We cannot express the importance of practicing safe measures when towing or trailering your project cars. Here’s a reminder to take it slow when tying down your vehicle and exaggerate those annoying precautions like using your safety chains.
From WTOV, Steubenville, OH
December 1, 2006
An accident in a local junkyard left a Belmont County man dead.
Ken Spoon, of Belmont, was working on a car that was lifted up on a tow truck when the car slipped backwards off of the truck and landed on top of him.
Belmont County Sheriff Fred Thompson said the accident happened on Glencoe Whitney Road around 4 p.m. Thursday at Walls Junkyard.
Thompson said Spoon’s co-workers had tried to radio him for over 30 minutes before they found him under the car. The workers immediately called the coroner, who pronounced Spoon dead at the scene.
Thompson said the car did not have any safety chains and believes that is what caused the accident.
-Renee Cardelli & Amy Post, NEWS9
Overkill & caution is always best when towing, You can not be to careful.
By Ron Langdon. July 19th, 2007 at 10:07 pmsafety chains are an absolute MUST! i have towed with tow bars,dollies and trailers. my chains have grab hooks on either end,plus i use grade 8 bolts/washers/nuts and i double-nut with lock washers. i also use bungee cords to keep the chains from dragging the pavement. overkill,some say. i mean to never lose a towed vehicle, if i ever wreck while towing,i intend to have both vehicles attached when the smoke clears! the time used to do it right is cheap compared to equipment damages,lawsuits or funerals.
By fred414141. January 26th, 2007 at 5:23 pmThis must have been a flat bed tow. The number of tows I’ve gotten over the years on these big dudes, the operator has always cinched things down with safety chains. This is sad to read about, but sometimes even the experienced guys cut corners, to their detriment. In this case, his demise. Hey, let’s be careful out there!
By SmellslikeWD40. December 7th, 2006 at 3:46 pm