Death on the trail

[Old Jeeper]

This post is to give you some pause to stop and think in hopes the next time you are past the curb you consider are we doing the right thing and are we doing it with safety.

I have this happen. We wheeling with a group and a guy got stuck, threw a strap loop over his trailer ball and hooked it onto his buddy's Jeep. Pulling did not work and his strap was not a Jerk strap. On the 3 JERK, each one harder than before the ball broke, passed thru the windshield and his buddy GF got it embedded in her forehead in the passenger seat. She was still alive when Angel FLight picked her up but she died on the way to the hospital.

That wheeling area was a good one, wheeled there many times and it was shut down and fenced and never again.

Off Road is a world of danger and when it strikes its usually a bit more than a bandaid. I have been called to extract a Jeep that went over a short cliff, the driver and his GF survived but not without some hospital time. I have seen a cable snap on an extreme pull and cut a guy's leg off just below the knee and more over the years.

So here is another one that is even more tragic, as his kids were in the back seat and saw it happen.

Ask yourself: Are we doing the right thing to make this work and is our equipment good enough to dpend upon for success?


Father Killed In Off-Road Recovery Accident When Drop Hitch Snaps
Ryan Woods was only 43 years old when he was killed instantly by a tow hitch snapping back into his truck.

Off-roading might take place at lower speeds than a track day, but the activity is not without its risks. Rough terrain or improper technique can leave you and your vehicle stranded with few options for an easy recovery. As one family from Kingsman, Arizona, learned earlier this year, trying to get out of one of these situations without proper planning can prove deadly.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a... -- High Minus Dormant and 90 Day Non Openers

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[blnewt]

Wow , that's horrible, and an important reminder to be so careful in these kind of situations

 

[CreepyCrepe]

Looks like I'm putting together a recovery kit Amazon list.

 

[RAMSTEEL]

It pains me to see and hear about these accidents. Unless you have the knowledge and training, never ever get into these situations both as a helper or a receiver of a recovery effort. There is so much to know about how to do it safely. I'm surprised more people aren't killed based upon some of the gear that is used incorrectly.

We had an awful snow and ice storm last year and I witnessed an attempted recovery from a ditch using just a strap off a hitch...I asked them to stop (we were all stuck waiting for them to clear this vehicle) and just leave it or wait for the proper gear. I was dismissed and retreated to safety...

Ten minutes later they're calling for EMS as the strap broke the flange on the hitch and shot across the road hitting a guy in the gut. The only thing that saved him from dying was we were all in heavy jackets and he had heavy-duty overalls under all that layering. Knocked him out and I'm sure did some internal damage. There were five of them "watching" the recovery. They were white as ghosts after seeing how quickly that strap turned into a lethal device. All good intentions to help someone out but not one of them thinking about how to do it safely.

The truck stayed there for three more days and was pulled via a tow truck. None of this is worth a life.

 

[Whiskeybiskit]

I don't know about other areas, but here in Vegas we have the Southern Nevada Off-road Recovery group (SNORR). I know a couple times a year they put on a recovery clinic for anyone interested to learn proper recovery techniques. I feel people also need to learn their limitations. Just because you have jeep/truck with a winch, doesn't mean you're invincible and can do anything. Learn that sometimes it's just not worth the risk.

 

[John VonJeep]

Hate to hear stories like these. Learning to recover a vehicle is a perishable skill. There’s no way most of us get enough practice, but you can still refresh your knowledge regularly. Even the well-done YouTube stuff can put important information between your ears.

Sometimes the most important skill is just knowing when to stop and call in a professional. If engines are revving, things are happening quickly, and metal is under significant tension, it’s probably time to stop and take a deep breath.

 

[IdahoJOAT]

Looks like I'm putting together a recovery kit Amazon list.

I got my soft shackle and kinetic rope off there. Even though I only needed a 3/4" with a Jeep, I'm and overbuilider, when I wheel in a group it's with mixed rigs, and you just never know. So I went 1", just in case.

