banzaitoyota

Here is the full article for those who choose

to read it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"In Less Than a Minute"





Technician Jon Pysh suffered injuries that he will carry for the rest

of his life. It happened in mere seconds.





By Mike Duguay





March 6, 1998, would begin as most any other day. Jon Pysh, a licensed

auto-technician at a Chrysler dealership in Richmond, BC. would leave

for work as usual that morning, never imagining the horror that was

about to unfold. Sandy, Jon's wife, was seven months pregnant with

their third child and would remain at home with their two boys, never

imagining that just a few hours later, she would receive a phone call

- and their family would be changed forever.





At the dealership, Julie Stene was working at the rental clerk's desk,

next to the service writer's counter. She was also the dealership's

First Aid Attendant.





The 1996 Dodge Caravan had been towed to the dealership because of a

leaking fuel tank. It was backed into Jon's work - bay. A series of

diagnostic steps quickly revealed that the in-tank fuel pump had

failed. The fuel tank was full of gasoline, and Jon's first task was

to remove the fuel from the tank.





A janitor was busy mopping the shop floor with a wet mop, a short

distance from where Jon was working. A turned-on trouble-light was

hanging up near-by. Jon was now working with his back to a concrete

wall, a car on a hoist to his right, and another car sitting in the

bay to his left.





With the transmission jack positioned under the plastic fuel tank, Jon

and an assistant began the task of lowering the fuel tank; just enough

so as to disconnect the fuel filler tube and then insert a hose to

drain the fuel from the tank. The next step would then be to continue

removing the fuel tank to complete the job of replacing the defective

fuel pump. The shop did not have a fuel-tank adapter for the

transmission jack. Fuel couldn't be removed from the filler neck

because of the anti-siphoning check ball at the bottom of the filler tube.





Julie Stene relates what happened next: "I was working at the vehicle

rental counter, when a lube technician burst suddenly into the area

and was panicking trying to dial the phone to call 911. 'Jon! Rory!

Fire! Shop!' He was shaking so badly, he could hardly speak. As I

turned towards the shop, I could see through the window that it was

filled with dense smoke. The fire was burning at the far end of the

shop. I then followed the lube technician back through the door into

the shop area. There was confusion and screaming from everyone and

several of the staff were trying to douse the fire with the shop's

fire extinguishers. I could hear the sirens approaching."





Jon stood outside the shop with Rory, another technician who was also

injured. Rory sustained second-degree burns to his right arm. They

were standing outside the shop, being hosed-down by a car-wash hose

(nozzle).





"I was shocked by what I saw", says Stene. "The skin from both his

arms, was hanging from his fingertips. He also suffered burns on his

chest area. He was in shock and was confused. I remember the total

fear in his eyes and his facial expression. His coveralls had been

ripped open by his co-workers, as they had helped to put the fire out.

I quickly assessed his breathing and then ran to the first-aid room,

grabbed 6 - 8 bottles of saline solution and an oxygen bottle,

bandages, etc., and returned to Jon. As I was attending to Jon, the

paramedics arrived and soon transported Jon and Rory to the hospital.

A day does not go by that I don't think of what happened, and to this

day, I can picture in my mind's-eye, the horrible sight that I witnessed."





Jon Pysh picks up the story: "It was a really warm March, and that

day, in particular, was dry and sunny. I had made enough flat-rate

hours that week, so I didn't need to work that Friday. This job was

the last one for me for the day, as there was no other worked

scheduled to arrive. I thought to myself, and was secretly hoping,

that there wasn't a new fuel tank in stock, since I didn't feel like

getting dirty, and wanted to return home to enjoy the weekend with my

family. But, as was always with me, I did anything and everything

possible to make the jobs go out the door." Jon describes the problem:

"The 1996 Dodge Caravan has a common problem with the fuel tank. The

tank leaks fuel only when the tank is full and the contents (fuel) is

warm. What then happens, is the fuel 'fumes' in the tank, and causes

the seal around the in-tank fuel pump module to loosen and leak. We

would replace the tanks, because the big locking nut was made out of

plastic and could not be tightened enough to seal, since the fuel tank

was by now distorted. Chrysler fixed the problem by recalling all the

effected fuel tanks, and then would install an updated fuel pump

module nut and seal.





