Sounds outrageous, but you would not believe what happened the other night. I was riding solo up this mountain path for a sunset view out toward the Atlantic, north of Bangor, ME. I had some time and brought my wheeler with me for a ride after work.....Got to the top for some amazing views and hung out for a bit, then started back down. About 1/3 down, I see this Jeep off the side of an ATV trail (plenty wide enough for a Jeep) and I'm thinking what-the-hell. Somehow the clown got the Jeep off the trail and was in some really loose rocks and dirt. His whole passenger side was off the road. I then eased down and looked into the Jeep and the driver was looking at me. I asked him if he was OK and if he needed any help. He looked at me and chuckled "I'm all set". I then said, "are you sure, I've got a winch and I can try and pull some". He then sneered a bit at the little 4wheeler and said "I'm all set". Just then I looked up and up pops his wife from the downhill side and looks at me with this intense look and lips the words "help me". She was scared. I then told the driver (husband about 45 years old) I was going to just pull down the road a bit and make sure everything was OK.....Didn't want to **** him off, since he was firm on his insistence he was "all set". Just as I'm about to leave this baby (3 years old) pops her head out from around the roll cage while this vehicle is listing off a near cliff! I couldn't believe it....Then a girl about 14 years old pops out from around the side where her mother was! I was speechless this fool had his family in the vehicle with no seat-belts on and it was at a 30 degree angle in loose rocks. Clearly the wife knew this was bad news. I told the kids and the wife they need to get away from the Jeep. So they scurried up the rocks and off to the side. The husband is silent the whole time now....I then pull the XP ahead to get it out of the way and the guy tried to back it out with the wheels turned uphill. The Jeep then pitches off the side and just within a hairs breath stays on it's four tires.....rolling back and forth like a pendulum. I was $hitting bricks for the guy and his wife was curled up in a ball on side of the road crying. Once I realized the Jeep was slightly stationary, I ran up and put my feet on the rear drivers tire and helped keep it from rolling off the cliff. The driver couldn't move and I couldn't let go......I then convinced the wife to get up and use her weight to hold the back of the Jeep. I was slowly able to let go and get the XP into place. The husband's leg and arms were shaking from death fear that he couldn't hardly operate the clutch and the gas. Didn't think he could do it. I told the wife if the Jeep starts to roll, you have to let it go.....Husband is silent. With my rig in place on the side of the Jeep I was able to get a strap onto the upper roll bar then bring it back to the winch (Polaris 3500 unit ) I tied the rear of the XP to a tree with a crappy strap I had and started pulling......That brought the rear tires into contact with the dirt and he was able to straighten his tires and slowly back onto the trial. It was beyond stressful. I was shaking myself trying to winch it down thinking it was going to pull me and the XP off the edge if it went. I was ready to bail and told the guy I'm jumping off it this thing goes.....We couldn't have got the Jeep back on the trail without the winch....period.

Options were minimal since he was so scared behind the wheel....He could not hardly move a muscle. I don't think he would have been able to open the door and jump for it. I don't know if we'd of thought of that obvious move either. He should have jumped and let it go in hindsight. Very scary situation. What an idiot to have his whole family with no belts and off the side of the road like that. What was he thinking with those crap tires...they were so tired it was like they turned to plastic.

After all this, he gets it back on the road and looks at me and says...."Hey thanks Man".....As if I'd just given him a beer at a party. That's all he said. The wife was sincerely thanking me and realized how close her husband had come from going off the cliff. The Jeep was teetering back and forth before I got my feet on the rear wheel.....By the grace of God, this thing didn't pitch off. The Jeep had no top and the dude had no seatbelt on. He would have been thrown from the vehicle and crushed without question. If it had gone over, it would have rolled maybe 20 times at high speed. It wasn't an actual 90 degree cliff, but it was probably 70 degrees with large rocks and trees along the way, down about 300 feet or more.

He's a stupid man that looked at my 4wheeler and chuckled that he was "all set". No little 4wheeler is going to assist my big, bad Jeep was the attitude when I first arrived. All set for his grave is what he was. Maybe if I wansn't there he would have jumped for it. Not sure, but the odds of him making it alive where slim in my estimation....based on his prior decision making.

I hung around for a few minutes after the pull and he spent some time trying to convince his wife and teenage daughter that it was OK to get into the Jeep again. I hope they made it down OK. I know the guy knew that was a really really bad situation and was just trying to cover it for his wife's sake and retain a shred a dignity. There was no dignity saved in his wife's eye's. She was too scared to be pissed, but I'm sure she's pissed today and has lost a good measure of her confidence in him. Before I drove away, I tried to ask him how this happened that he was so far off the trail and he mumbled some crap about "driving slowly", which made no sense at all. I didn't want to get into it with him, so just dropped it and left.

Long story I know, but had to tell you all. Absolute craziness..... Be careful out there.

Attached a pic from the top of the mountain....Awesome views. Elevation is deceiving from the picture.

 

Nice save!

 

This is the type of guy who might sue you if you put a scratch on his roll bar. I think I would not be as generous has you were saving the Jeep.

 

Very nice job.

Would have liked to seen the wifes reaction when they got that thing back on a paved road.

 

Wow! Great job. He should of bent over and kissed your feet and the Polaris. Your a hero.

 

Good job. It's tough sometimes to help people you know need help but don't want to receive it. I'm glad for the wife and kid's sakes that you stuck there long enough to assess the situation and act.

 

Some people let pride get in the way of common sense. Good thing you came along when you did.

 

You're batman...That dude's a douche...good job!

 

Absolutely. The timing couldn't have been better for them. I've heard the tough-guy "all set" phrase used before. Too dumb to know when they need help with a car listing into the rocks, sun setting fast, miles into the woods with a baby and two women with thin sandals on and no apparent food, water, cloths in the back of the Jeep.... Duhhhh.

I guess the thing to do is not even ask if they're OK. Just inject yourself into the situation and do what you can without putting yourself in too much jeopardy. My wife was saying, why did you risk yourself hanging off the rear of the Jeep.....Believe me, I was ready to let that sucker go and jump back. The guy clearly needed a fresh set of eyes to make decisions.

 

Moose said *** huh huh huh huh.