towing safety query

[SL S <stepnout@swva.net>]

Just read the comment about racing engines blowing up when put in neutral.
What happens when an engine blows?  Ie, does it throw shrapnel into the
passenger compartment, catch fire, or other events disastrous to the human
cargo?  I'm a trauma nurse anesthetist at a Level I trauma center.  A few
years ago I cared for the horribly injured survivor of a family of
EIGHT--the accelerator of their car stuck while they were descending a
narrow, winding mountain road.  Brakes burned in a twinkling, leaving
nothing but the mountainside to stop the vehicle. The driver said, before
she died, she had put the engine in neutral but the roar terrified her into
shifting back into drive (automatic trans.)  Have been wondering about the
options in that situation ever since, especially compounded by towing.

Sally Spangler
Stepnout Farm
Floyd, VA


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.    
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=