Because of the lack of a fuel drain plug, I was required to partially

remove the tank, which was full of fuel. This meant, that as soon as

the filler pipe was removed, fuel was spilling onto the floor. This

procedure was done many times at the dealership...I was NOT the only

tech to have problems with this situation. We had a janitor mopping up

the spilt fuel as it was running out of the tank, which, I believe,

contributed to the gassing of the fumes. The next thing I remember as

the fuel was spilling out, was telling Rory (my assistant) that we

were taking too long in removing the tank, and that he should kick the

pin-jack out from under the tank, and then lower it ourselves. This

way we would be able to tip-up the tank and then clean up the spilt fuel.





But before I could get all the words out, and as we kicked the jack

out from under the tank...our hands were suddenly on fire and we heard

(at the same time) a "popping" sound...We now had a full gas tank in

our hands and it was on fire!





So I yelled at Rory not to drop the tank, as I was worried that it

would split open, creating an even larger fire. To his credit, Rory

tried his best to hold on, but dropped his end of the tank onto the

floor. As soon as this happened, fuel splashed onto me and the tank

split apart.





I stood within that 1200-degree inferno...watching my life flash

before my eyes!





I still remember it, like it happened yesterday...I saw a

mini-biography of what had happened in my life, and what I would miss

in the future...All in a few milliseconds!





Waking back to reality...the flames under my hoist were taller than me

and were swirling about like a small tornado. I remember looking at

them and marveling at how they acted and looked...then panic started

to set in ... no time for thought ... the heat ... so hot ... can't

breath ... Something inside me was pushing me to think fast and react.

I stopped breathing, and closed my mouth. I don't know why. I just did

it. I put my hands in front of my face to protect it. This action no

doubt saved me from having third-degree burns on my face.





Next, I did what would prove to be the smartest thing I could have...I

ran towards the wind (which was the opened bay door)! I thought "If I

could make it to the fresh air, I would be fine."





As I was running, the floor was on fire, and with every step, the

flames seemed to burn ahead of where I was stepping. My legs were now

burning. I stopped after what seemed to be 20 feet or so, and thought,

"This is it...I'm not going to get out of here...I can't make it..." I

looked and saw that if I can make just three more massive steps I

could make it! ...I took those THREE STEPS and was out!





Immediately I was tackled, and mercifully my fellow workers put out

the flames that were engulfing me.





I was in the hospital (Vancouver General Hospital) Burn Unit with 18%

of my upper body burnt, 10% of which was classified as 3rd-degree

burns, to my hands and arms. There were 2nd-degree burns to my left

breast, face, neck, and parts of my upper arms. I under-went debriding

every day, in which the doctors would scrub the cuts and burns,

without putting me to sleep. I was on morphine and Valium, in heavy

doses for those three weeks. I was in-and-out of the hospital for the

next two years, and was very sick for about three years.





I was involved with this trade since I was 16 years old, and became a

licensed technician in 1990. Since the accident, I have not been able

to continue as a technician, as the damage to the nerves in my arms,

makes it impossible for me to handle the vibration from the tools

(i.e.; air impact tools, etc.) Lifting objects (e.g.; tires,

equipment, etc.) causes a lot of pain for me, even to this day.

Currently, I am working as a manager of a body shop in Calgary, Alberta."





Jon's wife Sandy sums up Jon's new reality: "Jon is not the same, and

never will be as he was before the accident. He can't do a lot of the

things he used to love doing, as the resulting pain he suffers, just

isn't worth the effort. If he does too much, he is in a lot of pain,

due to the deep burns and damage that was done to his nerves. He has

had to learn, by trial-and-error, what he can and cannot do. It was

very draining for me emotionally, and it affected Jon in a HUGE way

emotionally. Jon still suffers from post-traumatic-stress-syndrome. He

had nightmares for years after the accident."





What happened to them, could easily happen to anyone. This trade, like

other trades, has its level of dangers that cannot be ignored. As

auto-technicians, we cannot (indeed should not) underestimate the

effect that an accident has on our loved ones. It is my hope, that

this story of what happened to Jon and Sandy (including their

children), will make us all stop and think seriously, even if for just

a moment...because your life could be changed forever...

Eric Happy Meal

if you were wondering why no one has posted in this thread until now, its because it sucks.

1988RedT2

Thanks Banzai, for the reminder.



Some of us are put on this earth to serve as an example of what not to do. Don't let it be you.

j9fd3s

the mazda 3's and 6's use that same stupid plastic nut, and they have the same stupid recalls too.

1revnrex

I just want to point out that something was said about a Canadian and Colon is nowhere to be found. Protect your good name Colon, get in here and post.

defprun

Sometimes the welds on the 4th and 9th connecting rods on the modified caravan blocks tend to break, this causes the emissions system to overload and send a surge of electricity back through the most grounded area of the car....in this case...the fuel pump...and dudes arms.