Please be careful with power equipment ! You can get hurt....

Please be careful with power equipment ! You can get hurt....

Joel OwensBusiness Member
Moderator
Real Estate Broker · Canton, GA · Member since 2010 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes

So today a friend of mine was late to a meet up. It turns out his next door neighbor a wealthy retired gentleman wanted to play with power equipment. The friend was helping this person out with some landscaping work as they live in the same subdivision as neighbors.

The neighbor had a Bobcat and stated he knew how to run the machine. What happened is you pull both handles forward and back and then alternating for turning. Apparently the neighbor was trying to go one direction and turned the handles the other which flipped the Bobcat and it went tumbling down the hill with him inside of it.

My friend and another guy raced down and pulled the 300lb neighbor out of the Bobcat as there was a smell of a gas leak and it might have exploded.

Apparently the neighbor driving the Bobcat was not wearing any head gear for the ears. One of his ears was ripped off from hitting the metal criss-cross interlace. They called and the ambulance showed up and the guy will live. My friend ended up pulling a bicep muscle getting him out as he was really heavy.

I hope he recovers well. The point to all of this is people need to quit pretending they know something when they don't. Part of being strong is actually knowing when to ask how to do things you do not currently have the capacity for. If you are unsure about power tools and equipment please do not "wing it" as you could get yourself hurt or worse killed.

Off the soap box now but hopefully someone reads this and thinks twice about things.

1Reply
45 views

10 Replies

Jump to latestLatest
  • Menlo Park, CA · Member since 2014 · 16 posts · 5 votes
    12y

    I hope he and your friend recover well soon. This may be also true for real estate investment. People need to stop pretending that they know a lot when they don't which I am apperently doing to my wife who is very doubtful about me buying a property.

  • Joel OwensBusiness Member
    Moderator
    OP
    Real Estate Broker · Canton, GA · Member since 2010 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
    12y

    As I remember you want to buy a 2 to 4 unit. Have to make sure the wife wants to live next to tenants. If not then it's not worth buying it. Better to save up more cash and buy a different asset without that requirement.

  • Menlo Park, CA · Member since 2014 · 16 posts · 5 votes
    12y
    That is a good point. She is ok with it for now but we will definitely continue to have deeper and better communication about whole picture of it.
  • Developer · Garland, TX · Member since 2008 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    12y

    Last year in Oklahoma I saw a guy using a Bobcat with forks moving a bunch of pipes. He went down a hill and his forks were low and stuck in the ground at the bottom of the hill. The Bobcat stood up in the air on the tips of the forks alone and the pipes all dumped forward. Then the Bobcat rocked back and forth a few times shaking the driver good. He was OK, but gave it me more respect for the machine. A cage alone isn't going to protect you.

  • SFR Investor · Stillwater, OK · Member since 2014 · 168 posts · 37 votes
    12y

    @Jon Klaus

    That's how we prepare for the rodeo! ;)

  • Severna Park, MD · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    12y

    Bobcats or "skid steer loaders " are very dangerous in the wrong hands , they look easy to operate , they can be with practice . I have been on and around equipment for the last 25 years , And even with experience,accidents can happen . I have rolled one ( I was younger and in sand) Gotten them stuck , Hit curbs in the snow ( always wear the seat belt) Dumped dirt and mud all over myself , ( foot pedals got stuck with debris ) Always be slow and safe on equipment.

  • Contractor · Scottsdale, AZ · Member since 2010 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    12y

    Thanks for sharing the story @Joel Owens ... I hope your friend and his end up ok and have learned from this.

    I'm always hesitant to take on a project that's "too big" for my level of experience, and this story is a great reminder to continue to be that way!

  • SFR Investor · Stillwater, OK · Member since 2014 · 168 posts · 37 votes
    12y

    I agree you shouldn't wing it and pretend and I don't like to see folks get hurt

    Some of us have a lot of experience with equipment and still have a bad day maybe have a mishap.

  • Investor · Riverside, CA · Member since 2011 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    12y

    When I first came to CA, I got a job as a fork lift driver on construction sites. My daily work vehicle was a 10,000 lb telescoping Gradall. Had to actually go to school and take driving lessons to get a license. My job was booming guys up 3-4 stories in a man basket so they could work on the exterior of the building. Nothing tests the nerves like driving around a construction site with 2 guys in a metal cage 50' in the air. I don't even think I did anything that dangerous serving 6 years in the Navy.

    Anyway, the big lesson in the school was always wear the seat belt and if the machine starts to roll, lean toward the center of the steering wheel and hang onto it with both hands for dear life. Some people would stick their arm out the side out of instinct and get it crushed or whack their head like your friend. Hope he comes out of it OK.

  • SFR Investor · Stillwater, OK · Member since 2014 · 168 posts · 37 votes
    12y

    @Aaron Mazzrillo

    The uneven terrain made it more interesting I recall my adrenalin flowing nicely a few times

Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.