Reminder to be safe - Steel Soldiers::Military Vehicles Supersite

rizzo · 06-20-2006, 09:57

I sold this guy some rockwells. seemed like a good guy.

from www.gotmud4x4.com:

We have a member down Jonathan "ddstrunt" was Killed over the weekend at a bogg over near grand rapids
http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/in...910.xml&coll=6
he was part of Weekend wheelers club and Got mud? 4x4

By LISA KNAPP Staff writer

Jonathan Blystra of Holland had a lot to be thankful for Saturday.

Married 12 years, he and his wife Jodi had plans to celebrate their anniversary in the evening. His afternoon was spent with a group of close friends running their modified four wheel drive trucks through a mud bog in Heath Township. His truck -- a gold 1983 Chevy half ton nicknamed "The Bomber"-- was in the best running condition ever.

Blystra, 33, died late Saturday afternoon after the tow rope being used to pull his truck from the mud bog broke and recoiled through the truck windshield, striking Blystra in the head. Allegan County Sheriff's Office deputies along with Hamilton Fire Rescue responded to the site near 128th Avenue. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

"We had just spent two weeks fixing it up," said Jay Krans, a friend of Blystra's. "I told him, 'You bring it out here and I'll get her running, let's just do it and get it done so we can have fun with it. It was a great day. He had mentioned a couple times during the day that he was looking forward to going home and spending the night with Jodi. I've never seen him this happy and having this much fun with the trucks."

Jodi Blystra said she and their three kids -- Stephanie, 11, Christopher, 9 and Joshua, 5 -- sometimes went along when her husband went off-roading.

"We debated yesterday if we would go," Jodi Blystra said on Sunday. "I'm glad we weren't there."

She and the kids are shocked and numb, Blystra said. She described the children as handling it in waysthat are age-appropriate. Last year, Jonathan Blystra quit working at a family business and was a stay-home dad while Jodi Blystra went to work full-time as a lab tech at Holland Hospital.

Jodi Blystra said her husband's death on their anniversary date isn't bittersweet because she is thankful for having 12 years with such a good man.

"They were awesome years. He was a good husband and dad. I know the kids and I still have a lot of things to deal with, but we know it's in God's hands," she said. "We're relying on our faith in God."

Jonathan Blystra had been involved in off-roading for about five years and was a member of "Weekend Wheelers" a Holland 4-wheel drive club.

Krens described Blystra as a "big teddy bear" who would help anybody at any time.

"I've gone through some hard times in the past and he'd drop what he was doing to spend time talking with me," Krens said. "He was the kind of guy who would do that for anyone."

better make sure you have read this

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Recovery/

rmgill · 06-20-2006, 12:18

This reinforces my concern with energy storing straps and cables. Hmm, gotta start thinking about saving for some Blue Steel rope.

rizzo · 06-20-2006, 13:12

I doubt any of you know him, but

If anyone would like to donate to the family please paypal this account

rcfleming@chartermi.net

poppop · 06-20-2006, 16:19

As I have mentioned one time before we had this happen on the farm. The cable broke and propeled the hook through front and back windshields on tractor and landed forty feet away. Missed my drivers head by six inches off to the side. One week ago I had a good fried injured in a winching accident. He has moved portable tobacco barns for years and has a truck he built for this purpose. He delivered a barn to Mount Airy NC and was sitting it in place. It was a tight location and he had to winch the barn straight. With little room the truck was in a bad position and being tired he forgot to chock the truck wheels. When he started winching the truck rolled up to the concrete foundation and he figured that would hold it. The barn got hung on something and when enough force was applied the truck jumped the foundation and pinned my friend. He has six broken ribs, a broken shoulder and a broken arm, but is lucky to be alive. So as stated above don't ever get to comfortable with machinery and when tired be doubly careful.

littlebob · 06-22-2006, 00:32

I hate to say it to say it.but as a gender we do some pretty stupid stuff. Add a few beers or a little distraction an it gets worse real quick.
Being a consumer of the aftormentioned and being easily distracted I
purchased a truck without a winch without regrets. We had a Landcruiser
with a PTO winch when I was a Teenager and my Dad, luckily gave me plenty warnings about what could happen if something went wrong. I was very lucky the two times we used it under the influence every thing went Okay. When I think about the tension on a winch cable that has probably at half or less of its strengh or less because of it's age and wear it's scary.

Robert