Winter "helping" ..I suggest you have a lawyer nearby

[RICK]

For all of you new "anxious to help" people here's what happened last Wednesday at my work.
I have a nice 2nd floor office overlooking the main County Courthouse (650 space) parking lot.
Wednesday is attorney "motion day", the day they all race in to the courthouse to file motions for divorce, suits, etc.
I park my TJ right outside my office window just next to the several "handicapped" parking spots.
Last Wednesday, I'm looking out (dreaming of Jeeping) and see this Lincoln Navigator pull in next to my TJ (he's obviously in a handicapped space, and pulls over the 4 foot high snow plowed pile).I think to my self, he's stuck there.
He briskly walks to the Courthouse with briefcase in hand looking back at his Navigator (he had to have known it was in a handicapped parking space).
At Around 11 AM he walks briskly back to his Navigator and guess what, it's high sided in the snow bank.
He's out there spinning tires, and just throwing up snow, attracting a crowd of other attorneys.They are all out there pushing by hand to get this monster off this snowpile so they can get out.
At Noon I go out to lunch, he's inside on the phone. I tap on the window and ask if i can help. My TJ is warming up next to his Navigator.
He powers down the window and say's "I'm waiting for the tow truck but I'll pay you to anything to get me out of here, I've gotta be in District Court (about 30 miles away) at 1 O'Clock.
I back up behind him, take the cover off my winch, and hook up my remote. By this time I have at least 5 other attorneys watching me my winch cable is blocking their path. My winch cable is out about 30 feet ( which I perceive as the length of his Navigator).
I open the back end of my Jeep, pull out my cut off baseball bat (which I keep for non-emergency recoveries). I pulled my cable thru his hitch, and around the bat handle.
I told him, "just keep in in 'N' and steer straight back".
I walk back, and pull him straight back with my winch over the snow pile.
I walk up, disconnect the cable, wind it in, and put my winch cover back on.
He pulls away, waves and drives away.
No less than three of the watching attorneys walk over, hand me their cards, and tell me they were witnesses to the "non-verbal" contract he made with me.
OK: now here's the point of you reading this:
1.) Never pull out anyone without either a lawyer watching..or have a signed recovery contract.
2.) Keep a 24" length of hard wood , like a hard cut off 3 foot length of cut off baseball bat in your recovery kit to fit your winch cable or recvovery strap around "thru the hitch opening.
3.) Do not keep that peice of hardwood anywhere near the "reachchable" area of the front seats. That's against the law, and it can be seen as a weapon. Just plain simple law. it can be seen as a weapon.

[John99TJ]

geez makes it hard to help folk out now doesnt it.
John
gona have to take a nite law course

[RangerTJ]

Rick, sounds like a good deed to me. I know that he promised payment, makes him some what dishonest, but it still makes you a good guy. I hope someone like you is around when I do something stupid.

[RICK]

The promise of money was not the object.
What was the "thing" was any possible damage to his probabably $40K Navigator. And the possible damage you may incur as a result of helping pull out somebody! As he pulled away with the wave.

[45-auto]

Well, this is a perfect illustration of why my normal e-mail signature is: "Stop animal experiments: use lawyers instead"

It's not just that the guy promised you money and then drove off; that merely shows what he thinks motivates people and how good his word is. What can you expect of an evidently able-bodied guy with such a poor sense of decency he'd park in a handicapped space? Forget about his ability to forsee getting stuck.

Consider also that he's part of a profession that is willing and eager to bend every effort and any law in order to get a baby raper released from jail. Interesting too that the onlooking shysters immediately offered to help you pursue some kind of a claim.

Frankly, if I found a lawyer in trouble I'd be real reluctant to help them; anything go wrong with trying to assist the lawyer and you've got a good chance of being sued.

About your ball bat: I live where you can get a license to carry a concealed gun. Nobody worries about ball bats within the reach of drivers. Sheese!



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81 CJ7 * 96 ZJ *
Moab every summer!

(O| ||O)

[RICK]

To clear up my "post" the point was also:
I keep my sawed off baseball bat as a length of hardwood for winching out vehicles without a rear winching point, not as a device for personal protection. I keep it in my winch accessory bag.

[Jeannie]

Hey Rick, at least you got the wave, I still can't manage to get one here . Now you should have known better working at the courthouse, I say leave all the lawyers there and I'm a Legal Assistant and work for one..teehee j/k . I think it's great that you helped him out and if he was parked in a handicap spot, always hope you got his license plate # .

45-Auto, welcome aboard too!

Jeannie
My Webpage and More Jeepin' Pics

[Joel]

Rick,

I'm just trying to figure out how you hooked up to the Navigator with a baseball bat. Did you remove the hook from the end of your winch cable, push it through his 2" receiver and then put the bat through the loop on the end of the winch cable so it wouldn't pull back through? Also being a little new to winching, does it work better to winch a guy out rather than use a tow strap and 4wd to put him out?

