Abstract:
Cribbing apparatus for stabilizing a post-accident vehicle against unwanted shifting of the vehicle during a rescue operation in which a victim trapped in the vehicle is to be extricated from the vehicle includes cribbing blocks hinged together for pivotal movement to fill a space between the vehicle and the ground at the site of an accident. A wedge is inserted between the pivotally connected cribbing blocks for operating the cribbing apparatus without jolts and dislocations which otherwise could cause shifting and concomitant increased danger of injury to the victim, as well as to a rescuer. A hinge includes leaves and wings in U-shaped configurations which deter skewing of the cribbing blocks during pivotal movements. The cribbing blocks include grooves for reception of the wedge such that skewing or collapse of the wedge is deterred by virtue of the confined movement of the wedge within the grooves during operation of the cribbing apparatus.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to the extrication of victims trapped in vehicles involved in accidents and pertains, more specifically, to cribbing apparatus used by rescuers to stabilize a post-accident vehicle against movement, in preparation for entry into the vehicle to remove an accident victim from the vehicle. 
     Each year numerous vehicles become involved in accidents on or alongside roadways, resulting in the necessity for swift action by rescue squads to extricate victims of such accidents from disabled and wrecked vehicles. Safe and effective removal of a victim from a vehicle subjected to an accident often requires that the post-accident vehicle be stabilized before entry by a rescuer so as to reduce, and advantageously eliminate, the possibility of the vehicle shifting during rescue operations, which shifting could further endanger a victim trapped in the vehicle, as well as the rescuer himself. 
     Cribbing apparatus is available to rescuers as a tool for stabilizing post-accident vehicles. Such cribbing apparatus usually is in the form of wooden supports which are forced into place beneath a vehicle to be stabilized, prior to entry into the vehicle. In order to effect a secure fit between the cribbing apparatus and the vehicle, and thereby establish the desired stabilization, it becomes necessary to fill any voids between the cribbing apparatus and the vehicle so as to avoid the possibility of movement of the vehicle in response to the rescue operation. In attempts to close such voids, rescuers often will jam pieces of cribbing into place; however, the force of jamming cribbing into an unwanted space can increase the risk of the vehicle shifting, with concomitant increased danger to the trapped victim in that any shift of the victim&#39;s position can cause further injury. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention avoids the necessity for the forced jamming of supplemental pieces of cribbing into place during a cribbing operation in order to fully stabilize a post-accident vehicle, and provides simple and effective cribbing apparatus for stabilizing such a vehicle for the rescue of a victim trapped in the vehicle. As such, the present invention attains several objects and advantages, some of which are summarized as follows: Provides simple and effective cribbing apparatus for rapid deployment to attain secure stabilization of a post-accident vehicle; enables positive contact with a post-accident vehicle for essentially complete stabilization without the necessity for uncontrolled jamming forces which could shift the vehicle and cause further deleterious consequences; allows stabilization of a post-accident vehicle with minimal obstruction for maximum access to a victim trapped within the vehicle; provides a compact, readily portable tool for use by rescue squads in stabilizing a post-accident vehicle; enables ease of removal of cribbing apparatus at the conclusion of a rescue operation; provides relatively inexpensive cribbing apparatus so as to be readily available to a greater number of rescuers for more widespread use; provides rugged cribbing apparatus capable of exemplary performance over a long service life. 
     The above objects and advantages, as well as further objects and advantages, are attained by the present invention which may be described briefly as cribbing apparatus for placement at selected locations at a site of an accident to stabilize a post-accident vehicle against unwanted shifting on ground located at the accident site during rescue of a victim trapped in the vehicle, the cribbing apparatus comprising: a first cribbing block having a forward end, a rearward end spaced longitudinally from the forward end, an upper surface, and a lower surface spaced altitudinally from the upper surface; a second cribbing block having a forward end, a rearward end spaced longitudinally from the forward end, an upper surface, and a lower surface spaced altitudinally from the upper surface; a hinge connecting the first and second cribbing blocks at the respective forward ends, with the lower surface of the first cribbing block confronting the upper surface of the second cribbing block, the hinge allowing selective pivotal movement of the cribbing blocks relative to one another about a lateral axis for selectively moving the respective rearward ends from a first position wherein the rearward ends are contiguous with one another, to a second position wherein the rearward ends are spaced altitudinally from one another; and a wedge for insertion between the lower surface of the first cribbing block and the upper surface of the second cribbing block, the wedge having an upper edge, a lower edge, a forward tip and a rearward end, and being moveable in longitudinal directions, the wedge further having a drive angle between the upper edge and the lower edge for effecting movement of the respective rearward ends of the cribbing blocks relative to one another between the first and second positions to fill a space between the vehicle and the ground at the selected location, thereby stabilizing the vehicle for a rescue operation at the accident site. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
     The invention will be understood more fully, while still further objects and advantages will become apparent, in the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a fragmentary pictorial perspective view showing a post-accident vehicle stabilized with cribbing apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the cribbing apparatus in an erect configuration, as in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the cribbing apparatus in a collapsed configuration; 
     FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the cribbing apparatus in the collapsed configuration; 
     FIG. 5 is a forward end elevational view of the cribbing apparatus; 
     FIG. 6 is a rearward end elevational view of the cribbing apparatus; 
     FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the cribbing apparatus; 
     FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of an alternate configuration; and 
     FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of another alternate configuration. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawing, and especially to FIG. 1 thereof, a post-accident vehicle  10  is shown stabilized against unwanted movement relative to ground  12  at site  14  of an accident which has disabled the vehicle  10  and has trapped a victim (not shown) within the vehicle. In order to enable a rescuer (not shown) to enter the vehicle  10  and extricate the injured victim without subjecting the victim to possible further injury, the vehicle  10  has been stabilized against deleterious shifting by the placement beneath the vehicle of cribbing apparatus  20  constructed in accordance with the present invention. Cribbing apparatus  20  is firmly secured between the vehicle  10  and the ground  12 , usually at several locations spaced around the vehicle  10 , so as to preclude relative movement between the vehicle  10  and the ground  12  during rescue operations. 
