Car accidents began to happen as soon as the first horseless carriage hit the road. Those early years, when Model Ts first became available to everyday American, seem now like the Wild West of driving. No laws or driving restrictions made for thrilling automotive adventures and chaos as well.
Modern cars and roads equipped with safety features only dreamed about in the 1900s haven’t eliminated accidents. Faster speeds and more cars on the road take a toll. Human behavior hasn’t changed much since those early days, either.
Yes, accidents still happen even with safer cars and traffic laws. But amazingly, some people walk away from horrific crashes with no or only minor injuries. Here are some of their true stories.
It Was Just Another Day Until …
Karen Brown was doing what she did nearly every day when she made a left turn at an intersection in her Ford Fiesta. She certainly didn’t expect the driver of the large truck to run the red light and plow into her small car.
The truck rolled over Karen’s Fiesta crushing the top. Bystanders believed no one could possibly have survived the impact. But, fate had other ideas.
It turns out that the impact pushed Karen’s body into the only open space left inside the Fiesta. It took first responders two hours to free her from the wreckage, but when Karen emerged and was checked by paramedics, her only injury was a cut on the finger. She didn’t even require a hospital stay.
Grandma and Grandson – Survivors
Henry Bliss was the first pedestrian fatality in America in 1899. Pedestrian death numbers grew as more cars hit the road. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 270,000 pedestrians die worldwide from being hit by cars.
That’s what makes this story of Vilma Teodoro do Nascimento and her grandson Joao Pedro so amazing. The grandmother and her 5-year-old grandson attempted to walk across a street in their Brazilian hometown when two cars on the road collided.
One of the cars, a white Volkswagen, headed straight for the walking pair. Ms. Nascimento tried to pull her grandson away, but the car ran over both of them. Although they spent the night in the hospital, both Grandma and her grandson were released the next day with only minor injuries.
How to Become a Tractor Trailer Sandwich
No one wants to become part of a tractor-trailer sandwich, but that’s what happened to Oregon’s Kaleb Whitby. It was early January, and the dense fog he encountered on the highway was common that time of year.
Another common feature of many roads that time of year is black ice. Unfortunately, as Kaleb swerved to avoid hitting a swaying semi in front of him, his truck hit black ice, he lost control and slammed into the back of the semi.
Kaleb wasn’t injured, but seconds later another semi behind him lost control on the black ice and slammed into Kaleb sandwiching him between the two giant trucks.
Unbelievably, although he was trapped in his crushed vehicle, he still wasn’t hurt. After he was extricated from the wreckage and had a quick trip to the hospital, Kaleb walked away with only minor injuries.
In a case like this if any of these vehicles had a dash cam they would have been able to record the entire incident. Find the best dash cams
Related:
What to Do If You Have Been Injured in A Car Accident
Been Involved In a Car Accident? – How to Select the Right Lawyer