<VV> Re: Safety stands

[Phil Brandt]

Tell me sumthin' I don't (personally) know.....

On a Monday morning in 1960 this curmudgeon was laying underneath his 
Olds-powered '54 Studebaker Starlight hardtop, changing the starter. The car 
was jacked up with a floor jack--no safety stands--but the jack was resting 
on compacted cinders in front of our hotrod club garage, about four miles 
from my house in suburban Pittsburgh. I was alone, and since it was Monday 
AM, nearby residents were at work.  As I was removing the crumped unit, I 
noticed the floor jack start to tilt into the cinders.  I got moving pronto, 
but not fast enough. As the sucker fell, the frame side rail caught me 
diagonally across the neck, grinding the side of my face into said cinders. 
Very fortunately, the tires were left on, and the car "bounced" back up just 
enough for me to painfully extract my head. Talk about hurt; I couldn't even 
think for about ten minutes! I checked my ears and eyes for signs of 
bleeding, but found none. After the numbness set in, I had no way to get 
home but to get back under the car and finish replacing the starter. This 
time, I used safety stands, got the starter in and drove home. Called our 
family physician right away, and he asked about any bleeding, etc. When I 
said nada, he said that if I wanted an Xray to check for  fractures, to come 
on in; I didn't think so and didn't.  The Stude left me with a big blood 
blister diagonally across my neck.  That night I was at work at our family's 
funeral home, suited up in coat and tie, greeting visitors and directing 
them to applicable viewing rooms. This old farmer comes in to visit someone 
and notices the prominent blood blister above my collar.  He turns to our 
embalmer (who is standing with me at the door) and sez, "What'd young Brandt 
try to do, hang himself?"

Phil Brandt
Austin, TX
CORSA since '71


> Remember saftey anytime the car is off the ground.
>
> We lost a 17 year old high school senior last week when his car fell on
> him at home.
>
> No "cinder" blocks. CMU's in current lingo. They disintergrate at bad 
> times.
>
> Frank DuVal
>