My Uncle Died From Crawling Under A Car With A Jack Like This

A recent Reddit post on the r/AskAMechanic forum group is a classic scenario of what not to do when attempting to lift your car with a jack and jack stands.

OP Epic363 asks for help from the forum group showing what appears to be a 2015 BMW M235i resting rather uncomfortably, wheels off, on its rotors on sandy ground.

The seriousness of what happened cannot be overstated.

In fact, one thread post summed up this thought succinctly:

My uncle died from crawling under a car with a jack like this. My dad said he was screaming and crying and died in absolute agony. Seriously, don't do it without stands ―methinfiniti

Related article: "Body of Car Fell Through Jack" ―Don't Make This Common DIY Mistake, Warning"

How the Car Fell and Wound Up in Soft Sandy Dirt

Exactly how this happened is unclear. By piecing together the OP's comments from a long and confusing thread of comments, it sounds like this is what happened:

1. The OP had plans to replace all 4 wheels at the same time and decided to jack up his car using a small floor jack on wheels (coasters) and place 4 jack stands beneath the car to hold it in place. The car appears to have been on a driveway while doing this.
2. The OP did this and then decided to leave the car on its jack stands while waiting for the new wheels, during which he had plans to lower the suspension on his car while waiting for the new wheels.
3. Needing some extra space for the suspension work, the OP attempted to raise the car on one side first to increase the jack stand height. Presumably, with that side done, he would then repeat this with the other side of the car, making it level and providing more room for him to work under the car.
4. However, while lifting the first side of the car, one of the castors on the floor jack broke, causing the floor jack to roll back (with the car slipping offside along with it) and off the driveway onto a sandy area beside the driveway.
5. During this time, the remaining two jack stands on the other side holding the car up, fell over, leaving the car resting on its rotors.
6. Fortunately, the OP was not under the car when it fell. If it had, he would have died or wound up crippled for life.

Did the OP Do Anything Wrong?

If the scenario is accurate, there appears to be at least three mistakes made by the OP:

1. Rather than raising the vehicle on a flat concrete surface, the driveway appears to be asphalt and not exactly level. Even if the driveway was level, asphalt is soft compared to concrete and, thereby, less stable. Metal jack stand legs will dig into asphalt. Plus, a floor jack has to be able to roll freely on its castors on a smooth hard surface. If it cannot roll, the jack will likely fail from uneven stress, preventing it from adjusting itself as the car is raised.
2. If a car is resting on four jack stands (two on each side), you should not try to raise one side of a car higher by putting undue and uneven pressure on the jack stands on the other side by jacking the opposite side higher. The wheels should have been placed back on the car, the car then lowered onto the driveway with the jack stands removed, and then raise each side as before, only a little higher this time around, allowing the wheels on the opposite side to safely bear the brunt of the forces as the jack stands are reset for the new positioning. If something fails during this process, the wheels will catch the slip or fall.
3. The car should have been set further away from the softer road edge before beginning the lifting.

In earlier articles, we addressed jack and jack stand products, portable home garage lifts, and problems some owners experience when lifting a car improperly.

But as a reminder on how to lift a car safely, here is an excellent video that demonstrates the proper way to raise your car with a floor jack and jack stands:

How To SAFELY Lift Your Car On Jack Stands

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For some informative articles related to jacks, jack stands, and portable car lifts, here are a few for your consideration:

1. Best Floor Jack Comparison Tests Reveal Which Harbor Freight Jack to Buy and Which to Probably Avoid
2. Looking Into Buying One Of These Portable Lifts…Are They Reliable And Easy To Use Or Should I Just Stick To Jack Stands? ―"Safer Than Car Jack And Stands. I Bought This After Almost Dying With Those," says Owner of This Brand of Automotive Lifts
3. Cheap Jackstands Pitted Against Expensive Ones

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Timothy Boyer is an automotive reporter based in Cincinnati who currently researches and works on restoring older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. He also reports on modern cars (including EVs) with a focus on DIY mechanics, buying and using tools, and other related topical automotive repair news. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites as well as on Facebook and his automotive blog "Zen and the Art of DIY Car Repair" for useful daily news and topics related to new and used cars and trucks.