something else!) #4) Always try to place the auto on pavement or solid ground, you"ll be surprised how fast a floor jack sinks into your lawn! #5) If working on a Hot Summer day the blacktop becomes soft; I find that sliding a 1/2" or thicker piece of exterior plywood about 3 feet wide x4 to 6 feet long will not only protect you, it will prevent your floor jack from creating sink holes in your driveway. Everyone just needs to use common sense and think things through before doing them, that way there will be more IMPERIALISTS around to enjoy their accomplishments.
Mike Veronesi-President of the Northeast IMPERIAL Owners Club; (N.E.I.O.C.)  1967 Imperial Crown: 1969 Imperial LeBaron; 1990 Imperial....?
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2003 8:24 PM
Subject: IML: Tragic, yet preventable accident!

Hello Everyone on the IML,
 
Russell and I lost a really good friend yesterday to a tragic, yet preventable accident.  He was the fellow we have mentioned before who has helped us remove and restore parts not only from our Imperial but other cars we own as well.  He really admired the Imperial and realized early on it was no Mustang when it came to working on it or removing parts from it.  I cannot begin to tell you how many parts mechanical, electrical and otherwise he has rebuilt/restored for the Imperial.  He has taken parts and blasted/polished them to where they looked NOS.  He was a tinkerer and would try over and over until he was successful at whatever task he was attempting.  Bob was 55 and not in good health but certainly was not a candidate for the cemetery...until yesterday.  I am passing this on so that NO ONE on this list (or any other for that matter) will make the same mistake as he did.  It cost him his life!
 
He was restoring one of his favorite cars, a '67 Mustang GT fastback.  He needed to get the car up high enough to get under it to work on the transmission.  I believe he was planning to install a new torque converter.  He jacked the car up high enough to place two rather tall jackstands underneath the rear of the car.  Here is the stupid part:  Rather than go to the trouble of finding the matching jackstands (somewhere in his shop) to place under the front of the car, he used shorter ones that were closer to his work area.  In order to get the front level with the rear, he put the stands on cinder blocks!   MAJOR MISTAKE!  While under the car on his stomach, he must have found a bolt hard to remove or something.  Heck he may have just turned the wrong way as he was a big guy.  Who knows for sure as he was alone.  Another MAJOR MISTAKE!  He apparently jostled the car enough to shake the cinder blocks and the jackstands wobbled on the shaky blocks.  The frame came down on his back and it was all over!  His poor wife found him when she came home from work!  I can only hope he never knew what hit him and he died instantly.  
 
I realize this is not entirely Imperial related yet many of us work underneath our Imperials and perhaps aren't as careful as we should be.  Hopefully no one would be so careless as to use cinder blocks but in a pinch when we want to get that particular job done, who knows what happens to reason and common sense?  Please everyone, learn from our poor friend's mistake and always practice the utmost in safety when working on, around and especially underneath your Imperial (or other make) automobile.  I wrote not to be "the bearer of bad news" but to remind everyone how quickly our lives can come to an end when we get careless working on these machines.  It is indeed a tragedy that our talented friend paid the ultimate price for his negligence.  Please remember Bob's misfortune the next time any of you head underneath your cars!  It may save your life!
 
Respectfully,
 
Greg McDonnell
Mobile, AL  


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