UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Inspection Detail

Inspection: 112014956 - R & S Towing

Inspection Information - Office: Ca San Diego

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 parked his tow truck a few feet away from the front of a disabled car that he had been sent to tow. After putting the car in park, he engaged the parking brake. With the engine idling, he alighted from the truck and proceeded to the rear driver's side, where the controls for the lift bed were located. Employee #1 apparently forgot that the truck that he had that day was not the same truck he usually drove. He thought he had put the shifting lever into park when in fact he had placed it in reverse with the engine idling and the parking brakes on; he did not notice the mistake because the truck did not move. When he revved the engine to pull the car onto the bed, the truck knocked Employee #1 down and the rear driver's side wheels ran over his legs. The wheels continued spinning over his legs because the truck could not back up any further. Employee #1's right foot was severed.

Keywords:severed, vehicle in gear, tow truck, run over, backing up, foot, inattention