I had the opertunity to pull a guy out of the ditch the other day, but declined because I would have had to block traffic and it was just over the crest of a hill out in the country. Called a wrecker instead. There isn't much to hook onto on some of these newer cars either!

Joel



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'97 TJ 4.0 auto track-loc HS9500i
'96 GC Limited 5.2 V8

[RICK]

After that long story, my point is this:
Keep a 12"-14" picece of hardwood for winching vehicles without a winching point. And keep that piece of wood in your winching bag..
And don't bring that piece of wood out when you're helping someone..unless they and all around can see it's for helping in your winching ... not a weapon..
If I hadn't had my Deputy County Deputy star with me (yes I'm a court officer with a badge) with me, he (the lawyer in the Navigator) could have had me in a difficult positon.

[Cutch]

What was it that Shakespeare said about lawyers....

When I was a Cop I only had a few pet peeves. I gave a lot of breaks to people, sometimes I would offer them the ticket or a slap on the wrist, everyone opted for the slap on the wrist and I didn't hit them hard. Or when they asked for a break I would respond with "simple or compound fracture".
Back to the pet peeves, the big one with me was parking in a handicap space, there is no excuse for that.....

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Cutch 88YJ
kenj@tbaytel.net

[AlexYJ]

Next time you see him Rick, tell the guy to use his saved up money to buy himself a locker You never told me you were a Deputy! Can you write tickets and all that?

[RICK]

Hey, Alex there's a lot we didn't talk about.
Anything you're hiding?

[This message has been edited by RICK (edited 01-21-2000).]

[RICK]

No, Alex..
I don't give tickets..just a retired Army/ National Guard pilot (and ex-deputy sherriff). Just used to swoop down and arrest speeding pilots..worked for the Army, and FAA, and the State Police, and DEA.
Sorry, never asked if you were on probation..any felony convictions?
Just kidding..of course



[This message has been edited by RICK (edited 01-22-2000).]

[Stans]

When I was a cop, I used to feel like giving tickets to handicap tagged vehicles that parked in regular parking spots!

[Y2K TJ]

As a retired Police Officer (25yrs) this just reinforces my basic opinion of many lawyers. Of course I also have a basic opinion of many police officers.

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John (JPM1920@yahoo.com) FMCA4Wheelers
Y2K TJ Sahara, Automatic, Dual Tops, D44
4" Tera Lift, SYE, 2xARBs, 4.56, 35"BFG MT

[45-auto]

Re-reading my earlier post to this thread, I think I need to clarify something.

Some of the lawyers I've worked with have been fine men and women, with rock solid integrity. Even though they're on the other side of the aisle sometimes, they're good people.

Unfortunately, my experience (20+ years investigating sex crimes against children) leads me to the conclusion that such individuals are not in the majority when you're talking about lawyers, especially criminal defense lawyers.

So there are a lot of fine people with LLD degrees. But there are also lots of people in that field that I wouldn't trust without cash bond up front. If then.

That said, I did not intend to offend anyone. And I am convinced that the kind of people who love jeeps are the kind of free spirits and unfettered souls who are not gonna be in the wrong end of the legal profession.

Selah.

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81 CJ7 * 96 ZJ *
Moab every summer!

(O| ||O)

[BADKSTJ]

Rick, you bring up a very good point....
What if you had "caused" damage to his navigator.....my point is this.
Whenever we go out on snow rescue missions our group ALWAYS carries waivers to have the "stuckee" sign.....
Even though you may performing an act of samaritanism, you could still be liable for damamge.
It also states the on the waiver how much is being "charged" for the extrication and a spot for their license number....
General rule is:
Family with children n/c
Elderly n/c
rednecks double
morons see above
18 Wheelers Whatever they will offer...usually pretty damn good
Law Enforcement/Fire absolutley N/C

Paul

[Rob 99TJ]

Hey Paul,

Could we get a copy of this waiver somewhere?

It would be a good idea to keep a couple in the Jeep at all times.

Rob

[fourpaws]

BADKSTJ,you should add lawyers to that list,cash upfront!

[Mark Campbell]

I would have taken that baseball bat. Shined it up real nice. Then turn it sideway's, and stick it strait up his candy a$$. Any WWF wrestling fans will like that one, but really. I despise any one who parks in a handy cap space. My Dad has had a stroke and he can barely walk with the use of a cane,he is only 52. If some non handicap person takes his space in the front of the parking lot then he can not use the store. I see people park in handicap spaces all the time and it really bothers me! I would not have pulled him out. I would have pushed him farther into the snow
Mark