Seat Belt useage.........

dannyboy

From the promised LAND
Just got back in a few minutes ago from helping the squad with my neighbor.

He was out on this fine sunny day doing what he loved most, running the skid steer pushing dirt.

Thing about it was though, when he went off the bank sideways, he did not have his seat belt on, and the 8 foot drop, plus landing on the top of the cage, broke his neck. Had he been wearing the seat belt, he would have been sore, but alive.

Guys, seen it too many times. No excuses, ever for not wearing those damn belts.

Dead is dead, you dont get do overs.

Buckle up, please!

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dannyboy

From the promised LAND
This is the view from my back porch. Heard the roll over, both where it came off the bank and hit its top, and then as it went over on its side. Wife saw it, and went screaming down the drive, but it was too late.

Not that big of a fall, about 7-8 feet. But it threw him against the top, then down that far, like falling off a 12-14 foot ladder head first.

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GoBrown???

Active Member
There's one thing I have to laugh about. Did anyone see UPS on the Discovery Channel the other night? Both drivers that were followed did not have their seatbelts on. I wonder if the company even noticed that?
 

Upslady20

Well-Known Member
So sorry for the loss of a friend and neighbor.. when we are at home for some reason we think we are safe.. how sad for the family..
 

Big Babooba

Well-Known Member
On May 20th, the day before my wife's birthday, my daughter rolled her car doing 65 MPH. She was wearing her seat belt and walked away with a sprained foot.
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DS

Fenderbender
danny sorry to hear about the neighbor...thats horrible...
what purpose does pushing dirt serve?
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
...what purpose does pushing dirt serve?

The same purpose of climbing a mountain--because it is there.

Going back to the original point of the thread, seat belt is non-negotiable for me, whether in my personal or company vehicle. This is a direct result of my military service where seat belt usage is mandatory. Seat belts save lives--it's that simple.
 

dannyboy

From the promised LAND
DS

He was 69 years old. Built houses and developed land as a living. He had moved down from Mich about 10 years ago, and started a company with his stepsons. They were killers when it came to framing a house. Would have the walls up and under roof within 2 days, without a large crew, just the four of them.

He liked to work all the time, 24/7/365

He was planing on putting in a pond next to the creek. He had a mountain of clay down next to the road where they dug out the place for the house, an he was getting a part of it flat so he could plant grass. This is what he did to relax and to think.

Got too close to the edge, tilted the machine forward, was able to pull back on the left side, but not the right, which placed the machine sideways coming of the top. The family asked me to take a bunch of photos of the site etc, for any issues with insurance etc, and we hauled the machine to my place so his wife would not have to look at it as she comes and goes.

Tragic. But so preventable.

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toonertoo

Most Awesome Dog
Staff member
So sorry for you and the loss of life to the family. My husband had a boss who rolled a brush hog on a tractor. Probaly did it a number of times over the years. You always think of home as safety.
 
Probably because they don't go very fast and he never imagined turning one of them over. The way this happened is more than likely the only way to turn one over.
 

dannyboy

From the promised LAND
TR

IFyou have ever driven one, and had it fall on its nose (they are really front heavy on the wheeled versions) then you know that you just dont get tossed about, its like getting shot out of a slingshot. You keep moving but the machine stops on a dime.

Coupled with the angle that he went off, and the fact that he not only went forward, but then slamed upward, he never felt a thing.

The tracked skid steers are much more stable, but even those turn over much more than you would think.

I figured the impact to be close to jumping off a 12-14 foot ladder head first onto concrete. But at an angle hitting ear first.

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filthpig

Well-Known Member
One thing I's like to point out about the accident is this: looking at the pictures, it really doesn't appear to be a really bad accident. Kind of like the one that killed Dale Earnhardt. We've seen worse, right? Remember that.
 

satellitedriver

Moderator
Sorry to hear of the loss of a friend.
Needless accident.
The rule of thumb in wearing seat belts on equipment is basic.
If the equipment has R.O.P (roll over protection, cab cover, roll bar, ect...), you always wear a seat belt.
If the tractor does not have R.O.P., you never wear a seat belt.
I know it sounds contrary to logic,but it isn't.
With R.O.P. you have no where to go, you just "ride it out", that's what it is made for.
Without R.O.P, one must be free to jump or walk over the top of the rolling equipment.
I am not making light of this subject.
I and my wife spend at least 4hrs on a tractor each week on unleveled ground.
The same thing can happen with people mowing their lawn on a mower.
Over confidence and not paying constant attention to ones surrounding is what leads to these tragic events.
Sorry for my rant, but I have spent the last 40 years around heavy equipment and I know their value and their lack of caring if one get hurt using them.
 

dannyboy

From the promised LAND
Speaking of lawn mowers, My attorney allowed his son to rid his grandson around on a rider, had a bit of wheel slipage, and the lawn mower flipped. While the blades were not spinning fast, one of them still had enough force to impact his head and enter over 3 inches, embeding grass and debris into the brain. While his ending is much better(no long lasting effects), it could have easily ended in death as well.

As for the scene, no it was not that bad really. But when you have had one go over on its nose, you know the violence that your body will take when the machine stops and you dont.. In this case, he had the safety bar(that cuts the engine off when you lift it up) over the lap, and that kept him inside the box, but it also allowed him to slam into the top of the cage with a lot of impact.

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cheryl

I started this.
Staff member
I'm sorry about the loss of your neighbor Danny. It must be agonizing for his family to know that his life could have been saved by a seatbelt.
 
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