My soft shackle failure experience 🤕 -- The Off-Road Recovery That Almost Killed Me

[Ninjak]

Very good information and I am happy that you are ok. I know things happen in a blink and can go south quickly. Its good that you are on the mend, and recovering.

I watched the video, I feel that the Jeep driver was going way over the top on ALL the pulls, and did not know how to do a recovery. The pulls he was doing, I felt your bumper or the mount points would break. The failure of the shackle just shows how physics works.

Your point on good recovery gear is also noted. I am not sure if everything on Amazon is junk, but having good-rated gear is of the utmost importance and perhaps something that should not be skimp on. If anything, this video proves that beyond a doubt.

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[broadicustomworks]

Actually a good question, it’s currently on its way back to the company to be tested.

It would be nice if they had "tell tails" on them like industrial nylon lifting slings I use daily at my FT job.
Not only do we inspect the condition of the sling and the abrasion protection, but there are two strings near the serial tag that give you a quick reference as to if the sling has been overloaded/overstretched.
Might be an opportunity for improvement/ way to be above the norm on your product for some companies to consider.
And to echo an above poster about his dad teaching him about sudden releases of stored energy...It's a thing. A deadly thing.
About once every few years I'll do an object lesson for my employees where I lift a @300 lb piece of steel about 10 ft off of the floor and deenergize the magnet, letting it fall onto an empty steel drum. A safe distance away, btw.
It shows them how quickly things can go wrong and that humans can't move fast enough to get out of the way of sudden failures of equipment without divine intervention. And also the destructive nature of those failures.
300lbs is a drop in the bucket. We regularly move things via overhead crane weighing between 13K and 45K lbs.
But I digress.
Without "tell-tails" I'd be about 99.9% tempted to replace the strap regardless.

 

[BuckYeah]

Hey Caleb, I'm doing what I can to help raise awareness of what's at stake in an off-road recovery. Your experience drives home the importance of having the right attitude AND the right recovery gear. A lot of good will come of this, trust me.

 

[Footer]

Hey Caleb,

First off, happy to see you are doing well and coming out of this on a positive note.

My observation is that you seem to be reflecting back on this episode and analyzing every aspect regarding whether it was handled properly and what, if anything, could've been done differently.

I really don't want to sound like a douche here, but I have a serious question. Have you thought about whether your initial medical evaluation could've/should've been a little more thorough ? I get the adrenaline was screaming through everyone (especially you !), blood pouring out all over the place, thinking you weren't going to see your family again. I get all you want to do is rush to a hospital, I'm sure we all would feel the same way at that point in time. Not saying you did a damn thing wrong but in reflecting on it, do you think you should've been evaluated a bit more thorough ? You say a cop and an EMT evaluated you so you had no choice but to rely on their expert opinion but you essentially needed an air crew to also put their lives at risk coming to get you for a split open chin ? Do you think if you knew the real extent of your injuries, you would've still felt the need to be airlifted out of there ?

Really not trying to be the dick here, just looking at all aspects of this episode as well and trying to take as much away from it as I can so if I'm ever in a similar situation (which I pray no one ever is !!), I have something to draw on to make some decisions.

 

[timhood]

Wondering, should the kinetic rope be retired after those two pulls?

Given how that rope was used, I wouldn't use it again! If it had been used within normal parameters, it could well have lasted much longer. Usually, you look for signs of abrasion from the rope being dragged across rough surfaces as an indicator of when it may be time to replace a rope (but a pull count is good as well). Given those pulls nearly tore out bolted parts on the vehicle, I would assume that the internals of that rope have been heavily compromised and that rope is one or two good pulls from failure.

 

[broncobase1]

Luck was in your side @popo_patty. So happy for you and yours.



No, factually incorrect. Kinetic ropes spread out impulse over longer times reducing loads. Regardless of a tow rope or kinetic rope, both experience large forces, but neither approaches infinity.

Citing one of Newton's Law brings no additional insight here...