 

[IdahoJOAT]

I don't know about other areas, but here in Vegas we have the Southern Nevada Off-road Recovery group (SNORR). I know a couple times a year they put on a recovery clinic for anyone interested to learn proper recovery techniques. I feel people also need to learn their limitations. Just because you have jeep/truck with a winch, doesn't mean you're invincible and can do anything. Learn that sometimes it's just not worth the risk.

We have the same in Idaho. There's a whole group that gets overlooked for people's "groups" they're in, and they lament when people can't get out or things go wrong. They constantly say, "shoulda gotten a hold of us first."

 

[IdahoJOAT]

Hate to hear stories like these. Learning to recover a vehicle is a perishable skill. There’s no way most of us get enough practice, but you can still refresh your knowledge regularly. Even the well-done YouTube stuff can put important information between your ears.

Sometimes the most important skill is just knowing when to stop and call in a professional. If engines are revving, things are happening quickly, and metal is under significant tension, it’s probably time to stop and take a deep breath.

This is one of the biggest reasons I LOVE MORR and how popular it is. As people watch it for entertainment, they're gleaning how to do things right. Matt regularly has instances where they don't do something because it's unsafe.

 

[FreedomFur]

My hunch is this is also why MORR will not let any of the people they are rescuing drive or ride in the vehicles being towed out.

Really enjoy that channel and watching their wrecker build.

Sorry to hear about the tragic accident. Really awful.

 

[58Willys]

Back in the day, it was standard practice to place a dampening device on a winch line. A couple loop of chain draped over the winch line will absorb a lot of energy.

Thanks to the OP for reminding us of the dangers.

 

[Old Jeeper]

It comes down to 2 things (in no order): Equipment must be up to the task, this means quality, NOT junk. For me I own 3 vehicles, they all have winches and they all are Warn and Warn has never let me down, even in the extreme of 2 full pulls underwater!

Then knowledge, understanding, and experience of how to. The more you have done the better off you are...I been extracting stuck since my days of growing up on a ranch, stuck is often, and the last thing you want to do is tell the boss man you got the ranch truck stuck out in the pasture or where ever. Hope that they don't notice you when you fire up that Ford 9n tractor to see if it can pull you out.

Pic below is of a Jeep I called on while up in Moab to extract in Pritichett Canyon. Jeep had rolled off in a wedge. They tried to get it out but could not and no one had a winch that could do it. I got a call and came out and my Warn did not let me down, nor did my Jeep. I got a call from the guy later on and he told me the entire body had to be replaced. I had to drag his Jeep about 75 yards across and thru rocks and boulders. It was a mess, it even broke the U bolts holding the spring pack.

Had I not had the knowledge and experience along with the quality of equipment his only other option would have been to helicopter him out which would have cost $5-$8 thousand for a simple lift and drop at the trailhead parking area. This pic of the Jeep is the GOOD side, the driver's side was the worst of it. The driver has a few bruises and scrapes from being on the ground facing side and he was strapped in. when it rolled down into and got stuck in the wedge.

 

[cripton805]

Thanks for sharing. Important info.

 

[Old Jeeper]

Back in the day, it was standard practice to place a dampening device on a winch line. A couple loop of chain draped over the winch line will absorb a lot of energy.

Thanks to the OP for reminding us of the dangers.

Today its Rope, no more wire cable. I endorse MasterPull. https://www.masterpull.com/synthetic-winch-lines/

I have been using them since 2003 and I still have the original rope I bought from the owner out of the back of his station wagon, first rope he sold and every year I send it back to MP for assessment, and repair where needed. Its FREE to me, I assume others but he told me as long as I had that rope just send it in and they ship back like I sent it FEDX in great condition. In fact, I just got it back again and installed it yesterday on m Warn Powerplant that is on my F 450 truck.

This is the Warn Powerplant which is a winch and an air compressor. The winch is rated at 9,500 lbs, but in fact is a 12,000 lb winch. The 9.5 rating comes from a faster gear for retrieving the rope, other than its 12k.

 

[Old Jeeper]

Thanks for sharing. Important info.

I used to lead runs to Moab and I had a saying when we all gathered around: Wheeling first, SAFETY ALWAYS!

There are 3 things that are the cause of all problems beyond the curb: In no order.

Lack of knowledge or experience

Poor quality equimpent

Alcohol

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