     In order to assure the firm securement of cribbing apparatus  20  in place, as illustrated, cribbing apparatus  20  is provided with a first, or upper cribbing block  22  and a second, or lower cribbing block  24 , hinged together by a hinge  26  for movement relative to one another between an erect configuration, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, and a collapsed configuration, illustrated in FIGS. 3 through 6. Upper cribbing block  22  is generally parallelepipedonal and has a longitudinal length between a forward end  30  and a rearward end  32  spaced longitudinally from the forward end  30 . An upper surface  34  is spaced altitudinally from a lower surface  36  of the upper cribbing block  22 , and a groove  38  extends longitudinally along the upper cribbing block  22  at the lower surface  36 . Likewise, lower cribbing block  24  is generally parallelepipedonal and has a longitudinal length between a forward end  40  and a rearward end  42  spaced longitudinally from the forward end  40 . An upper surface  44  is spaced altitudinally from a lower surface  46  of the lower cribbing block  24 , and a groove  48  extends longitudinally along the lower cribbing block  24  at the upper surface  44 . Cribbing blocks  22  and  24  advantageously are constructed of wood; however, those skilled in the art of materials will recognize that suitable synthetic polymeric materials are available for the construction of cribbing blocks  22  and  24 . 
     Hinge  26  includes an upper leaf  50  affixed to forward end  30 , as by threaded fasteners  52 , and a lower leaf  54  affixed to forward end  40 , as by threaded fasteners  56 . A hinge pin  58  extends along a lateral axis  60  and allows pivotal movement of the upper and lower cribbing blocks  22  and  24  relative to one another between the collapsed configuration illustrated in FIG. 3, wherein the lower surface  36  of the upper cribbing block  22  is juxtaposed and is contiguous with the upper surface  44  of the lower cribbing block  24 , and the erect position illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein the lower surface  36  confronts the upper surface  44 , with the upper and lower surfaces  44  and  36  spaced altitudinally away from one another. 
     A wedge  70  has an upper edge  72  complementary to groove  38  so as to be received for sliding movement confined within groove  38 , and a lower edge  74  complementary to groove  48  for sliding reception within groove  48 . Upper and lower edges  72  and  74  diverge from one another at a drive angle  76 , from a forward tip  78  toward a rearward end  80 . Upon insertion of the wedge  70  into the grooves  38  and  48 , forward movement of the wedge  70  within the grooves  38  and  48  will raise the upper cribbing block  22  to move the rearward end  32  of the upper cribbing block  22  from a first, or lower position where the rearward end  32  is contiguous with the rearward end  42  of the lower cribbing block  24 , to a second, or upper position where the rearward end  32  of the upper cribbing block  22  is raised from the rearward end  42  of the lower cribbing block  24  so that the rearward ends  32  and  42  are spaced altitudinally from one another. Groove  38  is flared at  82  and groove  48  is flared at  84  to facilitate insertion of the tip  78  of the wedge  70  into entrance  86  of the juxtaposed, contiguous grooves  38  and  48  for forward movement of the wedge  70  between the upper and lower cribbing blocks  22  and  24 . The preferred magnitude of drive angle  76  is about 15°. Suitable materials for wedge  70  are wood and various synthetic polymeric materials. 
