Tankin' It

Paramus, New Jersey, April 21, 2008:

A man felt the pain of the gas tank, and he wasn't even at a pump. Politician Ron's dilemma occurred Sunday afternoon in the parking lot of a pharmacy when he apparently tried to clear some gunk from around the opening of the gas tank. His finger got stuck in his gas tank's opening.

"His finger went in past the knuckle and was stuck," Paramus Fire Department Capt. Nolan Locke said. "People had sprayed WD40 all over, but that didn't work."

Locke said rescue workers tried several ways to free Ron without cutting the metal because he didn't want them to damage his prized Camaro. But they eventually had to cut through.

"We started with a Sawzall, but the vibrations made it too painful for him," Locke told The New Jersey Spew. "Then we used tin snips to finish it."

He said it took about 25 minutes to get the fuel valve out, with Ron still stuck. Ron was then taken to Bergen Regional Medical Center, where doctors worked to free his finger.

"I've been a firefighter for 16 years and I've never seen anything like it before," Locke said. "I've never seen a grown man cry like that either. When we started cutting that car to free him, [Ron] was weeping like a child. He was sobbing and convulsing. In my eyes, it was pathetic."

Doctors said Ron was not injured, although he may have suffered a bit of a bruised ego. Ron refused to comment on the incident.

Posted by Bittle at April 21, 2008 08:54 AM