One of my neighbors came by one day and asked if I could move a 12x60 house trailer from another neighbors place to his. It was only about ¼ mile away and only another 1/8 mile to move it.
It got the Case 1030D out and drove it to the location, backed in and hooked up.
The day was warm and sunny but we had had rain the previous two days and his drive was muddy and soft. He had more work to do on the site he was going to permanently place the trailer so I pulled into his driveway far enough to get safely off the road and stopped.
His 26 year old son got a cement block and a bottle jack and placed them under one of the angle braces on the tongue of the trailer and lifted the trailer free of the ball on the tractor drawbar. I noticed that he did not lower the trailers screw jack that was built into the tongue. I was standing at the rear of the tractor talking with the father as the son went under the front of the trailer with more cement blocks. Just as I started to ask him if he had blocked the rear wheels the front of the trailer started moving towards the side of the tongue that the boy was under. I moved as fast as I could to grab his ankles and pull him free but it was too late. The trailer rolled the bottled jack over and came down on him.
I was already moving to reset the jack as I heard him scream between his teeth, “get the jack, get the jack”.
I got the jack reset and the father had the boy by the legs and pulled him out as soon as he could.
We was breathing but dazed and in pain.
We were only about 4 miles from a hospital so we loaded him in their pickup and headed away.
After they left the seriousness of it all set in and I guess I just stood still for awhile. Then I blocked the rear wheels of the trailer and made sure the jack was secure and got on my tractor and went home. I looked under the trailer and saw what saved the boys life. When the trailer came down two of the cement blocks had broken and the pieces had formed a pyramid like brace under one of the metal beams. If that had not happened he would have been crushed.
Around dark I was out in the yard and the father drove in and said the boy would be alright. He had cracked ribs and muscle bruises but would be ok.
When that boy got under that trailer I remember thinking that he had not blocked the rear wheels but the father was talking to me and I let the thought go by.
In aviation I have learned to take my time and make sure all items are checked.
Why I let the blocked wheels slide by I do not know but it will never happen again. Never.
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