Vehicle recovery might be an everyday business, but sometimes you have to expect the unexpected - as the AA's rundown of last year's most bizarre call-outs proves.
Possibly the most infamous car recovery of 2008 came during what was supposed to be a straight-forward towing job. Failing to clear a car-park barrier behind a recovery van, a broken down car was launched into the air by rising bollards and, caught on CCTV, became an overnight internet hit.
But some breakdowns happened far from urban cameras. One patrol man in rural Cumbria had to remove a van's bulkhead - the divider between driver and loading area - to rescue three husky dogs stuck in the back.
And crazy car insurance claims reported by the firm included the case of a sheep that leapt from a motorway bridge and landed on the roof of a car.
In another bizarre incident, two stressed supermarket shoppers were trapped after they both tried to drive into the same parking space - and became wedged.
"We had a large crowd laughing at us," one of the drivers admitted.
Commenting on the freak breakdowns, AA patrol of the year Andy Taylor said: "We can all have a laugh about the amusing breakdowns we get called out to.
"But the reality is that it is inconvenient and potentially dangerous to break down."
