[Musclecarkid]

If Jim's friend found the nut and shank from that 2-5/16 ball at the scene of the accident, then it did not cause the accident. Most likely it sheared on impact with the guard rail or as it rolled in the ditch. Remember the cause of the accident was hard braking to avoid stopped vehicles, which resulted in jack knifing the truck and trailer. The whole rig hit the guard rail backwards while jack knifed. Anyone want to guess the stress factor on that 1 inch ball shank on inpact?