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Second Story Job in Jersey, Pt. 2

(This week, Jim Sorrenti continues the story of a car that crashed into the second story of a building in Toms River, New Jersey. We pick up the story where everyone has been ordered out of the structure by fire and rescue supervisors except for Accurate Towing Service.—Ed.)
As he stood on the top floor of a structurally compromised building, Thomas “Tom” James Makuch Jr., owner of Accurate Towing Service, found himself staring at an overturned Porsche Boxter in front of a huge hole in the building. He was standing in a pool of blood with the possibility of the building’s roof collapsing, while being watched by video cameras, live news station feeds from all the surrounding states, multiple police, fire and rescue agencies and personnel.
“It was a defining moment in my 25-plus year career as a TRAA Level 3 Recovery and Incident Management Recovery Supervisor. … There was tremendous PRESSURE!” Makuch related.
They extended the boom of the Jerr-Dan 50-ton up and out into the building over the Porsche. As space was confined, there was very little room for error; the head of the boom was virtually touching the ceiling of the room. They connected the two heavy-duty hooks and cables to the chains to the rigging on the Porsche.
“I was in constant communication by radio with (wrecker/crane operator) Alex (Mace) down in the parking lot at the controls of our Jerr-Dan 50-ton,” Makuch said. “I moved both cables slowly and cautiously as the weight from the vehicle was being raised. I could feel the floor start to move beneath my feet as the 3,000-pound car was lifted. Because of the flexing of the building, parts of the ceiling started to fall from the roof structure.
“At that point we stopped again,” Makuch said.
While utilizing the heavy-duty wrecker’s hydraulics, Accurate decided to boom in and bring the rear of the car towards the front of the building simultaneously by using the cable from the left side winching in and bring the front of the car winching out. They used that technique several times to exit the car out the front of the building and bring it down.
“We then used the hydraulic underreach as the car came forward out of the building to apply pressure to the car,” Makuch said. “Using the winches, we manipulated the car around, letting the back hang down further (while) lifting the front up higher, causing the car to almost stand up straight vertical position; while repeatedly booming in several more times to bring the car out of the building completely while using pry bars to pry the front bumper out of the studs of the adjoining room wall.”
Makuch then directed the wrecker operator and the crew members to pull the truck forward approximately 10 feet. At that point, crew members and the heavy recovery operator were instructed to level off the car using the winches once the vehicle was level the vehicle was slowly lowered to the ground.
At the request of the Crime Scene Investigators, the vehicle was placed on its roof in order to take pictures of the car’s underbody to document damages for continued investigation. Accurate Towing was then instructed to overturn and upright the vehicle once CSI finished. Crew members rigged the car using chains around the undercarriage to perform a reverse roll.
“We performed the reverse roll putting the car back to the right-side-up position,” Makuch said. “Crew members began to work on the ground floor picking up building debris and other various debris by moving them all into piles. We carefully swept the parking lot free from debris—wood, nails, sharp objects—to prevent any flat tires on any of our or rescue team, trucks and rigs, in addition to the safety of all emergency crew members.
“Crew members also retrieved and recovered dislodged various parts of the vehicle such as tires, convertible top, bumpers, mirrors, all various etc., throughout the perimeter of the crash scene which spanned from Hooper Avenue, into adjacent woods and building.”
Accurate Towing Service noticed the car started to leak gasoline and oil from the engine and the front bay where the fuel tank sits. Acting quickly, crew members and recovery operators spread absorbent onto the areas to contain a potential hazmat situation.
They were then instructed to load the car up on one of the flatbeds. Crew members lifted the car onto the deck of a red car carrier vehicle was then chained down and taken back to their storage facility. Two other flatbeds were used to load all the vehicle parts and debris that was scattered in piles around the crash site. They were tied down using straps to prevent falling debris while in transport. All parts and debris were transported back to Accurate’s yard to be stored.
Show Yours @ TIW
Do you have a recovery to share with TIW readers? Send some pics and info to our Field Editor Jim “Buck” Sorrenti at jimchaos69@yahoo.com; your story may even be selected for print in American Towman magazine!

Possible Solution for Abandoneds
No one likes to work abandoned vehicles, especially abandoned RVs and trailers. The often-dangerous and unsanitary conditions of those vehicles make towing and removing them a health hazard and very challenging.They are especially a problem in Hawaii; but maybe that state has come up with a partial solution to the situation that could be adopted by other locales.
Recently, the Hawaii State Association of Counties has agreed on a package of eight measures that now must be approved by each of the four counties. Among those measures is a proposal that would allow counties to require applicants registering motor vehicles to pay all outstanding charges for towing and disposal on abandoned vehicles under that person’s name before registering another vehicle.
I can hear the towing companies say a collective, “Bravo!,” as putting the onus on the vehicle owner may make them think twice before abandoning their no-longer-wanted vehicle.
The state’s Hawaii County Council will consider the package at its meeting later this week. If approved, the proposal will be discussed during the 60-day legislative session beginning Jan. 15.
It’s a start to a very unhealthy problem.
--Charles Duke

Century 5130

millerind.com


Editor: Charles Duke
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Dennie Ortiz x213, Ellen Rosengart x203,
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Wrecks + Recovery Editor: Jim "Buck" Sorrenti
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