What governs this is I = Ft (impulse equals force x time) and conservation of momentum and impulse (roughly).

Regardless of rope type, delivered impulse is roughly constant for a given vehicles mass and speed of tug. This impulse can provide a high force over a short time (tow strap with kinetic recovery technique (->very bad)) or a lower force over a longer duration (typical of kinetic recovery with kinetic rope). Despite being more gentle on the entire recovery system, the force applied here was too great for both the clevis and the one soft shackle.

Also @popo_patty are your front recovery points with that aftermarket bumper factory or custom to the bumper system?
[/QUOTE]
I said "approaches" infinity, not infinity. Kinetic rope or not, it doesn't mean you can back up and hit the gas with 30 feet of slack! That is asinine and it doesn't take a recovery expert to figure that out. This event has nothing to do with equipment failure. As someone pointed out it would have been better if the shackle failed sooner.

 

[Brian_B]

Glad your ok!

 

[timhood]

My Amazon med kit comes from a real company that I’ve researched. They also sell their kits elsewhere and have a website. I perform in field, basic trauma care to victims on a regular basis from gunshots and stabbings at my job. This kit has very good quality to perform that task. There are better, but I’m comfortable with this one.

I'm not getting after you on this, but in your video, you mentioned having a first aid kid readily visible, and I thought it odd that the case for your kit is camouflage. I would think (and maybe this is a suggestion for that maker) that a good first aid kit should be a bright red bag with a large white square and a red cross inside that square. Even prominently placed, it might take extra time for someone to recognize and ordinary camo bag as a med kit.

Personally, I'd rather get an empty bright red bag or case and have to build up my own kit than a pre-made kit that might not be recognized. Just a suggestion for anyone looking to add a first aid kit to their gear.

Not sure what brands to trust? Costco sells a nice kit by Ever-Ready. I would trust products purchased from Costco:

 

[popo_patty]

Hey Caleb,

First off, happy to see you are doing well and coming out of this on a positive note.

My observation is that you seem to be reflecting back on this episode and analyzing every aspect regarding whether it was handled properly and what, if anything, could've been done differently.

I really don't want to sound like a douche here, but I have a serious question. Have you thought about whether your initial medical evaluation could've/should've been a little more thorough ? I get the adrenaline was screaming through everyone (especially you !), blood pouring out all over the place, thinking you weren't going to see your family again. I get all you want to do is rush to a hospital, I'm sure we all would feel the same way at that point in time. Not saying you did a damn thing wrong but in reflecting on it, do you think you should've been evaluated a bit more thorough ? You say a cop and an EMT evaluated you so you had no choice but to rely on their expert opinion but you essentially needed an air crew to also put their lives at risk coming to get you for a split open chin ? Do you think if you knew the real extent of your injuries, you would've still felt the need to be airlifted out of there ?

Really not trying to be the dick here, just looking at all aspects of this episode as well and trying to take as much away from it as I can so if I'm ever in a similar situation (which I pray no one ever is !!), I have something to draw on to make some decisions.

i see your point. I initially wanted to be driven out and was relying on info I was being given and what I felt. I was relatively calm though still an adrenaline dump (I’ve been in dumps more then a few times and know the signs). I was controlling my breathing. The chin ended up being split open pretty deep under my beard out of sight (I had been growing it out a few weeks on baby leave).
I got it evaluated twice from what I remember. At the point I wasn’t thinking further evaluation was needed and focused on controlling the bleeding and remaining calm and breathing. Hindsight is always 20/20. I can’t speak to how I would do it looking back as I would still be in the same position, very far from a hospital, in intense pain, watching blood leak from my fingers holding pressure onto the ground, pooling in the snow, two qualified people looking at it and saying I need to be airlifted. I could feel signs of shock early on and was focused on remaining calm to prevent myself from going into it which I was able to do.

