July 2, 2025
Tag Out / Lock Out is a term used in the Navy to help prevent accidents from happening. Essentially, if a tag for a certain location is out, no one else is permitted in that location. We decided that we needed a similar policy the day I nearly crushed Harold.
I was grumpy after our third day of back-to-back travel days. We hadn't aired down the two prior nights, figuring we were level enough not to deploy jacks. We got to the campground and started our set up routine. After about 30 minutes, I wanted to be done, and I hit the autolevel button. I knew Harold was outside. I thought he was probably chatting with a fellow camper. However, I didn't confirm exactly where he was before hitting the autolevel. That was a mistake that nearly cost Harold his life. Unbeknownst to me, Harold had decided to change oil in the generator. He was under the bus when I hit the autolevel!
The next couple of minutes were sheer panic. Harold was yelling, pounding on the bus. I was trying frantically to get the automatic procedure to stop. I thought maybe he had been putting the tire covers on the wheels, and his hand was getting caught up in the wheel well. I never imagined he was literally under the bus.
Thankfully, by the time the procedure stopped, and I made it outside, he was lying on the ground next to the bus. Our neighbors were there checking on him after hearing the yelling. Shaken, adrenaline pumping, he waited a bit before sitting up.
Though he seemed to be ok, we decided to go to the emergency room to make sure. He said a bolt on the bumper caught him pretty good. He had been on the way out from under the bus, and the bumper caught him diagonally across the chest. He had been unable to breathe for a tiny bit. He exhaled and was able to wiggle out to where he could breathe and maneuver the rest of the way out from under the bus.
The emergency room determined nothing fractured, no trauma-induced heart attack, everything looked good. He'd be sore for awhile though. A couple of days later, Harold thought he "popped" something while coughing. He was sore for awhile.
I still shiver and cringe to think about it. We're thankful that the Lord chose to spare us from our actions. We learned not to engage any automatic procedure without knowing exactly where the other is located. Harold has promised to let me know any time he is doing something under the bus.
This accident should never have happened. Hopefully our story will prevent others from making our mistake. Tag Out/Lock Out.
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| Low clearance |
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| Aired up |
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| Tag out/Lock out practice |
Where Are We Going Next?
