Toad roll away!

[KyDan]

We were sitting in the shade yesterday afternoon sipping a cold one
when a motor-home pulling a good size SUV pulled up a couple sites away.
The man got out and proceeded to un-hitch the toad.
Next thing I know my wife is freaking out because the toad is rolling
back down the street and the man is holding onto the rear fender well trying
to stop it. Of course he's on the passenger side, nowhere near the driver
door.
He managed to stop it and someone from across the street set the brake
for him.
The street had only a slight grade thankfully.

My wife was shaking because just about a month ago a nice lady from
just up the street from our house was killed in a similar manner.
Her son had put his car in the ditch middle of the night.
I guess he called home and mom and dad went to his rescue.
Apparently they pushed the car out of the ditch but no one was
driving? The road was pretty steep. The car started rolling and somehow
the woman/mother got run over and killed. She was mid 40s with two teenage
sons.
Can you imagine the anguish and guilt of the son who put the car in
the ditch?

A rolling car is not something to try and stop with your body.
Be careful out there!
Life is way more precious than a banged up car.

Maybe a permanent ribbon or some kind of reminder to always set the
brake on your toad before unhitching would be a good idea.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by KyDan

Maybe a permanent ribbon or some kind of reminder to always set the brake on your toad before unhitching would be a good idea.

Yes, or be smart enough to put the toad in park or if a stick, reverse with the engine OFF. Some people just don't think. As the doctors say, "there is no pill to cure stupidity"

[KyDan]

Originally Posted by dunnnc

"there is no pill to cure stupidity"

That's hardly fair.
We had a runabout boat for 14 years. It was a trailer-able boat so
each trip to the lake we floated it off the trailer and each time at the
end of the day we put it back on the trailer.
Long about year 13 and probably around the 100th time, I launched it
without the bilge plug in the back.
We realized it soon enough and I could have jumped in the water and put it
in but we were in the Ohio river and I was not wearing swimming trunks
so we put it back on the trailer and pulled out far enough for me to
"plug it".

Some times you do something so often year after year that one day you
just forget.
Did you ever forget to zip your pants???
I can see how it would be easy to forget to put the toad in park
before unhitching. That guy probably won't forget again.
Maybe you'll forget one day yourself.

It's not got anything to do with "stupid".
It's human nature.
It's why pilots have checklists.
My point is RVers need check lists too!

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by KyDan

That's hardly fair. Some times you do something so often year after year that one day you
just forget.
Did you ever forget to zip your pants???

Maybe you'll forget one day yourself.

Little different leaving the plug out of a boat at launch, leaving your pants unzipped, etc. Neither of the examples given are life threatening. Yes, I forget stuff all the time, but when in a potentially dangerous situation, I don't forget.

[Triguy]

Accidents do not equal stupidity.

Thanks for sharing, Dan. Good reminder and good thing no one was hurt.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by Triguy

Accidents do not equal stupidity.

Thanks for sharing, Dan. Good reminder and good thing no one was hurt.

Everywhere I worked, they all had slogans to the effect that "Accidents don't just happen, they are caused" Firmly believe it. Not thinking, not paying attention, inadequate training, etc.