Recovery death

[GrumpyDoug]

Sad news from Geraldton about a woman being killed by a tow ball from a vehicle being recovered.
Woman dies in Geraldton towing mishap - The West Australian (http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/newshome/10077878/woman-dies-in-geraldton-towing-mishap/)

[harry]

we have always stressed the importance of using the correct equipment in any recovery situation and the dangers of using a tow ball as part of a recovery.

although tow balls are strong enough to drag along your six ton camper trailer or horse float, ther are not designed for the extreme load of a snatch recovery.

a trailer weighing six tons does not need six tons of force to pull it along,
we cunningly invented wheels and bearings to reduce friction,

but the shock loading of a full blown snatch recovery may well produce forces far in excess of the weight of the stranded vehicle, something that a tow ball was not designed for.

how sad to see another death from this action.