Safety Issues

JimBeam · Mar 23, 2009

This was brought up several years ago on TN, TTORA, and various other wheeling related sites

The story behind it is a guy was attempting an obstacle in Tellico and the rig went over...while going over, the drivers leg came out because he was running with no doors and his foot got trapped under his slider as the rig went over...There were also several spectators in the vicinity of the flop and they were diving to get out of the way and not get rolled over or hit

The pictures arent up that i can find anymore but i remember seeing them and there were a couple very graphic shots of his ankle twisting and contorting underneath the slider pinned against a rock

This is a copy of a post on the TN board. EVERYONE needs to be aware of the saftey issues involved in this sport:

For those of you who were there, you saw it all, and I'm sure you can appreciate where I'm coming from. I didn't want this to be looked at as a, "Oh, somebody got crazy!!!" type of thing. A lot of serious safety issues got brought to the forefront after last weekends trip. Here are the pictures, but before looking, take a second to read this. It's an exerpt from a post I made on another forum:

There were a lot of mistakes made last weekend, and luckily everyone walked away relatively unscathed. I told everyone right off the bat that the pictures and talk were to stay off of the boards until now. One of the reasons was because I didn't want this to be looked at as "Wow, Daniel is one crazy ass %^*%". I wasn't out there putting on a show, and I wanted to make sure everyone walked away with some new insight on proper safety measures.

First off, crowd control: Spectators were given instructions to view the climb from the ridge on the right hand side. Obviously some chose not to listen. I was pretty focused and had a lot of adrenaline running through my veins, but I should have taken more time to make sure EVERYONE was clear.

Roll-cages/no doors: As far as roll cages go, that needs to be dealt with on a case by case basis IMO. For someone who likes to cruise fire roads and such, I don't think the expensiive addition of a cage should be mandatory. If you need it, you know you need it. Don't be lazy like I was. I have had plans for an in-cab cage for over 2 months, but I kept letting it lay on the backburner until I needed it most. Lesson Learned. I, like a lot of others, like riding without doors. That's fine, but again, don't be lazy. I figured one more trip before TO without tube doors would be fine. I was wrong, and you could be too. Don't learn the hard way. I've been in and out of doctor's offices since last week. I'm going to meet with an orthopedic surgeon tomorrow. It's not fun.

Proper restraints: WEAR YOUR SEATBELT AT ALL TIMES. Mine saved my life. Chris, I think the pic is a little deceiving. When I felt it start to go, I curled up and ducked into the center of the cab. Lap belts are for whiners, and I don't subscribe to that mentality. If the truck is in motion, a seatbelt should be on. On OR off-road.

Excessive speed: All I'm going to say is, know your rig and know the risks. That Friday afternoon, a friend of mine and I went up to take a look at the obstacle to make sure the bypass was doable for some of the other folks. His exact words: "You could really get in trouble up here." My exact words: "You have to get your tires spinning to heat them up. Keep turning the wheel until you feel it grab, but be ready because it shoots you like a slingshot." I can't speak for the terrain anywhere else other than the places out east, but wheel speed is, more often than not, a very essential part of a successfull climb. I knew it, and I'd been up this obstacle before, but it still got me. Just make sure you know what you're getting into, and keep your wits about you. No one is immune to stuff like this.

Secure ALL loose items: I travel very light as far supplies in the bed of my truck. BUT, a lot of HEAVY stuff came flying out of my toolbox when the lid was bashed open. No one should have to dodge 50lb toolboxes, cv's, and cordless drills. Organize/secure your gear for the worst possible scenarios. You'll be glad you did.
Click to expand...

here is the only pic i can find...and you can see the spectators running for their lives

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