A lot of people here don't regularly check out the pirate forums so they may not know about a fatality that happened over the weekend at the Rubicon. An experience wheeler was killed when he was ejected from his toyota and it rolled on top of him. He was not wearing his seatbelt.

Becareful out there guys, our sport is not a game. There are serious conseqences if you mess up. This is true whether wheeling on the rubicon, driving on the street, or modifying your truck.

Always wear your seatbelt.

Here's the thread:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showt...hreadid=180428

 

What the heck is wrong with these people???
Buckle up so you don't die and ruin my fun?

 

Scary thing about our trucks is that sometimes you can't put the seatbelt on once it's been removed.

This has happened to me off-road several times--you get in a spot with the truck at a decent tilt or incline/decline and get out to spot for yourself only to find out that your seatbelt won't extend when you get back in.

Just something to keep in mind if you find yourself in a similar position. Maybe keeping a clip or something handy to prevent the seatbelt from retracting would help.

 

you have a point. i was offroading with charles (calrockx) and he got in this tight situation and was scared of rolling, so i got in the driver rear seat, but i couldnt put my seatbelt on because of the angle, i was holding on for dear life

but im sure that wasnt the case in this situation

 

ive been over three times (never while driving) and owe my life to my seatbelt.

the first was when i was 3. my mother spun out of control when she hit the freezing level on the santiam pass, she over corrected and slammed an enbankment accross oncoming lanes that shot us back accross the road and over the edge 50 feet in the air down into the santiam river. the car landed right side up, and an incredible rescue effort saved us all!

the last one was after a day of wheling in my friends toy p/u. we were heading into our camp down a steep hill (that i always made sure people used llow range to go down) and he was in 2wd hi range....he hit the brakes and skid went up the enbankment, away we went. we went over a couple times down the steep trail. the truck came over for a third roll and my buddy started flying out the window, his ass was at my face and his upper body was out his window. since i was strapped in i grabbed his ass with all i had and yanked him back in, the truck came back down on the drivers door!!!!!!!!!!

buckle up

 

Wow, what a terrible situation. Especially for his wife and friends who had to watch him die. Very, very, sad story. Hopefull it will make people think a bit more when they're out on the trails.

 

that is terrible news to hear. very sobering. i never get in my rig without my seatbelt, and after hearing about this, it just makes me want to wear it more. sad to see him at the ORV park in the sky

 

That's tragic allright! I went over once in a K-5, I wasn't driving however. My brother in law and I both had our belts buckled though, and I know it saved me! Chances are better that when you wear your seatbelt the only thing crushed or hurt is your "pride". Sorry for the guys family.

 

See i knew my TRD seat belt pads would come in handy, they dont let it retract if you have em on tight enough. See that mod was worthwhile!

 

Why does the belt not extend the second time around? (technical)

 

It is sad these type of things happen. My condolences to the family and especially the wife who witnessed it.

In 90 I hit a log truck doing 55 mph and flipped at least 5 times. The only injuries I suffered were two black eyes from eating the steering wheel and this huge black seat belt shaped bruise across my chest. It looked like someone had painted a black stripe on me. Wear your seat belt and for goodnes sake, if you have a child, put them in a child seat/booster or make them wear their seat belt.

Just out of curiosity, where exactly is Rubicon?



Brian

 

I rolled my 91 5 times on the way down to Austin 3 years ago, it was really bad. It ejected my passenger because he wasn't wearing his and then rolled over him and damned near threw me and the rear passenger out. Luckily my passenger lived and was out of he hospital within a month. I wasn't wearing my shirt and you could see a perfect bruise of where the seat belt had held. If it weren't for that seat belt I would not be here today. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

Todd

 

I believe a pendulum is used to activate the seatbelt locking mechanism so steep inclines prevent the seatbelt from extending.

The Rubicon is in northern california, near Lake Tahoe.

 

Hmm. The few belts that I took apart were all limited only by the rate at which you pull it. The 'ratchet' mechanism would engage with centrifugal forces, hence why the belt can be extended slowly under hard acceleration or braking.

 

Some belt retracters have a pendlum or a large steel ball. In my truck it's a ball which is designed to hit levers under sudden acceleration and lock the belt, but it also does so if held at an angle.

If you're at such an angle that removing the belt would risk locking it up, you should stay belted in and have someone else spot you. This is part of the "don't wheel alone" rule.

 

About 30 years ago, my Dad started working in the emergency room. He started doing an informal poll. Every time a car accident victim was brought in, he asked them two questions: 1) were they wearing their seatbelt and 2) did they have their headrest adjusted up off the seat back? Within 6 months or so, he stopped his informal poll, because it was intuitively obvious when they brought the victim in what the answers were. If the victim felt ok, but was coming in to be checked out "just in case," then they were wearing their seatbelts and had their headrests adjusted properly. If they were seriously messed up, then they didn't have their seatbelts on and/or didn't have their headrests adjusted properly.

My vehicle doesn't move until everyone is wearing their seatbelts. And I don't much care how much my 80-year-old inlaws b*tch about it. I'm driving so I'm responsible, so the truck isn't moving until I'm satisfied. End of story.