Used my HEST to pry open the car door after an accident

killgar said:
I'm really surprised that no one has asked for specific details. I would think that people would want to know exactly what that knife is capable of. I have a few questions.-

Was the latch of the door stuck or was the door just wedge in the door jamb?

Did you pry the latch open or just pry the stuck door loose?

Where exactly did you insert the knife in the door jamb to pry it open?

How far did you insert the blade into the door jamb to get the most effective result?

How much, if any, did the blade, handle, overall knife flex or bend during prying?

Did the knifes lock ever become loose or disengage during prying?

Did the act of prying loosen the pivot?
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Hi guys, to say the least I was rather excited whe the accident occured. The man was awake and moving his head and hands and was in a true panic on not being able to open his own door. I tried to pull, no luck, I tried the back door again no luck. Smoke started pouring from the engine so i stuck the blade of my HEST about a thrid of the way in and it repoeased the Stuck door the few milimeters it needed to pop it loose. The door was not latched so I figure now the fellow had managed to unlock it but didn't have the strength to push it the final way. I was moving as fast as I could to get him out before the car went up.
I assisted him out and then my effort was to stop the bleeding in both arms and treat for shock. I haven't seen veins blow up like his did in a long time and I wrapped gauze around them to apply pressure. A home owner had come out of his home with a fire extinguisher ready to fight the fire, but someone else had done the simple task of turning the engine off which I should have done. The town Fire Chief lives a block away and was there quickly with his pick up which is full of gear. His son was one of my wrestlers so we have a good relationship. I'd say air bags saved a couple of lives here and rapid involvement by many bystanders was a positive contribution.
 
threefeathers said:
Hi guys, to say the least I was rather excited whe the accident occured. The man was awake and moving his head and hands and was in a true panic on not being able to open his own door. I tried to pull, no luck, I tried the back door again no luck. Smoke started pouring from the engine so i stuck the blade of my HEST about a thrid of the way in and it repoeased the Stuck door the few milimeters it needed to pop it loose. The door was not latched so I figure now the fellow had managed to unlock it but didn't have the strength to push it the final way. I was moving as fast as I could to get him out before the car went up.
I assisted him out and then my effort was to stop the bleeding in both arms and treat for shock. I haven't seen veins blow up like his did in a long time and I wrapped gauze around them to apply pressure. A home owner had come out of his home with a fire extinguisher ready to fight the fire, but someone else had done the simple task of turning the engine off which I should have done. The town Fire Chief lives a block away and was there quickly with his pick up which is full of gear. His son was one of my wrestlers so we have a good relationship. I'd say air bags saved a couple of lives here and rapid involvement by many bystanders was a positive contribution.
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Could you please define the word I highlighted in the quote above "repoeased", or is it a typo. I don't know what that word means, can't find it in my Websters dictionary, and nothing comes up when I type it into my search function. The word seems to be describing a very important detail of the story, which is why I'm interested.

Thank you for responding. I'm very interested in your story as I'm always interested in stories of people using knives under extreme situations. And using a knife to save a life is even more interesting. I carry a fixed-blade, in part with the knowledge that I might be able to pry with it if necessary.

There are however a few things that I find confusing. If the door was jammed so badly that a strong, full grown man couldn't pull it open with all his might, then I imagine that door would require a HELL OF A LOT of prying force to get it open. And that brings us to the knife. My research tells me that the overall, fully open length of that knife is 7.625 inches. That's not much of a prybar to work with. Not to mention that it's a folding knife. Which isn't even close to being as sturdy as a real prybar.

So, let me see if I understand, maybe I've got it all wrong, but the door was jammed so badly that it needed to be PRYED open, a 7.6" folding knife was used to PRY OPEN a STEEL car door, and the knife shows no wear or damage, none that I can see anyway.
 
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killgar said:
Could you please define the word I highlighted in the quote above "repoeased", or is it a typo. I don't know what that word means, can't find it in my Websters dictionary, and nothing comes up when I type it into my search function. The word seems to be describing a very important detail of the story, which is why I'm interested.
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Try the word "Released".
 
