In the realm of the bizarre, a military veteran riding in a van was impaled by a survey tripod that was thrown by a madman from an overpass. The tripod head appears to have struck the man.?ÿ Thankfully, the article states that the man will make a full recovery from several broken ribs and a collapsed and/or pierced lung.?ÿ
Veteran in California impaled by tripod thrown from highway overpass
I always dreamed of tossing my base off an overpass when one of innumerable things went wrong with it, but this guy actually did it; and nearly killed someone in the process.
Need more tripod control laws...
Prop 65, law.?ÿ Warning: Tripods May cause reproductive harm in CA.
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It was thrown off a part of 2nd Street that overhangs the boat section of I-5 in Old Sacramento. The tripod belonged to a Caltrans crew, the victim was probably hit by the prism assembly. I used to work in the building which is barely visible in the left side of the photo, One Capitol Mall.
I actually had a guy hit one of mine. He caught one leg and it thru the tripod around and smashed his passenger back window out. No one got hurt but it shook the man up pretty bad. He was an older man.?ÿ
Had all precautions out also signs, cones he said he just didn't notice any of it.?ÿ
Wonder if the bubble is still true? Looks like a Leica - probably is...
It would have been helpful if someone threw the idiot off the overpass as well.
Are you the new "trimbleman" or the old one we haven't heard from in quite some time? ?????ÿ
Read his profile.?ÿ His state of licensure, post count, and the subjects he discusses seem to indicate no relation to our sadly missing guy who used to hail from Lawton.
If it was made in Austria...
I don't think the article says, but I wonder if the setup was on the bridge itself.
I don't know about California, but in other states I have worked, some DOTs were notorious for placing reference monuments smack in the center of the narrow walkway over bridges. Not bad if it is a vertical BM and all you need to do is place a level rod over it for a few seconds, but a tripod with prism or base could force pedestrians to walk in traffic on the bridge to get around it. Saw quite a few people get (understandably) annoyed and push the setup out of the way, forcing us to go back and correct it. Proper signage doesn't count for much with someone already trying not to get clipped walking across the bridge.
We were lucky that no one pulled the same stunt with our gear that this guy did; I think the worst that happened was someone pulled it off the point and tossed it in the bushes next to the bridge.
I thought the man from Lawton was "Topconman"
Deral, aka the real Trimble Man, previously from Lawton is alive and doing well, recently retired. He is out on FB from time to time, living in Kentucky I believe.
