Man dies- 4x4 recovery accident

[HillBillE]

A man named John Irish died this weekend at a mud bog event. (Virginia, MN) I was wheeling about 1 hour south of there.

He was attempting to pul a truck out, and was hit in the head by the clevis. The local news (TV) said the 'truck frame' gave way.

Double check not only your tow point/recovery equipment, but inspect the rig you hooking up to. This was preventable.

Heres the link for the paper:http://www.startribune.com/local/19248134.html?location_refer=Homepage

Lets all be safe out there wheeling, my prayers go out to his family and friends.



A Virginia, Minn., man died Saturday afternoon after he tried to pull a vehicle out of a mud pit.
John Allen Irish, 32, was using a tow rope to remove the stuck off-road vehicle when a metal piece that secured the rope to one of the vehicles broke and struck him in the head, according to the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office.
He died at the scene about 2 p.m. The accident occurred in the 7800 block of Hill Road in Sandy Township.

[Fifthpro]

Sorry to hear that.......unfortunate accident.

[HillBillE]

Sorry to hear that.......unfortunate accident.

Sounded like (on the TV news) they were doing everything right. Strap, clevis and tow point, were all mentioned. They said the frame gave way.

I know when I mud bogged, we would have to tug pretty hard to get a rig moving. You know, get some slack in the strap and hit it type of tug.

Remember, there is a difference between a 'snatch strap' (or kenetic strap) and a recovery strap. Kenetic straps have give (stretch), and are made for hard tugs, where as recovery straps have little or no give to them, making for a hard 'jerk' on the rigs.

[Fifthpro]

Rear cross-member failures do happen, especially with old rigs. It does pay to have frame tie-in brackets but that is only a speculation as to what happened. I would be interested in know the details but venture there will not be an AAR.

[miljeep]

Horrible accident, but it would be interesting to know the make, condition, etc.. of the bumper and vehicle.

[HillBillE]

Horrible accident, but it would be interesting to know the make, condition, etc.. of the bumper and vehicle.

I'm trying to find out myself, I'm pretty sure I've met him. If I find out more info, I'll post it up.

As of now, the TV and the Paper have slightly different stories, so I'm watching the local 4x4 forums, seeing if I can find out more.

[E5EDDIE]

Damn, you never know when your numbers gonna come up eh? I guess if you had to go, doing something you enjoy is the way to go...

[theyeti1775]

I'm trying to find out myself, I'm pretty sure I've met him. If I find out more info, I'll post it up.

As of now, the TV and the Paper have slightly different stories, so I'm watching the local 4x4 forums, seeing if I can find out more.

Anymore word on this?
Sad story all around, but the only thing to do now is see how we can prevent it from happening again. What I've read of it so far, it sounds like one of the freak accidents that happen.

[HillBillE]

Anymore word on this?
Sad story all around, but the only thing to do now is see how we can prevent it from happening again. What I've read of it so far, it sounds like one of the freak accidents that happen.

Not yet. I've been out of the 'mud circuit' for about 20 years now, I'm trying to find someone who was there, and get details.

My thought is they were using a regular strap, and snapped it to hard.

This is where having a jacket or wieghted bag over the strap would dampen the recoil.
Although he was hit with a clevis, or part of one, wether it was on the strap at the time, I don't know.

This is the third accident I know of in the northern part of my state, the other two being chains that snapped.

[Fifthpro]

HillBillE,
Checking to see if you were able to find out any more details on the circumstances/cause.

Cheers!
Fifthpro

[HillBillE]

HillBillE,
Checking to see if you were able to find out any more details on the circumstances/cause.

Cheers!
Fifthpro

Haven't been able to find out anything. Nobody I know was there that weekend, and the news never follows up on anything!

[Fifthpro]

Haven't been able to find out anything. Nobody I know was there that weekend, and the news never follows up on anything!

Thanks Mate! I understand...I will not ask again.

[HillBillE]

Thanks Mate! I understand...I will not ask again.

Not a problem. I'm really curious as to what actually happened, if the frame broke, the tow point failed, or the clevis itself broke.

I know it takes quite a bit to retrieve a rig stuck in the mud, especially if it's not running. I've seen (and done) some 'snaps' that were potentially dangerous. Hopefully everyone has a safe summer wheeling:beer:

[HillBillE]

Well, I found out some more info on John's unfortunate (and needless) death today.
I was wheeling today, and ran into a guy that was at the event that day.

John didn't hook up the strap to the stuck truck, and he hit it pretty hard with a lot of slack in the strap.

But, the problem was the stuck trucks tow point. It was a clevis, and it was attatched to the bumper by a 7/16th" eye bolt! To top that off, there wasn't even a washer behind it, just a nut holding the eyebolt to the bumper.

The eyebolt ripped out of the bumper, and it, along with the clevis, hit John in the head as he was looking over his right shoulder.

Just before the last tug, John had his girlfriend get out of his Jeep, may have saved her life.

Please be careful. Make sure your tow points are secure, and if you're not sure about the rig you're hooking to, take a minute and check that tow point also. Wheel safe. HB

[korisu56]

Roger. Thanks for the follow up buddy.

[Big Green]

I pulled a Dodge 1500 out the other month with about 60-70 feet of steele cable out. First, I made sure no one was gonna be in the direction of travel if the cable or bumper gave way. I was doing a change of direction pull so I had to consider two areas where the cable could break and recoil. Second, I used an old toiletry bag (previoulsy held some screwdrivers and such for quick repairs) with a chain in it over the cable to prevent a borken cable from snapping back at head level. You can buy one from ARB, etc but personally mine was a much better idea. Super heavy weight and heavy duty bag to stand-up to multiple uses.