Wife and I had a fun morning Paulina session, returned to the dock just after noon, walking off the dock see an old guy having a real issue backing up his boat trailer with his Ridgeline truck, jackknifing it around. I walk over and offer to back up his rig, he says he has it.
Get my rig, back down in the other lane and load my boat, old guy still fighting it, as I pull out hear a big thunk....old guy had cut his wheels too hard, dropped his outboard left front wheel right off the ramp several feet above the ground, slamming his undercarriage onto the ramp.
He doesn't understand what happened so starts gunning his engine while still in reverse, back wheels smoking, slowly crabbing the front half of the truck further off the ramp until the front left is now several feet off the ramp, the back right tire is off the ground, and the rig is teetering.
I stop my rig, run over, he's freaked out and trying to open the drivers door to get out, I yell for him to unlock the passenger door and put my weight onto the inside door frame while reaching in and pulling him out the passenger door and then away from the rig.
Poor bastard is besides himself, literally walking around in circles muttering, I'm trying to calm him down...'its just an accident, what matter is you're ok, we'll get you some help'.
There is no cell phone reception in the caldera so I ask a bystander to keep the guy away from his rig, strap down my boat, drive the several miles down the hill to where reception starts and call 911...tell them what happened, request dispatch of a heavy duty tow rig capable of safely lifting and swinging the rig up onto the ramp and then dragging it up on what is now a ruined driveline.
They connect me with a gal sheriff who happens to be right at the Paulina turn off. Relay the situation to her, that the guy will need help both sorting the rig as well as getting home safely. Less than 10 minutes later the sheriff passes us booking up the mountain as we're going down.
Everything's good until it isn't...
Get my rig, back down in the other lane and load my boat, old guy still fighting it, as I pull out hear a big thunk....old guy had cut his wheels too hard, dropped his outboard left front wheel right off the ramp several feet above the ground, slamming his undercarriage onto the ramp.
He doesn't understand what happened so starts gunning his engine while still in reverse, back wheels smoking, slowly crabbing the front half of the truck further off the ramp until the front left is now several feet off the ramp, the back right tire is off the ground, and the rig is teetering.
I stop my rig, run over, he's freaked out and trying to open the drivers door to get out, I yell for him to unlock the passenger door and put my weight onto the inside door frame while reaching in and pulling him out the passenger door and then away from the rig.
Poor bastard is besides himself, literally walking around in circles muttering, I'm trying to calm him down...'its just an accident, what matter is you're ok, we'll get you some help'.
There is no cell phone reception in the caldera so I ask a bystander to keep the guy away from his rig, strap down my boat, drive the several miles down the hill to where reception starts and call 911...tell them what happened, request dispatch of a heavy duty tow rig capable of safely lifting and swinging the rig up onto the ramp and then dragging it up on what is now a ruined driveline.
They connect me with a gal sheriff who happens to be right at the Paulina turn off. Relay the situation to her, that the guy will need help both sorting the rig as well as getting home safely. Less than 10 minutes later the sheriff passes us booking up the mountain as we're going down.
Everything's good until it isn't...
