Having fingerS RIPPED off of the hand takes some extraordinary torque. Likely more than what would be expected in a simple, hang on and pull type, tug of war. The Raven's Offensive line might be able to break some fingers and potentially tear some flesh with a well coordinated jerk of the rope. But elbows and shoulders would come loose (and drop the rope) before you would think fingers are severed (or ripped off).
Were they playing tug of war with bailing wire or thin steel cable? Were their hands taped to the rope? Were they trying to tug on a vehicle that suddenly accelerated? Something is missing I tell ya.
“... were their hands taped to the rope?”
I’m trying to figure out the physics part of this story. I wonder if you twirl/twist the rope around your fingers... if a finger(s) can be yanked off. If so, wouldn’t just the skin be pulled off. I agree... something is missing from the story.
They might have wrapped the rope around their hands, it slipped when the tension came, the fingers were still in the loop and both sides were still pulling. Awful, I hope they didn’t loose too many however it happened.
Freegards
They may have wrapped the rope around their hands.
I know a lady who has had horses all of her life & rides every day.
She has only 2 fingers * her thumb on one hand because she wrapped a lead rope around her hand & the young horse in training pulled back really hard.
People who handle horses are always taught NEVER to wrap the lead rope around your hand—too dangerous.
I seem to recall reading about this happening before but with middle school students.
Most likely, the line was some synthetic material and participants had wrapped it around their hands to get a better grip. I suspect that several hundred pounds of force would be enough to sever fingers.