Killgar, dude. He's isn't going to be able to provide you with any more evidence than what he has already, which I think in most minds, is enough.
He says in the third sentence that he tried pulling both the driver's side front and back doors open. Despite them being unlocked, they would not open.
What more would you like? When you're in a situation like that where someone's life may be in danger, you make decisions the best you can, and that's all you can do. You don't sit there and draft up a list of pros and cons.
Maybe there was a better way to open the door than prying it with a folding knife of questionable quality. But given the fact that it worked perfectly, I would say that it was the right thing to do. Wouldn't you?

He also addresses your question about the fire. He states very clearly that someone came out with a fire extinguisher, but by that time there was no need, because the car had simply be turned off by another person. Which would indicate that there wasn't a fire at all. But regardless, threefeathers did the right thing in assuming that it was a fire, and working quickly to get the man out.

His actions are commendable. He doesn't need an interrogation about it.

Threefeathers, I would just like to say sorry for some of the people here. There is really no need for the scrutinization of all these details. Thank you very much for the story, I wish I had a knife that, Im sure, will be a great conversation piece for years to come.
 
frenchmade said:
Killgar, dude. He's isn't going to be able to provide you with any more evidence than what he has already, which I think in most minds, is enough.
He says in the third sentence that he tried pulling both the driver's side front and back doors open. Despite them being unlocked, they would not open.
What more would you like? When you're in a situation like that where someone's life may be in danger, you make decisions the best you can, and that's all you can do. You don't sit there and draft up a list of pros and cons.
Maybe there was a better way to open the door than prying it with a folding knife of questionable quality. But given the fact that it worked perfectly, I would say that it was the right thing to do. Wouldn't you?

He also addresses your question about the fire. He states very clearly that someone came out with a fire extinguisher, but by that time there was no need, because the car had simply be turned off by another person. Which would indicate that there wasn't a fire at all. But regardless, threefeathers did the right thing in assuming that it was a fire, and working quickly to get the man out.

His actions are commendable. He doesn't need an interrogation about it.

Threefeathers, I would just like to say sorry for some of the people here. There is really no need for the scrutinization of all these details. Thank you very much for the story, I wish I had a knife that, Im sure, will be a great conversation piece for years to come.
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I figure we're all big boys here. If a person can't handle having their story questioned, then maybe they shouldn't post it. I wasn't there, so I don't know the important details. That's why I ask. Like I said earlier, I'm a little curious, and I'm interested in people using their knives under extreme conditions. Who here isn't?

From your join date I can see that you haven't been here very long. In the almost ten years I've been here I've seen quite a few "stories" turn out not to be true. This is the internet after all, tall-tales abound.

If a person is going to come here and claim that they used a specific model of folding knife to PRY OPEN A CAR DOOR, I think that potential buyers of said knife model deserve a little investigation. Or do you automatically believe everything you read on the internet.

As far as the smoking engine, do you know anything about emergency response? Because it doesn't sound like you do.

Are people here just supposed to believe anything that anyone posts here without question? What if someone came here claiming to be a Medal of Honor winner, or a member of SEAL Team six, and told us tales of daring rescues they peformed with their knives? Would you just take their word for it? My parents didn't raise such a foolish child.

I'm a naturally skeptical person, and I consider it a wise and healthy thing to be. If people want to line up to pat a total stranger on the back because of a story they tell on the internet, then so be it. But don't piss on my leg and expect me to call it summer rain.
 
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While the action in itself is commendable, it may not have been the best idea.

The problem i have with this is one most first responders would also have and should've told the OP at the scene.
Unless the accident victim is in imminent danger you should never, ever extract them or allow them to exit the vehicle.
If that man had any type of serious neck, back injury or internal trauma/bleeding, removing him from the vehicle could have had dire consequences for him and a potential lawsuit for the OP. It is always best to let the the first responders do their job and assess the situation, that is what they do and get paid for.
 
killgar said:
If a person is going to come here and claim that they used a specific model of folding knife to PRY OPEN A CAR DOOR, I think that potential buyers of said knife model deserve a little investigation. Or do you automatically believe everything you read on the internet.
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Strong agree. I'm sure threefeathers is a great guy, and I have no doubt about the content of his character. But he did make a claim about a knife in a certain scenario and I think we have the right to question that scenario.

