Arkansas Vehicle Fire 2016

An employee is performing field work in a 33-year-old pine plantation. Realizing that more time is needed to finish the work, the employee decides to return to the office. The employee needs to turn the vehicle around to head in the opposite direction. There is a wide spot in the road that can accommodate this. The employee decides to perform a three point turn. While attempting this turn-around maneuver, the vehicle’s front tires drop into a ditch that is approximately one-foot deep and two-feet across. The ground clearance on this particular vehicle is 7.8 inches and the tread on the tires are not very aggressive. The Jeep’s bottom A-arm becomes lodged in the ground and the vehicle becomes high-centered on the exhaust pipe. The employee tries several times to back the vehicle out of the ditch. But with most of the weight on the front wheels, the back wheels only spin in place. Realizing that the vehicle is not coming out of the ditch, the employee decides to call for help. The employee can’t hit a repeater on the vehicle radio so tries to do so on their handheld. By walking eastward, the employee eventually makes contact with the District Office. While asking for help on the radio, the employee turns around toward the vehicle and sees flames under the front end. The employee quickly relays to the office that the vehicle is on fire.

Driving, Vehicle Burn Damage