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A 27-year-old man was crushed by a car while performing repairs in the driveway of his home in Riviera Beach, Florida, this past Saturday night, according to the Riviera Beach Police Department.
The incident occurred at 360 W 27th Street while the victim was working underneath the front tire on the passenger side of a 2015 Kia Optima that had been raised with a hydraulic jack on an inclined driveway.
According to the authorities, the hydraulic jack failed and the vehicle slipped and fell on the young man, who became trapped beneath the car.
The discovery was made by a couple of neighbors who live in the unit next to the victim's house.
The couple had seen the young man working on the vehicle around 4:00 PM.
Upon returning at 10:00 PM, they found him motionless underneath the car and shouted for help.
The call to 911 was received at 10:30 PM. Police and firefighters arrived at the scene, and the firefighters lifted the Kia Optima to rescue the victim, who was already deceased.
The investigation determined that the key factor in the accident was the angle of the house entrance, which increased the risk of the vehicle sliding off the hydraulic jack.
The death was classified as accidental by the Riviera Beach Police Department.
The identity of the victim has not been publicly revealed so far.
The young man who passed away was trapped under the vehicle for approximately six hours before being discovered by his neighbors.
Accidents due to hydraulic jack failures during home repairs are a documented issue in the United States.
In September 2023, a 42-year-old Cuban identified as José Luis Bustillo also died after being crushed by his own vehicle in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the Tamiami area of Miami-Dade.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, these incidents cause approximately 4,800 injuries per year, and 74% of the cases occur due to vehicle skidding or falling.
Security experts always recommend using safety stands as a backup for the hydraulic jack, working on flat and level surfaces, chocking the wheels, and never performing this type of work alone.
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