Source: Radio New Zealand
A friend found 18-year-old Kishan Patel with his car on top of him. 123rf
A coroner says the accidental death of a teenager while repairing his car highlights the risks associated with undertaking vehicle maintenance beneath a raised vehicle without appropriate safety precautions.
Eighteen-year-old Kishan Atit Patel went to his neighbour’s home on 25 September 2025 to borrow a jack and other tools to change the oil in his car.
“It appears that Kishan was accustomed to repairing his own car,” Coroner Ian Telford said in his report.
“The neighbour advises that he also provided advice about the appropriate equipment required to jack the vehicle safely before Kishan left.”
Patel was found later that afternoon by a friend who had gone around to see him after not being able to contact him on his cellphone.
“He found Kishan under the car, with the car on top of him,” the report said.
“After jacking the car up, he raised the alarm, although he was relatively certain that Kishan had died. Nevertheless, resuscitation was started until the ambulance staff arrived and took over.”
Telford said Police, who also attended the death, reported that the trolley jack had been positioned beneath the front bumper of the vehicle.
“Photographs show that the bumper buckled under the weight of the car, which caused the vehicle to become unstable and fall onto Kishan,” Telford said.
Police advised the coroner that there were no suspicious or untoward circumstances surrounding the death.
Telford agreed with the opinion of the pathologist that performed the post-mortem that Patel’s death was caused by blunt force injuries of the head and torso
He found the death to be accidental and said it highlighted the “well-recognised risks” associated with undertaking vehicle maintenance beneath a raised vehicle without appropriate safety precautions.
“Trolley jacks are designed for lifting vehicles only at manufacturer-specified jacking points and are not intended to support a vehicle’s weight without additional, stable supports. Incorrect placement or reliance on a jack alone may result in instability and sudden collapse, as occurred in this tragic case,” he said.
“The Motor Industry Training Organisation advises that vehicles must be supported by properly rated stands before any work is undertaken beneath them and that people should never work under a vehicle that is supported only by a jack.”
Telford said the death underscored the importance of using appropriate, purpose-designed equipment, following manufacturer instructions, and ensuring vehicles were adequately supported before any person positioned themselves underneath.
In concluding the inquiry, Telford also offered his condolences to Patel’s family and friends.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
