Accidental death loading mower onto trailer....

[kebo]

I wonder what the details were behind this accident?? Maybe there was a lot of angle (high trailer deck) and one of the ramps slipped out from under the mower? Once again it proves you can never be too careful operating power equipment, no matter what it is or how many times you've done it before.



Man Dies After Lawnmower Falls on Him
By Tony Santaella
Created: 5/13/2010 10:22:59 AM
Updated: 5/13/2010 10:24:26 AM

CLINTON, S.C. (AP) -- A South Carolina man has died after a riding lawnmower fell on him.

Multiple media outlets reported that 51-year-old Jerry Green of Clinton died Wednesday afternoon after he cut the grass at his son's house and was loading the lawn mower on a trailer.

Laurens County Chief Deputy Coroner Vickie Cheek says Green died at the scene.

Cheek says an autopsy was planned Thursday.


Man Dies After Lawnmower Falls on Him wltx.com | Columbia, SC News, Weather and Sports |

 

[timswi]

A ramp falling off is all I can think of....I see people driving tractors and quads into pickup beds using those aluminum ramps...No way on earth I'd try that. Surprised more people aren't hurt by this.

 

[Wacky]

Why?? Aluminum is a lightweight, strong material. Even my days of driving over-the-road we used aluminum trailers to haul 70,000lbs. Even some new road tractors now have aluminum frames too. Granted, it doesn't have the memory when it does bend like steel but it is strong

 

[kebo]

I don't think he was singling out aluminum as the main cause (or reason), just that most of those ramps are made from aluminum. It's probably the angle, and the way some people use (or DON'T USE) the safety chains that the OP was getting at but that's the way I read it.

 

[Wacky]

Oh......In that case I agree!! My bad, I misinterpreted the answer.:ashamed:

 

[JoeinTX]

Agree.

Used those handy aluminum loading ramps a thousand times to load the riding mower in the pickup or a trailer. Always firmly secured, at reasonable angles, on good ground, and while paying attention to what I was doing. Slow and easy and not just slamming into gear and seeing what happens.

More to this story there is.

 

[Mace Canute]

A ramp falling off is all I can think of....I see people driving tractors and quads into pickup beds using those aluminum ramps...No way on earth I'd try that. Surprised more people aren't hurt by this.

That's right! D*mn dangerous things, those purpose built ramps. Yessiree...

 

[muzzleblast]

The article states he was loading on a trailer. I don't know what happened to him but I had a possible similar experience. I had finished cutting a lady's grass and I had moved my truck and trailer from where I had unloaded. It was not positioned properly but I was tired and didn't want to move the truck. I have a commercial zero turn mower and a 16 foot trailer with single individual ramps. When I went to climb the ramps the engine would hit the ground and the tires wouldn't quite make it to the ramps and would spin because the rear of the trailer was too high. So I just backed up and hit it a little faster the tires caught the ramp and got traction suddenly and the mower stood straight up and went up the ramps. Me and the mower got to the top of ramps and then we fell backwards from about 3 feet up and landed on my neck and shoulders. My mower weighs 1000 lbs and it landed on top of me. I thought I had broken my neck. I stayed that way a minute or so to be sure I could move my extremities and then had to push the mower off of me. I was in pretty severe pain for a couple of days before I finally went to the emergency room but nothing was broken, just bruised up real bad. Now I am very particular about how the trailer is positioned before I load or unload my mower and I want to get me a solid loading gate built for this trailer and put the ramps away.

 

[CowwFace]

The article states he was loading on a trailer. I don't know what happened to him but I had a possible similar experience. I had finished cutting a lady's grass and I had moved my truck and trailer from where I had unloaded. It was not positioned properly but I was tired and didn't want to move the truck. I have a commercial zero turn mower and a 16 foot trailer with single individual ramps. When I went to climb the ramps the engine would hit the ground and the tires wouldn't quite make it to the ramps and would spin because the rear of the trailer was too high. So I just backed up and hit it a little faster the tires caught the ramp and got traction suddenly and the mower stood straight up and went up the ramps. Me and the mower got to the top of ramps and then we fell backwards from about 3 feet up and landed on my neck and shoulders. My mower weighs 1000 lbs and it landed on top of me. I thought I had broken my neck. I stayed that way a minute or so to be sure I could move my extremities and then had to push the mower off of me. I was in pretty severe pain for a couple of days before I finally went to the emergency room but nothing was broken, just bruised up real bad. Now I am very particular about how the trailer is positioned before I load or unload my mower and I want to get me a solid loading gate built for this trailer and put the ramps away.

Hey Muzzleblast,

Thanks for sharing the experiance. I do the same thing (get lazy about proper trailer placement / ramp placment) when I load ATV's on the trailer. I am going to be more carefull for sure.

Phill

 

[mustangsallysdad]

Even with everything chained off and at a good angle of attack I always feel safer backing things up the ramps.