If I said I used my Case peanut to reduce a cinder block to dust, and showed a pile of cinder block dust and a picture of an intact Case peanut, I'd be laughed out of here.

To me, threefeathers doesn't need to defend his character here....but he does need to defend that claim he made about the knife.
 
Gee, I was rather proud of myself. The old guy and his daughter came over this morning to thank me and that is what counts. I showed him this thread and he provided a simple answer for the door popping open. When I moved the door with the knife forward he pushed as hard as he could and it popped open. Could he have done it without my knife assisting, possibly, possibly not. As for the rest of the garbage said by a few, I hope you act quickly should you ever need to.
 
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And honestly, I can't help but wonder:

1) Why and when the the back door of the car become open; and
2) The 87-year old, in shock, car wreck victim stood around for a while and posed for for pics before being taken to the hospital "asap"? I'm no EMT, but it seems like he would have been at least on a stretcher and likely immobilized.
 
I don't see how it was pried open either, with such a short lever. A stuck car door from a wreck you can't open by pulling on it, is going to take a pry bar. I find it hard to believe you could generate the force needed in a less than 9 inch folder. It doesn't seem to me you could even get it in deep enough to start the door opening.
 
I think from the pic and being a first responder myself it was the radiator burst and throwing coolant on the engine block and making steam. First thing to do is turn off the ignition or remove the battery cable. Then if there is still imminent danger you can remove the individual('s) like karda said we do not like to remove unless needed as you can make it much worse if there is a neck, back, or any type of spinal injury.

I had an accident like this happen on the highway once. a road grate fell off the back off a flat bed and can opened his car.I told the driver to stay put. He was elderly and was panicking and after a few attempts to tell him to stay put and wait for the ambulance he tried to get out and collapsed in my arms. I and other people standing by got him to lay down and straightened him out to wait for the ambulance. Luckily he was only in shock and had a few cuts and bruises, lived to tell the tale.

Please be cautious out there! That being said I feel like the O.P. felt there was imminent danger and did the right thing.

I do wonder how this accident happened. What did the other vehicle/ person look like or fair?
 
The car's engine and radiator couldn't have been damaged from what I see. The damage doesn't come close to the engine compartment, or the radiator in the front.

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And looking from the pic I could see that could have tweeked the door on the hinge a little. Maybe it was accidentally locked and he unlocked when he tried to start to pry? We ussually use a halligan bar for this type of stuff, the hest is no halligan!
 
Maybe the old guy pushed it open when he started to pry, out of sheer adrenaline charged panic because he feared it was about to blow from all that smoke pouring out of the engine?:eek:
 
bad_juju said:
I had an accident like this happen on the highway once. a road grate fell off the back off a flat bed and can opened his car.I told the driver to stay put. He was elderly and was panicking and after a few attempts to tell him to stay put and wait for the ambulance he tried to get out and collapsed in my arms. I and other people standing by got him to lay down and straightened him out to wait for the ambulance. Luckily he was only in shock and had a few cuts and bruises, lived to tell the tale.
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Did he stand up and pose for a few pics before the ambulance came? Does that sound right to a first responder like you?

The circumstances leading up to the claims of this knife's performance just seem fishy.

Again, threefeathers, I'm sure your character and bravery are beyond reproach.

This particular scenario and the claims of the knife's performance in it just aren't working for me. I am out.
 
I suggest - with all of the gentleness and respect for which I have become known, loved and admired on Bladeforums - that we give this pry thing a rest. Prying can entail as little effort as it takes to get the lid off of a used gallon of paint (which is not much), or as much as it requires to remove a 900 lb guy from a toilet with a 2x4. And by that I mean that its very subjective. I believe that Mr. Feathers pried the door just as he said, and with something less than the force exerted by a hydraulic rescue tool (aka, jaws of life). So "pry" has to be contextualized, and it means different things to different people depending on the circumstances. Mr. Feathers knows the circumstances if this incident, because he was there. And maybe he pried with enough force to open a paint can - which is still prying.

I carry a PIMPLE in my vehicle (Powernoodle Incident Mobile Prying Leverage Extractor) as a just-in-case thing, but anticipate (and hope) that it never gets used. If you ever seem me running at you with a big PIMPLE in my hand, you know you are having a bad day.

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