Helping stuck people

[Howmanygoes]

Driving home from work in my little 1 series fart box, traffic was abnormally bad so decided to circumvent the issue only to be confronted with a 100 series raised up ploughing through top of tire deep water. Cue hasty u-turn and reroute.

Turns out there were a few stuck vehicles due to owners not realising they had purchased the wrong vehicle and would have been better with a boat or a LC.

Now home, I am thinking of going to help these educationally challenged (idiots) drivers. Anything liability wise I should consider, or should I just go play.

 

[Chris]

Go play just don't become a victim yourself due to exceeding your personal competency envelope.

 

[chapel gate]

There's only one way to find said personal competency envelope...

 

[BobMurphy]

You might like to consider just how you are going to attach a flooded & stuck vehicle to a rope . . . .

Most modern cars have nothing to attach to apart from a 'towing eye' hidden somewhere in the boot - if indeed its still there.

I have found this when towing people out of wet fields after Horse competitions, I have had to give up if they can't find their towing eye (there is no 'standard' fitting, I carry a spare Ford one), and these are not in 30" of water.

You are going to get wet!

Bob.

 

[clivehorridge]

All the above, but I’d advise that you should just be careful to announce yourself as a fellow motorist offering assistance, and not as any form of commercial venture.
Also, stop assisting if there’s any danger of you damaging the stricken vehicle.
Some folks in dire trouble may say ok go ahead, I gotta get out whatever the damage.
Better still, do the above in front of witnesses just in case it goes pear-shaped.
Have fun

 

[Howmanygoes]

Thanks for the feedback.

You can hold this against me or not but i am ex infantry and time served Saftey manager, risk awareness comes instinctively.

It was more that I wanted to do something to help and was seeing if others have and the problems encountered. The liability question was more about further damage caused.

I also fly fish so am use to standing in cold water up to my nips.

In the end I went for a play and laughed at some ball sack who tried to overtake me only to end up windscreen deep... wish I had the go pro on.

 

[Higgy]

When i was Farming 'oop' North some years back a huge Midlands Wine Lorry got stuck trying to turn round in one of our fields. So my Mate Jim and I went down to 'Yok' him out.. It took two Tractors to get him out... Afterwards we stood there waiting for our Drink so to speak. The driver just replied "More than my jobs worth Mate".. And drove off........... From that day on if they go in the field they stay in the field...

 

[chapel gate]

Thanks for the feedback.

You can hold this against me or not but i am ex infantry and time served Saftey manager, risk awareness comes instinctively.

It was more that I wanted to do something to help and was seeing if others have and the problems encountered. The liability question was more about further damage caused.

I also fly fish so am use to standing in cold water up to my nips.

In the end I went for a play and laughed at some ball sack who tried to overtake me only to end up windscreen deep... wish I had the go pro on.

Pretty extreme fly fishing if the waters up to your nips..

 

[Higgy]

Up to your Nips is Fishing gone wrong Mike.

 

[Bob]

I'm always happy to help a genuine person in need, but I tend to stay away from the idiots who get into a stupid situation. I got roped in to towing for the local cops during heavy snowfall back in 2010 as I was the only one around who could get up the hill in the local town. I often find gratitude is thin on the ground though.

My golden rules are: never get involved if there's any risk to my own vehicle, and state very clearly (with a witness if possible) that there may be more damage getting a car out.

 

[Howmanygoes]

Up to your Nips is Fishing gone wrong Mike.

Chest waders, some times things get a little deep on you.

 

[Shayne]

I helped the police once by saying get out of the f****** way and stepping forward to smash a car window .

A sweltering hot day the driver lost her keys and her very old dad was already unconcious while the baby was bright red and screaming . Theres no hope for humanity if we aren't willing to lend a little common sense where its needed sometimes .

 

[Gary820]

If I'm out and about and come across someone in need of help I will help, if it's a stuck vehicle make sure they're aware damage could happen.

I'm with 4x4 response so if the need arises i can call in, self deploy if deemed suitable by the duty control. I'm then covered by their public liability.

 

[clivehorridge]

When there’s snow about here, there’s always someone glad to see me pull up...

So far, such as pulling a Nissan pickup out of a snowy ditch half way up the local mountain, it’s been comments like “yey, here’s a real 4x4” and always gratitude.

It beats me as to why folks go up there at all in the vehicles they end up getting stuck in.

We pulled a front wheel drive Renault something van out of deep snow last year, and he was slithering about on regular summer tyres with at most 1/2 mm tread.

Incredible.