Always use jack stands, not just jacks.
When using jack stands use on a level, solid surface (no hills, no gravel/sand).
Certain dangerous jobs should not be tried by the amateur such as work on changing glass panes and removing the gas tank.
Read the safety section of your vehicle repair manual before undertaking a job for the first time or if it is the first time in a while.
SUV slips off jacks, kills man
By ANTHONY SIINO-Staff Intern Posted: 06/23/2011 01:10:59 AM PDT
SUV slips off jacks, kills man
By ANTHONY SIINO-Staff Intern Posted: 06/23/2011 01:10:59 AM PDT
The Chico Enterprise-Record
MINERAL — A Tehama County man died under the weight of his SUV while camping at Battle Creek Campground Friday.
Casey Ellsworth, Sr., 36, of Los Molinos, suffocated after his Mercury Mountaineer fell off its jacks while he was under it, said Sgt. Rod Daugherty of Tehama County Sheriff's Office. He was repairing the bearings and the inner seals of the rear wheels on a level shoulder of Highway 36 about a tenth of a mile from camp. He was a father to five children.
The vehicle's front wheels were chocked and it was raised on two jacks, one on the rear axle and the other near the rear bumper, Daugherty said. Somehow the 4,500-pound vehicle slipped off the supports.
"That's not something you come across too much," Daugherty said.
A passing motorist spotted his body and called the Sheriff's Office. No foul play is suspected.
Ellsworth was with his fiancé and her father before the accident, who helped him set up and secure the raised SUV, said Aaron Ellsworth of Paradise, his brother. Casey Ellsworth sent them into town to get parts and there was no reason for him to go back under the SUV without the parts.
"This whole past week has been a whole, total roller coaster for all of us," Aaron Ellsworth said.
His family is now struggling to find a way to handle the remains, as any Tehama County programs that could cover the costs only applied for Casey, not his family members footing the bill from Paradise.
"Even before this, we were all scraping bybarely," Aaron Ellsworth said.
A memorial fund to help pay for cremation has been set up at Sierra Central Credit Union by Leslee Libby, Casey Ellsworth's mother. The memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Magalia Pines Baptist Church. The fact Casey Ellsworth had no life insurance isn't helping the family, who didn't expect to cope with his loss any time soon.
"Most people prepare," Libby said. "I couldn't even prepare."
Fiery explosion during car repair burns three in Folsom
blindelof@sacbee.com (Bill Lindelof and Matt Kawahara)
MINERAL — A Tehama County man died under the weight of his SUV while camping at Battle Creek Campground Friday.
Casey Ellsworth, Sr., 36, of Los Molinos, suffocated after his Mercury Mountaineer fell off its jacks while he was under it, said Sgt. Rod Daugherty of Tehama County Sheriff's Office. He was repairing the bearings and the inner seals of the rear wheels on a level shoulder of Highway 36 about a tenth of a mile from camp. He was a father to five children.
The vehicle's front wheels were chocked and it was raised on two jacks, one on the rear axle and the other near the rear bumper, Daugherty said. Somehow the 4,500-pound vehicle slipped off the supports.
"That's not something you come across too much," Daugherty said.
A passing motorist spotted his body and called the Sheriff's Office. No foul play is suspected.
Ellsworth was with his fiancé and her father before the accident, who helped him set up and secure the raised SUV, said Aaron Ellsworth of Paradise, his brother. Casey Ellsworth sent them into town to get parts and there was no reason for him to go back under the SUV without the parts.
"This whole past week has been a whole, total roller coaster for all of us," Aaron Ellsworth said.
His family is now struggling to find a way to handle the remains, as any Tehama County programs that could cover the costs only applied for Casey, not his family members footing the bill from Paradise.
"Even before this, we were all scraping bybarely," Aaron Ellsworth said.
A memorial fund to help pay for cremation has been set up at Sierra Central Credit Union by Leslee Libby, Casey Ellsworth's mother. The memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Magalia Pines Baptist Church. The fact Casey Ellsworth had no life insurance isn't helping the family, who didn't expect to cope with his loss any time soon.
"Most people prepare," Libby said. "I couldn't even prepare."
Fiery explosion during car repair burns three in Folsom
blindelof@sacbee.com (Bill Lindelof and Matt Kawahara)
The Sacramento Bee
Three people, including a 6-year-old child, were burned in Folsom Monday night when a fire exploded during the removal of an SUV's gas tank.
Firefighters were called to the 100 block of Briarcliff Drive shortly after 9 a.m. When they arrived, firefighters found a Dodge Ram sport utility vehicle was ablaze, a fence was burning and a tree was engulfed in flames.
One man had suffered moderate to severe burns to his arms and chest, a second man had minor burns to his face and hands and the little boy had moderate to severe burns. All the victims were transported to the hospital.
Folsom police determined that the two men had been removing a gas take from the SUV when the fire ignited. The exact cause of the fire and resulting explosion has not been determined.
Three people, including a 6-year-old child, were burned in Folsom Monday night when a fire exploded during the removal of an SUV's gas tank.
Firefighters were called to the 100 block of Briarcliff Drive shortly after 9 a.m. When they arrived, firefighters found a Dodge Ram sport utility vehicle was ablaze, a fence was burning and a tree was engulfed in flames.
One man had suffered moderate to severe burns to his arms and chest, a second man had minor burns to his face and hands and the little boy had moderate to severe burns. All the victims were transported to the hospital.
Folsom police determined that the two men had been removing a gas take from the SUV when the fire ignited. The exact cause of the fire and resulting explosion has not been determined.
