Moment of Silence please - lost a friend to a Mopar...

[Super T]

I've known this guy since kindergarten, about 22 years. We haven't been very close in years, I don't even think I'd spoken to him yet this calendar year... this kind of stuff sure makes you reevaluate your priorities. I guess it's appropriate that a car took him out (a Chrysler of all things), but for all the street racing and other reckless stuff he did, it's still somewhat ironic. He and his cousin co-owned the shop for the last couple years. He friggin loved the place. His cousin tried to jump in the car and throw it in park but wasn't able to get it to shift. He leaves behind a sister, both parents, and his fiance.

He's the kind of guy that you meet once and remember forever. You'll be missed Mike! :angel11:

Stay safe out there!!!!!!!!!


http://cbs2chicago.com/local/auto.shop.fatal.2.1704958.html

Man Crushed To Death At Crestwood Auto Repair Shop

Michael Petru Was Pronounced Dead Wednesday Night

CRESTWOOD, Ill. (Sun-Times Media Wire) ―

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A southwest suburban man was killed after being crushed between two vehicles Wednesday at his family's auto repair shop in south suburban Crestwood.

Michael Petru, 27, of the 9400 block of South 55th Court in Oak Lawn, was pronounced dead at 11:09 p.m. at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office. An autopsy is scheduled for Friday.

Petru, an employee of Alpha Auto Repair at 13604 Cicero Ave., was working on a 1968 Chrystler New Yorker when it began to roll backwards, according to Crestwood Police Det. Chris Soderlund.

"He attempted to stop it and got behind it but wasn't able to and was crushed between two cars," Soderlund said.

The shop is owned by Petru's family, Soderlund said.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the incident, which Soderlund said is being treated as an accident.

 

[inkjunkie]

Sorry to hear about your friend...

 

[cudaspaz]

Makes you want to re-evaluate your personal safety protocols.

Sorry to hear that.

 

[mopardude318]

Well that is really tragic. I'm sorry to hear about that...My condolences go to him and his family...

 

[memike]

My condolences to Mike's family and friends
Be careful out there folks, even just changing a tire can be life threatening.
So sorry to here about your friend Super T.

 

[comoxian]

So sorry to hear that.

I know exactly how that feels. Lucky for me, I'm still alive. Only a broken femur and a huge f'ing scar to show for it. And my brother had his pelvis broken in two spots at the same time, trying to get in the truck to shut it down.

And yes, it was also a Dodge.

Our thoughts are with you and your friend.

 

[irelandmoss]

Sorry to hear about your friend. Prayers to him, his family and friends.
I almost lost my both legs when a car slipped off the jack. Thank god
I was faster than the car. STAY SAFE OUT THERE.
Bill

 

[ramcharger]

So sorry to hear about your friend and my condolences to you and his family.

I saw a pair of cheap drive up ramps collapse and almost kill my neighbor when I was just a kid. I never, ever used ramps after seeing that.

 

[Poppabear]

So sorry to hear about your friend, our condolences to you and his family. You just never know.

 

[prodart340]

I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend

 

[Tony Fields]

So sorry

 

[ocdart]

Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend.
A similar situation was actually the reason I came back to Mopar several years ago. A friend of mine retired early and was home working on one of his cars (a late '40s Mopar). I never learned all the details, but somehow the car shifted on the jack he had it up on and he was pinned between it and another car. His wife found him dead when she returned home later that afternoon.
The only consolation I had was that he was doing what he really loved when he was killed.
I was in process of obtaining parts for the restification of my '83 Hurst Olds but came to the realization that life is too short and what I really wanted was to have something like my original '69 340 Swinger that I had years ago.
The Olds immediately went up for sale and I found a really solid '69 Dart on eBay. Still gathering parts and funds to complete my 'new' Mopar.

 

[SGBARRACUDA]

I'm sorry for your loss. People forget about how much rolling weight the old Mopars were.

 

[oldkimmer]

..............My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends..............kim.......

 

[DRENO]

Sorry for your loss.

 

[fishy68]

My condolences. It's sure hard to lose a friend.

 

[chasduster]

SOOOOO very sorry...prayers are sent....

 

[Oklacarcollecto]

So sorry for your loss. Not much more can be said.

 

[slantsixdan]

Ye gods. That's awful! Sorry you lost your friend.

(I can't help wondering why they're doing an autopsy, though. Um...don't we already know what happened to 'im?)

 

[dustermaniac]

So sorry for your loss. Strange how these tragic accidents happen. We had a 2001 Dodge Ram pickup when we lived in Massachusetts and one night my wife was getting into the truck (I had started it up to warm up) E brake was set, truck barely had 2k miles on it. Well as she was getting in the truck somehow slipped out of park and backed down the driveway and ended up in the woods. Almost ran over my wife. After checking on the wife and confirming she was OK, I called a friend and we pulled the truck out of the woods ( Not really any damages but I could never figure out how the truck went into reverse and the parking brake was set but truck still moved.:wack: Called the dealership up the next morning and brought the truck to them but they could not find out either. Wife never drove the truck again, I ended up selling the truck 2 months later.

 

[ramenth]

My prayers go out to his family and friends.

 

[jeryst]

Ye gods. That's awful! Sorry you lost your friend.

(I can't help wondering why they're doing an autopsy, though. Um...don't we already know what happened to 'im?)

IN some states, an autopsy is mandatory for anyone under a certain age.

 

[OldVart]

Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend.

 

[Super T]

Thanks for all the posts guys. I don't know if they actually conducted the autopsy or not - it turned out that his liver was crushed and they couldn't stop the internal bleeding or get a transplant in time. I guess when he realized he wasn't stopping the car and decided to get out of the way, he slipped and that caused him to get pinched across the ribs instead of across the legs. The parking lot at the wake was full of loud music, booze, and burnouts - probably 200 people in the parking lot not to mention the line out the door that never really got smaller. I've never been to one quite like it, but he would have loved it. His truck (Dakota that he built and raced) was prominently displayed in front of the doors with black ribbons on it - one of the more chilling things I've ever seen. It felt like the truck was dead with him...

Anyway, thanks guys and gals.