The Cost of a Life
by CP Staff
As a species, we will often go to heroic extremes to save the life of another. It seems such a shame that, on an individual basis, we can treat our own lives with such little respect.
We are saddened to convey the report, from the Northwest Herald yesterday, of a young man - a Mustang owner - who apparently died for the lack of $20 to buy a set of jack stands.
Justin Kaskadden was working on a 2000 Ford Mustang when the car jack slipped and he was pinned under the vehicle, according to Lakemoor Police Chief
Wallace Frasier. Police were notifed at about 5:30 p.m. on Monday, by a neighbor, and Kaskadden was pronounced dead at the scene.
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This is not one of those "Darwin Award" jokes, though it would be easy to make one. With respect, this young man was a son to his parents, who will have to bury him now. Perhaps he was brother to one or more siblings, who must now go through the rest of their lives with a permanent hollow spot, where their brother used to be.
This man, and any of our readers, can buy a set of jack stands for Mustang work, for less than $20 a pair. And listen... while we don't recommend it, you could use cinder blocks as safety stands, and split firewood pieces as wheel chocks, in a pinch. While there may be a reason for this young man's death, there is no excuse.
There is an unfortunate trend, within the automotive media these days, to simplify vehicle service and modifications to a point bordering on triviality. To wit, "Of course you can do this mod - we did it in 22.5 minutes of broadcast time."
Folks, lets take some responsibility and lock this one down in our hearts - Friends don't let friends undertake jobs they're not equipped for.
R.I.P. Justin - we can only hope that your death was not meaningless.
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