5
Swinging a load through a parking lot in downtown Austin last Tuesday
I had to place a 3 ton AC unit on a rooftop behind a restaurant. The spot was so tight I had to swing the load over a row of parked cars. My spotter was yelling at me from the ground while some guy in a Prius decided he needed to drive right under my load. I stopped everything and just stared at him until he backed up. Has anyone else had a driver ignore the signs and cones?
4 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In4 Comments
bell.taylor2mo ago
Wait, how do these people miss bright orange cones and a boom crane taking up half the lot? The Prius guy really takes the cake though, like his AC was more important than someone's safety (or a three ton unit dangling over his car). I had a similar thing happen with a Mercedes driver who tried to squeeze between my outriggers and a dumpster. My spotter literally had to stand in front of his bumper before he stopped. Honestly, sometimes I think we need to start posting pictures of these people, blurred faces and all, just to warn each other.
The worst part is they always act annoyed, like you're the one being unreasonable. They'll yell out their window or give you some dirty look, completely missing that they're the ones playing chicken with a steel box. I've started keeping a cheap dashcam on my hard hat for situations like this, just in case something gets hit or they try to claim damage. It's saved my butt a couple times already.
5
julia_fisher282mo ago
Last week a guy in a Tesla tried to drive through my cone zone too.
3
webb.jordan16d ago
That Tesla guy probably thought the cones were just for decoration or something. @bell.taylor is right about the dashcam idea, I've seen a few people clip one to their vest and it makes a huge difference when someone tries to blame you for their dent. The worst part is they think you're the one in the wrong, like you're just standing there holding up traffic for fun. I've had to just put my hand up and stand my ground before, because a lot of them will still creep forward until you physically block them. Keeping a cheap camera handy at least covers you if they try to claim you scratched their car moving cones around.
4