# scissor lifts and the wind



## nap

a reminder to all of us who use scissor lifts. I live very close to the University of Notre Dame (on football weekends, maybe a little too close). Today, a student was killed when using a scissor lift while videotaping the football team practice. The lift was tipped over by the wind. Not a lot of info such as how high he was or any specific injuries (most likely head injuries though simply based on how it happens). 

the manufactures website said the unit should not be used in winds over 28 mph. The wind at the time of the incident was somewhere around 50 mph.

News reports say he had posted some "tweets" while up in the lift saying it was terrifying. The tweets have been confirmed to be genuine.

Work smart, be safe.

eta: I just heard he was approximately 40 feet up


----------



## Scuba_Dave

Just saw this on another site


----------



## downunder

At the risk of sounding cynical, I have a hard time feeling sorry for people who do stupid stuff like this. Maybe I've just seen too many people get hurt and then want to blame someone else or talk about how they died a "hero" doing what they loved, etc.


----------



## nap

downunder said:


> At the risk of sounding cynical, I have a hard time feeling sorry for people who do stupid stuff like this. Maybe I've just seen too many people get hurt and then want to blame someone else or talk about how they died a "hero" doing what they loved, etc.


I understand they are required to undergo a training session for using the lifts but given the situation, somebody, even if it wasn't the kid that got killed, should have banned the use of the lifts in such weather. There are many people to blame for this happening. Obviously the kid himself is high on the list, if not at the top but there are others that bear at least moral fault if not actual culpability.

It wasn't he was a hero. One of the reported tweets was:




> "Holy (bleep) holy (bleep) holy (bleep) this is terrifying."


the sad one is this:



> , "Gusts of wind up to 60mph well today will be fun at work...I guess I've lived long enough :-/"


The investigation is just beginning so there isn't a lot of info yet but one thing; many people fear refusing to do something they are told by their superiors. Maybe the kid did address this with somebody in charge and was reassured that all was well. At this point, nobody really knows and honestly, given it is Notre Dame, nobody outside of the school may every know. Time will tell.


----------



## downunder

If this was a case of the kid doing what his supervisors told him for fear of losing his job in today's climate, then it was indeed a trajedy for him and :furious: for his employer/coach, etc.

From what little I have heard on the news, I took it as a stunt, dare, or whatever. And in that sense, this country is getting worse and worse about people using absolutely no common sense and then wanting the government and the rest of society to feel sorry for them and pick up the expenses. Texting and eating and driving (often speeding even) is an example. I did not mean that this person had been called a hero, but I have seen reports time and again about how he/she was such a good student, helped everyone, etc. (which are perfectly good attributes) and how tragic it was that they died drag racing on a public street or some similar example. 

I was raised that if you break it, you fix it. You don't blame the other person for your mistake. There was a news story on TV the other day about the economy and people deliberately letting their homes get foreclosed on because they don't (NOT can't, don't) want to pay on a house that is now worth less than they paid for it. One woman bought a house a few years ago, still has the same good job with no trouble making the payments but she just doesn't want to make payments on it now. I have a new lawn mower with a switch to prevent me from backing with the blade engaged because a mother in CA did not watch the child in the house and the dad did not pay attention when he was mowing the lawn and backed over the child and cut his foot off. I am a twin. When we were little, my mother had someone make a dog leash with double snaps and she tied us to her when walking along a busy street. Yes people ridiculed her and told her how "mean" she was to us. And she would tell you very certainly that she loved us enough to keep us safe. And I am still alive. 

Or, if you climb on a lift above the recommended height in the wind and it blows over and you get hurt/killed, don't blame others unless it really was someone else's fault. And I'm not saying the young man's family blames anyone else.

But, I digress. And yes, there are genuine tragedies.


----------



## nap

> From what little I have heard on the news, I took it as a stunt, dare, or whatever.


you must be reading things I haven't seen. There was a football practice and this kids job (not a paid position I don't think) was to videotape the practices. He was doing that. It just wasn't safe and whomever was in charge should have prevented anybody from being in the lifts.

Each level, from the kid himself, to the Athletic director of the school bears some culpability.


----------



## downunder

Looks like this was just more of the ssame old sensationalism reporting without any substantive follow-up.

Nap,

In the information as you give it, I am thoroughly p...d off with the school officials who allowed this to happen. That's their responsibility there just as it would be mine if it happened at my home. For example, my dad regularly took my brother and I hunting and fishing on Saturdays when we were growing up. One day one of my school friends brought his shotgun without a plug. Here they are required to be plugged to only hold three rounds. When my dad heard more than three rounds fired (he actually paid attention to what we were doing), he made my friend unload his shotgun then and there. He took it back to the truck and my friend watched us rabbit hunt the rest of the morning.

There was an immediate consequence from my dad for this as it should have been and should be today but sadly too often is not.


----------



## kwikfishron

Nap, do you have a link to the news story? Id like to see it.


----------



## nap

kwikfishron said:


> Nap, do you have a link to the news story? Id like to see it.


http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=5738375

http://www.wndu.com/hometop/headlines/Notre_Dame_students_priest_react_to_tragedy__106153558.html (wndu used to be owned and operated by ND but have since been sold. They are in the same place which abuts the ND campus)

http://www.wsbt.com/news/wsbt-video-tower-topples-at-notre-d-102710,0,7225201.story (wsbt is also a local station

if you just google "notre dame scissor lift" (better without the quotes), you will get a ton of hits.


----------



## Red Squirrel

Wow that's sad, and it does sound like he was pretty much forced to do it. His boss should be sued for this. They were going against best safety practices by using the lift against it's specs, in this case the wind speed.


----------



## downunder

Considering the attitude, "Gusts of wind up to 60mph well today will be fun at work...I guess I've lived long enough" I'm still not convinced.

More along my philosophy: 
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=1107396

WARNING: ADULT LANGUAGE!


----------

