Pardon my crude description but maybe it will give you some sort of a visual on how this well built vehicle saved my life.
Was driving down an "out of the way" highway lined in gravel, down in SoCal. I had swerved to avoid something (seemed larger then a coyote but don't know for sure) and my two left tires went into the gravel. In trying to correct myself, I instinctively turned the wheel left which obviously put my car out of control as the back end whipped back across the highway to the other side. By the time the car reached the other side of the two lane road, I was on two wheels (passenger side). The rear passenger side tire hits a small embankment off the left side of the road, which flips my car onto the passenger side, breaking the passenger side mirror. My car then is flipped onto the opposite side, similarly breaking the drivers side mirror. This impact launches my car into the air, over a dirt service road, about 20 feet. I landed, upside down, front driver side corner down. Beyond that, in checking out remaining debris, I proceeded to get flipped/roll for another 50-60' to its final resting place with the driver's side up, undercarriage primarily facing the road.
I by some sheer miracle ONLY ended up with injuries amounting from the airbags deployment and the seatbelt doing a damn good job of keeping me strapped in throughout my 100-120' or so feet of tumbling and flying. Otherwise, obviously it could have been a lot worse I wasn't knocked out. Even with the impact inflicted upon the drivers front corner, my legs were in no way trapped at all (and I'm short, so I even sit up slightly closer to the steering wheel). Upon coming to a stop, I had a quick "That did NOT happen!" thought before carefully unhooking my seatbelt and maneuvering to the bottom (well passenger) part of the car and ducking out of the the windshield (or lack thereof).
Granted I was lucky because my trajectory took me within 10' of hitting a telephone poll, I didn't hit anything/anyone else....that is true. But besides that, I thank my lucky stars that I was behind the wheel of a VERY safe automobile. Thank you Volvo!!!
As you can see, the primary damage is mainly focused on the front half of the vehicle. Unfortunately I do not have the pics from the crash site itself just yet.
The left wheel that initially hit the embankment on the left side of the road (when it was one of only two wheels still on the ground)
The two angels to the front [main] damages, the second being the worst of my many impact points
The inside, note my escape route on the left side.
Driver rear with the mysterious bending of the antenna...still a mystery how it got like that (shouldn't any impact of snapped it???)
Passenger rear....again, very minimal damage to the rear, as compared to the front
Leftover engine....thinking the CHP just threw the fan on top there when trying to clean up the scene