     In use, a cribbing apparatus  20 , in the collapsed configuration, is placed beneath the post-accident vehicle  10  at selected locations chosen by rescuers for bracing the vehicle  10  against unwanted movement during extrication of the trapped victim. With the cribbing apparatus  20  in the collapsed configuration, sufficient clearance is available to position cribbing apparatus  20  in optimum locations without disturbing the position of the post-accident vehicle  10 . Once having positioned cribbing apparatus  20  at the optimum locations, wedge  70  is inserted into the juxtaposed grooves  38  and  48  and is moved forward, in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3, to move the rearward ends  32  and  42  away from the lower position and toward the upper position, thereby raising the upper cribbing block  22  away from the lower cribbing block  24  to move the cribbing blocks  22  and  24  from the collapsed configuration toward the erect configuration. In this manner, the spacing  88  between the post-accident vehicle  10  and the ground  12  at the accident site  14  is filled fully and expeditiously, and with a controlled wedging action to establish stabilizing support for preventing shifting of the position of the vehicle  10  without the use of uncontrolled jamming forces which could disturb the position of the post-accident vehicle, allowing the vehicle  10  to shift, with a concomitant increase in the danger of causing further injury to the trapped victim, as well as to the rescuer. 
     The construction of hinge  26  deters any tendency toward skewing of the upper and lower cribbing blocks  22  and  24  relative to one another as the cribbing blocks  22  and  24  are moved away from one another, thereby assuring a smooth and effective bracing operation, without jolts and dislocations which could cause shifts and further injuries. Thus, upper leaf  50  includes integral wings  90 , preferably unitary with leaf  50 , which extend along laterally opposite sides  92  of the upper cribbing block  22  and are affixed to the upper cribbing block  22 , as by threaded fasteners  94  which extend essentially perpendicular to threaded fasteners  52 . Likewise, lower leaf  54  includes integral wings  96 , preferably unitary with lower leaf  54 , which extend along laterally opposite sides  98  of the lower cribbing block  24  and are affixed to the lower cribbing block  24 , as by threaded fasteners  100  which extend essentially perpendicular to threaded fasteners  56 . The resulting U-shaped configuration of the respective combined leaves  50 ,  54  and wings  90 ,  96 , fastened to the corresponding cribbing blocks  22  and  24  by threaded fasteners  52 ,  56 , and perpendicular fasteners  94 ,  100 , reinforces the cribbing blocks  22  and  24  against deleterious skewing relative to one another while the cribbing apparatus bears the load imposed by stabilizing the post-accident vehicle  10 . By guiding the wedge  70  within grooves  38  and  48 , wedge  70  accomplishes the desired pivotal movement of the cribbing blocks  22  and  24  relative to one another without any collapse or skewing of the wedge  70  which could enable deleterious jolts and dislocations. 
     Referring to FIG. 7, as well as to FIGS. 1 through 6, cribbing apparatus  20  is carried conveniently to the accident site  14  by means of a carrying strap  110  having a first segment  112  secured to the upper cribbing block  22 , adjacent the rearward end  32 , and a second segment  114  secured to the lower cribbing block  24 , adjacent the rearward end  42 . A selectively detachable fastener, such as a hook-and-loop fastener  116  selectively fastens together the segments  112  and  114  for ease of carrying, with the cribbing apparatus  20  retained in the collapsed configuration, while allowing selective separation of the segments  112  and  114  to free the cribbing blocks  22  and  24  for pivotal movement relative to one another and allow access to the grooves  38  and  48  by the wedge  70 , as seen in FIG. 4, for movement into the erect configuration of the cribbing apparatus  20 . A handle  120  is attached to the wedge  70 , adjacent the rearward end  80 , by means of a short tether  122 , for assisting in manipulation of the wedge  70 , and especially in pulling the wedge  70  for withdrawal of the wedge  70  from between the cribbing blocks  22  and  24  upon completion of the rescue operation. 
     Turning now to the embodiments of FIGS. 8 and 9, in order to clear various structural features found in different vehicles, upper surface  34  of upper cribbing block  22  may be provided with a clearance structure, such as step  130 , as seen in FIG. 8, or a taper  140 , as seen in FIG. 9, adjacent the forward end  30 , in order to facilitate location of the cribbing apparatus  20  well beneath the post-accident vehicle  10  at almost any selected location. Where the ground  12  is wet or slippery, the lower surface  46  of the lower cribbing block  24  may be provided with cleats  150 , as illustrated in FIG. 6, for a better grip on the ground  12 . Alternately, a skid-resistant mat  160  may be placed beneath the cribbing apparatus  20 , as seen in FIG. 9, especially where the ground  12  is covered with snow or ice. 
     It will be seen that the present invention attains all of the objects and advantages summarized above, namely: Provides simple and effective cribbing apparatus for rapid deployment to attain secure stabilization of a post-accident vehicle; enables positive contact with a post-accident vehicle for essentially complete stabilization without the necessity for uncontrolled jamming forces which could shift the vehicle and cause further deleterious consequences; allows stabilization of a post-accident vehicle with minimal obstruction for maximum access to a victim trapped within the vehicle; provides a compact, readily portable tool for use by rescue squads in stabilizing a post-accident vehicle; enables ease of removal of cribbing apparatus at the conclusion of a rescue operation; provides relatively inexpensive cribbing apparatus so as to be readily available to a greater number of rescuers for more widespread use; provides rugged cribbing apparatus capable of exemplary performance over a long service life. 
     It is to be understood that the above detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention is provided by way of example only. Various details of design and construction may be modified without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.