Backhoe control?

[Tallpine]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/09/19/north-carolina-dad-charged-with-involuntary-manslaughter-after-dirt-hole/?intcmp=obinsite

Arwood was operating a backhoe in a pit in April when the walls caved in on the children. The bodies of 6-year-old Chloe Jade Arwood and 7-year-old James Levi Caldwell were dug out the next day.

Maybe we need a permit to own a backhoe? 

[AZRedhawk44]

The North Carolina father who was working in a two-story-deep dirt hole that collapsed and killed his daughter and her cousin was charged Thursday with two counts of involuntary manslaughter.

Bolded for emphasis.

Isn't that typically the size/type of hole that is created when one wants to build a skyscraper?  That's a LOT of earth to remove to build a rammed earth home, as he claims.

Interesting that the po-po chose to search his house (for what?  the girls are in the hole) and found guns and a pot plant, and decided to randomly charge him with possession of guns and drugs.  The guns would have been a non-issue if the MJ plant wasn't there, but the two of them together makes him a meth distributing kingpin, I guess.

[Nick1911]

In an OSHA 40-hr class, I saw photographs/video of industrial accidents involving cave-ins.  After seeing that, there's no way I'll even consider going into a pit deeper then my waist that doesn't have the walls properly secured.

The story notes the man was a convicted felon; presumably that's why the guns were taken.

[Boomhauer]

We dug down a good 15-18 feet to fix foundation drainage on our house a couple years ago. 20 feet isn't spectacuarly deep. We didn't secure a *expletive deleted* permit either

You don't go down in a trench without shoring...the children shouldn't have been down there.

The depth is fairly irrelevant in this case, shallower trenches/holes collapse all the time.

The article doesn't go into detail but
"Arwood was charged with possession of a gun by a felon"

Looks like he's been previously convicted of a felony. Sorry, the law is pretty clear on that one, felons cannot posses guns. Shoulda been smarter than to keep guns and drugs around the house (what kind of responsible father keeps drugs in the same house as his kids? The *expletive deleted*ck?)

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

Saw a picture of the hole. He needed a permit.
Heard he was building a bunker

damn phone

[AJ Dual]

Kind of sounds like a "meth project" with slightly better logistics than average in the form of said backhoe.

i.e. Meth-head in the up-phase of taking a hit are similar to manic depressives in the manic phase, think they can "do anything" will rip down walls as they decide to "remodel the house at 3am" etc.

[Boomhauer]

Kind of sounds like a "meth project" with slightly better logistics than average in the form of said backhoe.

i.e. Meth-head in the up-phase of taking a hit are similar to manic depressives in the manic phase, think they can "do anything" will rip down walls as they decide to "remodel the house at 3am" etc.

Ah interesting theory

[MillCreek]

I went to a couple of 'heavy rescue' seminars for the paramedic gig, and it was there that I learned that holes and trenches are nothing to sneeze at.  It is quite a skillset to do the rescues for these incidents and the confined spaces. 

[Tallpine]

Not parent of the year material for certain.  

I don't figure the searching of the house either.  Evidence might get squelched  


My point was that almost anything could be used foolishly and cause serious harm.

Maybe we should ban canning jars because of the risk of botulism.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

even a waist high hole can hurt you bad

[Nick1911]

even a waist high hole can hurt you bad

Yes, but the risk of cave-in presents much less risk, as it won't constrain the rib cage and asphyxiate you.

You could trip and fall into said hole, of course.  OSHA considers any 4 foot or more drop off dangerous enough to warrant guard rails.

[Tallpine]

even a waist high hole can hurt you bad

We looked at an old house that the cellar was just a pit dug in the hardpan.  The house itself was sitting on flat rocks about 6" thick so the hole was about six feet deep.

[Hawkmoon]

The story notes the man was a convicted felon; presumably that's why the guns were taken.

No doubt. But why were they found? The kids' bodies were in the hole ... why did the cops have any reason to search the house?

[Hawkmoon]

Kind of sounds like a "meth project" with slightly better logistics than average in the form of said backhoe.

i.e. Meth-head in the up-phase of taking a hit are similar to manic depressives in the manic phase, think they can "do anything" will rip down walls as they decide to "remodel the house at 3am" etc.

Pretty long "upper" ...

Arwood said he had been digging the hole for three months.

[RoadKingLarry]

Maybe we should ban canning jars because of the risk of botulism.

I would be surprised if there ISN'T some group lobbying for just such a thing.

[MechAg94]

Yes, but the risk of cave-in presents much less risk, as it won't constrain the rib cage and asphyxiate you.

You could trip and fall into said hole, of course.  OSHA considers any 4 foot or more drop off dangerous enough to warrant guard rails.

Yes, you need shoring or you slope the sides at a specific angle. I think the shoring has to be engineered but I am not sure.