this is an off road event that combines desert off road racing with extreme rock crawling.
"bunk" is a man from up here in the seattle area and was down there with a very large contingent of NW wheelers that both participated and spectated.

i think courageous doesn't do bunk justice.

i'll find some pictures and post them too.

Originaly Posted by "DocRocks" on Pirate4x4:

I'm alive and still kickin today thanks to my new best friend Joe Bunk. This story should be told.

It was a dumb roll, I've done a hundred of them. This one was different though.... I was pinned in the rig upside down and the belts would not release. I looked in the mirror and saw flames on the headers... no big deal. Well the fire grew so fast, suddenly I was in deep shit. I could not get out. I don't know why, but the left side of my harness was jammed and I tried like hell, but I was not able to get free. By this time the flames were coming inside the drivers compartment and I got on the radio and put out a desperate call for help.... I was upside down, on fire and pinned inside. I thought this was it. "car 770, I need help!"... response, "what's wrong", "I'm upside down and on fire!". problem was they were at the next pit and about 10 minutes away. I didn't have 10 minutes. I had less than 30 seconds.

Out of nowhere, here comes Joe Bunk. He was the ONLY one there. He came running down to help and by this time the flames were BIG. I wouldn't have blamed anyone for running away because for all we knew the thing was about to explode. Joe Bunk hang in there with me though and for that he is a true hero. I pulled the halon system handle and it did nothing.... the flames were huge and the tires were on fire and the fire was accelerating. Nothing was going to get it out at this point and I'm still inside. I could feel the heat through my fire suit and I knew I did not have much time left. I threw the fire extinguisher out to him and he tried it with no real affect on the fire. By this time I'm breathing in bad smoke and things are getting desperate. I said "dude" (I never say dude, lol!) " you gotta cut me out of here" he said he didn't have a knife" about this time I remember that I zip tied a leatherman within reach just to my left. I pulled it out and threw it out to him. I said "cut me out" by this time I didn't care if he cut my leg off, I needed out of there! He cut the belts and reached in and pulled me out. I didn't have any control of myself at this point and was just flailing trying to get away from the flames. I fell in a heap just outside the buggy and he said "dude (yea, I know, but I started it), you gotta get away from this thing". He helped me get to a safe distance and I looked back and it was totally engulfed in flames. Literally 10 seconds later. I'm not exaggerating any of this.

JOE BUNK SAVED MY LIFE.

He was just a spectator in the right place at the right time to make a difference in my life.

That's the story. Something I would like to think any one of us would do for another wheeler. But I will say Joe stayed there with me when things were really bad and I would not have blamed him for running away to save himself. It is only because he didn't and stayed there risking his own life that I am still here today to tell the story. I owe my life to Joe Bunk and only hope to be able to somehow pay the debt back someday. If Joe ever needs anything he can call me and I'll be there to help. Joe is a reluctant hero and does not even want to acknowledge just how extraordinary this act of true courage is that he displayed. I know though because I was there and I am still here because of it. I look forward to paying back someday. If not to Joe perhaps someone else who is in desperate trouble and needs a hand. We are a family of wheelers and it is good to know there are everyday heros out there. I know one today.

Joe Bunk is a true hero!

Ken "Doc" Mercer ....damn happy to be alive today!

heres web site and some video http://www.kingofthehammers.com/

some gnarly stuff up there

Wow... That's craziness! And right in my backyard. I go shooting out in Johnson Valley sometimes. Glad there are people who will step up like that. I like to think I'd do the same thing, but you never know till the time comes and the heat is on.
Mark D.

Donno why the belts jammed so I can't second-guess that, but this is one reason I buy Simpson CamLocks for my cars. I'm sure there are other quality brands but I have no personal experience with them. Don't cheap out on belts! Just as important as keeping you _in_ during an impact is getting you _out_ after.

The Halon malfunction is troubling. Those are only used after something serious has already occurred and _should_ be designed, installed, and tested with that in mind. Many systems come with inert (i.e. much cheaper) test bottles. If you're spending the $$$$ on a fire system, TEST IT.

When all else fails (and in this case, it did...) I keep clipped to my upper body somewhere (depends what I'm wearing) one or the other of these:
Click to view attachmentClick to view attachment
The first is called a 'HawkHook' and is Blackhawk; the second is by Böker and called a 'ResCom.' About $30 each. I get mine here: LA Police Gear but there are other sources.

Yes, I have one or the other clipped in easy reach in my daily driver too...

I've never been called upon to help out with a track incident even during my days with press credentials on the 'hot' side of the catch fence or as a participant-worker in SCCA AX events. But this is why I wear my Nomex turtleneck even when I'm 'just' there to take pictures.

i don't think halon is the proper fire supressant for a open chassis racer. i under stand that halon is a dispacement supressant. these cars open chassis with very little body work and any thing sprayed will get carryed away by what ever wind drift there is. i'm sure this will be discussed among the competitors.
and having a belt cutter located near the emergency shut off looks like a good idea, maybe vecro'd down.

They only explode on TV.

Actually I specifically do not buy cam locks at all - too much chance for mechanism failure. The simple buckle setup is all I will use as you just grab the red "rip chord" on the latch mechanism and yank hard as you can and the belts are guaranteed to fly apart, even with the person knocked out and all their weight hanging on them. 'Course you don't let the person drop and protect their head, but you get my point, if you are alone and have to get someone out, cradle their head and yank that latch. I have seen those camlocks fail to open in non-emergency situations.

double posted by accident

I don't give a shit about what should've, could've, might've been done before the accident, stuff happens.

JOE BUNK is a HERO....

-- Rob

no doubt.


It does happen, and this is a classic example of everything going wrong.
It gives us an opportunity to reflect on how our own cars are prepared for things that can go wrong. Because we can't always depend on a hero showing up in the nick of time. This is why we _should_ care what can be done before a crash. When you're inverted, trapped by your belts, ON FIRE it's no good saying to yourself "Memo: test fire system..."