Why a Mercedes?

[blackmercedes]

Just this evening my father was heading home to Crowsnest Pass from Calgary when a car in the oncoming lane wandered into his lane. He swerved to avoid the car, and the car spun. It hit the armco going backward, flipped over the barrier, and went end over end three times down the embankment.

The roof of the car is in rough shape, but the steel cage did it's job. The car is literally a ball of metal now, but the passenger cell is nearly intact. The only injury is cuts from the windows that are all blown out. I talked on the phone to him and the officer on the scene and everyone's pretty amazed at the little car.

He's still in shock and I'm upset that I can't get down there tonight, as the highways are in bad shape between here and Calgary.

I'm having a tough time getting to sleep. Too much worrying. Glad he was in the Benz.

[Kuan]

John,

I'm glad your Dad's OK. Be safe on the trip over.

[drbrandini]

John,

Glad your dads ok......This is the reason we all drive these cars.

[Vronsky]

Nothing beats a Merc

[MBlovr]

Glad your Dad is ok.

My dad was also saved by the structural integrity of a Mercedes. He had lost his father in an automobile accident. My dad was broadsided at an intersection and the safety cage of the '59 Mercedes saved his life. This is one the main reasons I love these cars.

[BenzOnline]

Sad to hear.......this is the main reason why my parents gave me the MB so they have piece of mind knowing im in a safe car.

Which model did he have?

[blackmercedes]

Originally posted by BenzOnline
Sad to hear.......this is the main reason why my parents gave me the MB so they have piece of mind knowing im in a safe car.

Which model did he have?

1998 C230, same as mine except for an Elegance trim. It was a gorgeous car, Ruby over parchment with pretty much every option.

He's checked into a hotel in Turner Valley, and thankfully he's booked a couple nights. It will be good for him to calm down, get some rest, and just take it easy.

We've got FEET of new snow, so I'm going to stay at home. The roads are atrocious.

Thanks guys. Just another reminder of why we put up with some of the "quirks" of these cars.

[suginami]

Glad to hear your father is o.k.

I think that is the single most important reason to drive a Benz.

I guess it begs the question on how much your life is worth?

Yeah, the engineers mis-engineered crankshaft balancers on M112 and M113 engines, and struggled with head gaskets on M103's and M104's, but at the end of the day, all of the "quality" arguments fall to the wayside if you get to survive a crash and live the rest of your life.

[blackmercedes]

MB does some stuff that maybe we don't think about everyday. The car's interior lights were on when it "landed." The hazard flashers came on on as well.

Why is this important? Well, the car was 100M down off the road in the pitch black night. Dad was able to find his cell phone in the car thanks to the lights being on. Some passers-by located the car quickly as what was left of the lights were flashing. The battery in the trunk stayed intact and kept things working. Immediately after a high impact collision you're not thinking very straight, and having the lights already on really helped.

And the shocker. I asked him how he got out. He opened the driver's door and walked out. The door opened with little effort. More amazing? None of the doors opened while the car was flipping down the embankment.

He's a little sore from mostly from the ETR's, but without any interior impacts he's fine. The knee bolster did it's job too, next time you're griping about banging on it getting in, think about it why it's there.

Now comes the fun part. Fighting with his insurance company. BTW, a nice side benefit of AAA coverage? His hotel and car rental costs are covered.

[The Warden]

Originally posted by suginami
Yeah, the engineers mis-engineered crankshaft balancers on M112 and M113 engines, and struggled with head gaskets on M103's and M104's, but at the end of the day, all of the "quality" arguments fall to the wayside if you get to survive a crash and live the rest of your life.

That's what the OM617's for

Seriously, John, thank goodness your dad was in an M-B and, most importantly, that he's safe now. I wasn't even thinking about safety when I purchased my car, but in retrospect, for that reason alone buying this car is probably one of the best decisions I ever made...

[BenzOnline]

What happened with the car now.....they pull it out and towed it somewhere?

[blackmercedes]

Originally posted by BenzOnline
What happened with the car now.....they pull it out and towed it somewhere?

'

Yup. Tow truck came last night and dropped it in a yard in Turner Valley. Dad got most of his stuff out last night, but there are a few things left in the trunk he'll get out on his way home. With a book value of maybe $25K, there's no way the car will be repaired. Looks like the car belongs to the insurance company now. No, not going to even think of buying it back. Sounds like there's little left.

[BenzOnline]

How bad is the car?

[blackmercedes]

I haven't seen it, but Dad says the roof is about 6" lower, the front bumper is very close to the firewall, the trunk is all shifted to the side, the passenger side is really bad (not intruding, though).

The car hit the armco on the rear passenger side with enough force to shear a mounting pole right off. The barrier caused the car to "shoot" upright and bounce down the embankment, first end over end and then rolling once before landing on the wheels.

Dad was glued to his seat the entire time thanks to the ETR's and the seatbelts. The seat itself was intact and the seatback did not shear off. He also uses his headrest properly. The police officer was surprised at the footwell and firewall, as the driveline was pushed to the side and back by a big margin. No intrusion in the cabin.

The occupancy sensors work as the passenger side bags didn't fire.

He got glass cuts in his hands while sorting through the interior of the car.

We called some friends in Calgary and they went out to Turner Valley today and took him to their home. I'm happier knowing someone's got an eye on him. There is no place to rent a car, etc. in Turner Valley either.

[BenzOnline]

Oh man....sounds scary but thanks god he is safe. Must have been an immaculate car......I hate seeing or hearing about nice cars like Mercedes go up to heaven and your dads wasnt old anyways for a Benz.


Oh well thats life.