A quiet Saturday night in a Riviera Beach neighborhood turned deadly when a 27-year-old man was crushed under a car that slipped while he was working beneath it, police said. Firefighters rushed in, lifted the vehicle and medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.
Riviera Beach police and Palm Beach County fire crews arrived just after 10:30 p.m., after residents found the man trapped under a 2015 Kia Optima. Crews raised the sedan and emergency responders confirmed the victim had died, according to WPTV. Officials have not released his name, saying they are waiting to notify his family. Detectives are treating the case as an active investigation.
Investigators were told the man had been working near the passenger-side front tire when the car, which was jacked up on a sloped driveway, slipped and came down on him, as reported by WPBF. Neighbors said they had last seen him earlier in the afternoon working on the vehicle. Someone later spotted him motionless under the car and called 911. The Palm Beach County Medical Examiner’s Office has been notified and will determine the official cause of death.
Safety takeaways
Crashes like this, where a vehicle shifts off a jack, are relatively rare but often deadly. Safety experts warn against ever working beneath a car supported only by a jack and urge drivers to use properly rated jack stands on flat, stable ground, according to NHTSA. The agency has previously flagged recalls involving jack stands that failed under load and recommends checking for open recalls and following all manufacturer instructions.
Simple precautions, such as chocking the wheels, engaging the parking brake and placing stands at manufacturer-approved lift points, can significantly reduce the risk of a collapse.
Riviera Beach detectives are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact the police department. Authorities continue to withhold the victim’s name until relatives can be notified, per WPTV. The investigation remains ongoing as the medical examiner completes its review.
