Sliding under a car is always a little bit scary, no matter how many safety measures are in place. One man in Florida experienced the nightmare of every home mechanic when his car fell on him on October 30.
The man was in the process of replacing the transmission cable under his vehicle when the incident occurred, as described by his son-in-law, Carlos Romero. The car, which appears to be a Chevrolet Cavalier, was positioned on ramps, but somehow slid or rolled off, landing on the man.
Romero explained that he attempted to lift the car off his father-in-law but was unable to do so on his own. He promptly dialed 911 for assistance. He told KKTV that he remembers that he “grabbed another jack from that car and that one was better. At least I had the car a little separate from the body.”
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Cape Coral Police Officers Bridges and Klakowicz arrived on the scene, and worked together to lift the car off the man. They were able to raise it enough to allow Romero to pull him out from under it.
In a bodycam video released by the police department, Romero can be heard stating that his father-in-law had a pulse and was still alive. However, the man remained unconscious and required immediate medical attention, so he was transported to the hospital for treatment.
Doctors said it was a miracle that the man was still alive, and found that he had suffered seven cracked ribs, in addition to other broken bones. Despite these injuries, police reported that just three days after the October 30 incident, the man was already back at home.
While this incident didn’t end in tragedy, it serves as a stark reminder of the inherent dangers of working on a vehicle. As such, let’s take this incident as a crucial reminder of the necessity to employ safety measures such as wheel chocks, jack stands, and all reasonable precautions whenever you find yourself working beneath a car.