I wasn’t in a position to second guess other people looking at me. I felt like crap, by the time the helicopter arrived I was more confident I wasn’t life threatening but I was still being told that the gash “in my neck” had likely severed a lot of important things and I needed to see a surgeon ASAP.
All that to say, you won’t know until you’re in that position how you will react and with time not on your side, it plays a significant role in how you will react. Some people freak out, some remain calm, others just pass out.

 

[MikeOU]

but you also promoted the first aid kit both purchased at Amazon. I’ve found Amazon to be far more junk than it ever used to be. Convenient but often times you don’t even realize you are buying the Chinese junk version.

Not an opinion on Amazon but just sharing a suggestion for a First Aid Kit. I bought a mini MyFAK fro MyMedic as a starter for my Bronco. What I like is that everything in the kit is color coded. Red = Blood, Blue = Hydration, Orange = Burn, Purple = Sprain & Fracture, etc. So in that time you need to quickly react, you are not reading labels. See blood, grab the red packs from the First Aid Kit and get to work.

Hopefully, I never have to use anyything in the pack. But I wanted something that if I was hurt, the wife or anyone else could figure out what to use quickly.

 

[Footer]

i see your point. I initially wanted to be driven out and was relying on info I was being given and what I felt. I was relatively calm though still an adrenaline dump (I’ve been in dumps more then a few times and know the signs). I was controlling my breathing. The chin ended up being split open pretty deep under my beard out of sight (I had been growing it out a few weeks on baby leave).
I got it evaluated twice from what I remember. At the point I wasn’t thinking further evaluation was needed and focused on controlling the bleeding and remaining calm and breathing. Hindsight is always 20/20. I can’t speak to how I would do it looking back as I would still be in the same position, very far from a hospital, in intense pain, watching blood leak from my fingers holding pressure onto the ground, pooling in the snow, two qualified people looking at it and saying I need to be airlifted. I could feel signs of shock early on and was focused on remaining calm to prevent myself from going into it which I was able to do.

I wasn’t in a position to second guess other people looking at me. I felt like crap, by the time the helicopter arrived I was more confident I wasn’t life threatening but I was still being told that the gash “in my neck” had likely severed a lot of important things and I needed to see a surgeon ASAP.
All that to say, you won’t know until you’re in that position how you will react and with time not on your side, it plays a significant role in how you will react. Some people freak out, some remain calm, others just pass out.

Thanks for the reply, I'm glad to see you're doing better and appreciate all of your follow up comments on what went on.

I am in no way trying to "Monday morning quarterback" like someone said earlier in that I am not commenting that I thought you should have done anything different than what you did. It seems to me that you are reflecting back on this experience and trying to offer your insights on anything you think contributed to this and what you might have done differently. I don't think any of us would've done anything differently at the time but since you are looking back at everything that happened, I was just wondering if you felt that the medical evaluation was an area you gave any further thought to after the fact.

Again, glad you're doing well !

 

[userdude]

i see your point. I initially wanted to be driven out and was relying on info I was being given and what I felt. I was relatively calm though still an adrenaline dump (I’ve been in dumps more then a few times and know the signs). I was controlling my breathing. The chin ended up being split open pretty deep under my beard out of sight (I had been growing it out a few weeks on baby leave).
I got it evaluated twice from what I remember. At the point I wasn’t thinking further evaluation was needed and focused on controlling the bleeding and remaining calm and breathing. Hindsight is always 20/20. I can’t speak to how I would do it looking back as I would still be in the same position, very far from a hospital, in intense pain, watching blood leak from my fingers holding pressure onto the ground, pooling in the snow, two qualified people looking at it and saying I need to be airlifted. I could feel signs of shock early on and was focused on remaining calm to prevent myself from going into it which I was able to do.

I wasn’t in a position to second guess other people looking at me. I felt like crap, by the time the helicopter arrived I was more confident I wasn’t life threatening but I was still being told that the gash “in my neck” had likely severed a lot of important things and I needed to see a surgeon ASAP.
All that to say, you won’t know until you’re in that position how you will react and with time not on your side, it plays a significant role in how you will react. Some people freak out, some remain calm, others just pass out.

