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Crawdad · 05-31-2008, 04:25 PM

I have written posts on this very forum, telling people not to get comfortable around HiLift jacks, because they are extremely dangerous. I have always been EXTREMELY careful around them, and today I still screwed up.

This afternoon I was working on the 4Runner, putting in SDORI rear coil spring spacers. I had the axle disconnected, the tires off, and was lowering the axle to take the springs out. I had a floor jack under the diff, and the HiLift under the bumper.

This SHOULD have been okay - the HiLift was holding very little weight (just the rear end, no axle or tires), and was not jacked up far on the jack, so it wasn't really top heavy or anything.

I was lowering the axle, and apparantly something shifted, and I saw the truck start coming down on me, hard. The trailer hitch and bumper and frame hit me HARD, pinning my head to the ground - my vision went blank and I felt my skull actually flexing... my eyes felt like they were doing to explode, and I felt my jaw crack, and my tooth explode - literally, explode. Fragments everywhere. The HiLift got caught under the truck, and it came across my neck and chest, so I couldn't breathe.

Thankfully, a friend of mine was nearby, and managed to pick the truck off of me on sheer adrenaline, and I rolled out and did an assesment. I could mostly see okay, my head was throbbing and bleeding pretty bad but otherwise not turned into a pancake.

Anyway, I am mostly okay... I have a tooth that is shattered into pieces, and had to call my dentist on an emergency. I will have to have a root canal Tuesday, probably. The tooth is pretty much gone, the dentist patched it up so the roots weren't exposed. My head is gashed open and bloody and swollen, my arms are cut up pretty bad, but I am alive.

I thank God my friend was there... if he hadn't been, I would have died.

Please, be very, very careful when using these jacks. They can kill you in an instant, even when you recognize how dangerous they are. I was stupid one time and used it when I should have done it another way, and nearly died for it.

-Danny

05-31-2008, 04:25 PM	#1 (permalink)
Crawdad Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Birmingham, AL Posts: 276	A Caution About HiLifts I have written posts on this very forum, telling people not to get comfortable around HiLift jacks, because they are extremely dangerous. I have always been EXTREMELY careful around them, and today I still screwed up. This afternoon I was working on the 4Runner, putting in SDORI rear coil spring spacers. I had the axle disconnected, the tires off, and was lowering the axle to take the springs out. I had a floor jack under the diff, and the HiLift under the bumper. This SHOULD have been okay - the HiLift was holding very little weight (just the rear end, no axle or tires), and was not jacked up far on the jack, so it wasn't really top heavy or anything. I was lowering the axle, and apparantly something shifted, and I saw the truck start coming down on me, hard. The trailer hitch and bumper and frame hit me HARD, pinning my head to the ground - my vision went blank and I felt my skull actually flexing... my eyes felt like they were doing to explode, and I felt my jaw crack, and my tooth explode - literally, explode. Fragments everywhere. The HiLift got caught under the truck, and it came across my neck and chest, so I couldn't breathe. Thankfully, a friend of mine was nearby, and managed to pick the truck off of me on sheer adrenaline, and I rolled out and did an assesment. I could mostly see okay, my head was throbbing and bleeding pretty bad but otherwise not turned into a pancake. Anyway, I am mostly okay... I have a tooth that is shattered into pieces, and had to call my dentist on an emergency. I will have to have a root canal Tuesday, probably. The tooth is pretty much gone, the dentist patched it up so the roots weren't exposed. My head is gashed open and bloody and swollen, my arms are cut up pretty bad, but I am alive. I thank God my friend was there... if he hadn't been, I would have died. Please, be very, very careful when using these jacks. They can kill you in an instant, even when you recognize how dangerous they are. I was stupid one time and used it when I should have done it another way, and nearly died for it. -Danny __________________ 1990 4Runner 3.0/AT/4WD - 285/75/16 TreadWright D-Muds, SDORI Coil Spacer, Aisin Hubs 2005 Mazda 6i 2.3/MT Last edited by Crawdad : 05-31-2008 at 04:31 PM.