Inspection Detail

Inspection: 316345206 - Mario'S Mobile Truck

Inspection Information - Office: Monrovia District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 9:40 a.m. on October 16, 2012, Employee #1, a truck mechanic, was working under an 18-wheeler tractor cab and trailer replacing the tractor cab's left front leaf spring. The tractor-trailer was parked parallel and about 1-ft west of the right lane curbs facing north. To lift the left front of the tractor cab, the employee stacked two bottle jacks on top of each other with a wood piece underneath; the wood piece rested on the asphalt roadway. Employee #1 used a bolt head near the engine radiator as a convenient but non-engineered lifting point for the top bottle jack. The lower edge of the front bumper was about 18-ins. above ground before jacking. The employee jacked the left side of the tractor cab up about 4-ins. on his back, head first. Employee #1 slid himself under the tractor cab behind the left front wheel to remove the left front left spring with hand tools. The employee removed the leaf spring, and the cab collapsed falling on him. Employee #1 suffered blunt force trauma to his chest and upper torso from the portion of the tractor cab body immediately behind the left wheel. Employee #1 was pronounced dead at the scene.

Keywords: CHEST, REPAIR, COLLAPSE, MECHANIC, TORSO, CRUSHED, TRACTOR TRAILER