Just wondering, how do you have all the experience you mention? Feel free to not say.

 

[DUSTYcazOREGON]

"In this video, I take a deep dive into the incident from a personal, story perspective. Then we zoom out and look back using hind sight 20/20 and a birds eye view. I include various clips, pics and physical evidence. Please watch the WHOLE story and do not skip, you will get a false idea based on partial facts if you do. Use this as a tool to educate and encourage safety when recovering. Share to your hearts content!"



Oof that looked like it hurt.
Since the incident I’ve been talking directly with some of the recovery industry greats such as Factor 55, Madmatts4wd and local recovery group leaders. I’ve learned a TON of stuff from them that admittedly just isn’t talked about much in the kinetic rope world and they as well as I now want to bring up more and help spread conversation on.

The common consensus from all of them so far is that the soft shackle failed at the Clevis. In fact it was at the loop around its own knot and not the Clevis. The other takeaway is that the soft shackle quality was poor (I have found 3 different ratings now for its strength). It was probably degraded more from the first forward pull.
Another item was the strength of the pull being too hard for the conditions I was in.
Me rushing was also huge as I didn’t get out and assess and see that my passenger side was now buried vs how it had been before. In that situation a winch line and digging would have been better.
Another thought was a winch blanket, they all agreed that the blanket would have just been tossed off and was not heavy enough to make a difference.
Another big point was that the kinetic rope I had was “rated” for use on any vehicle up to 11,000 lbs. Looking-back though, they said a 1” rope is too thick and a 7/8th would actually be better and allow for more stretch. From now on I am only using, high end, quality gear regardless of rating from cheaper companies. I am also going to slow myself down despite any rush I may be in.
I’m also going to rethink how often I use my winch and break that out more.
I still believe soft shackles are safer and will continue to use them. I am also going to make more use of a bridle now as well to distribute the load better.
I interviewed with Madmatt4WD from Australia and he brought up a TON of good advice. I’ll link that interview here when it posts.

One last point that Matt brought up was the mindset. In the US we see recoveries typically as the driving not having the skill to get through something and now we have to recover them. It’s an obstacle and a chore for us that we try to get out of the way ASAP so we can get back to wheeling. This mindset is dangerous. In Australia they see recoveries as part of the process and it’s not looked down on or rushed. It’s a methodical, slow and mostly safe process every time. For them it’s part of the process.

I am glad you are OK and the video is good for everyone to watch.
I would add two things;
1. I see peopel all the time when trying to rescue a vehicle doing the quick jerk on the recovery line. This is bound to happen. Pull, no jerking. If the vehicle is stuck that bad...it's time to do other things.
2. First aid kits. I am a former LEO and EMT. IMO, the store bought first aid kits are crap and inadequate. I suggest; buy a bag and stock it with the items you believe you will need for first aid (determinate on the lifestyle you have). Stock adequate quantity of supplies. So many of the store bought kits have items you will not use, not enough quantity of what you need and they are overpriced.

 

[swamp2]

I'm a little confused and I am sure it was the admins who did it, but I did not author this thread, someone else did and linked my video. I made a comment a few posts in which was turned into the header, the title was changed and I was added as the author, and the OP is gone along with their original post.. soo confused. Hopefully whoever was the original OP doesn't think I hijacked the thread and made it mine somehow. The title got changed too.

Admins are a bit over zealous with changes here... I've complained as their edits have put words in my mouth which, journalistically, is inexcusable.

 

[JTBros]

I would have told them to get out of the back (and maybe use a damper), but at least you did not take a 20-foot running start on a 30-foot line at full throttle!

What damper would you recommend? Recently got a Rhino strap kit that also had soft shackles. Realizing after swapping to the modular bumper I’ll probably need proper metal shackles for the front now.

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