Unharmed after serious crash

[Mr Bill]

In late November I drove on the right lane of a three-lane highway, when I suddenly got hit by a commercial truck moving to the right from the middle lane, whose driver had not seen me. The impact, around my left rear wheel, turned my car sideways against the bumper of the truck, which continued to drag my car on for about 100 yards – the truck driver apparently did not notice he had crashed into me. With my head inches away from the truck’s grille I started frantically honking my horn, after which the truck turned to the right. This released my car, which crashed headfirst into the left guardrail and immediately got t-boned by a Tesla M3. This collision yanked my car again in the forward direction of the highway, and I managed to drive to the emergency lane on the right side as all controls were still working. I don’t understand why no airbags went off in the Taycan, but this actually helped me moving quickly out of harm’s way.

I ran out to check on the passengers of the Tesla, whose left side was wedged under the guardrail, with its both front airbags deployed. Luckily, everyone, a family of three and myself, were completely unharmed - even in the days after the crash, I did not experience even the slightest muscle pains. A tow truck driving on the opposite side of the highway had seen the smoke cloud coming from the Tesla’s airbags and was at the scene in minutes, soon followed by the police and an ambulance. After some discussions and health checks we were transported elsewhere to do the paperwork.

I have no photos of the battered car, since my phone battery had run out after calling the emergency services and my family, but there was substantial damage to the entire left side, plus a big hole in the front bumper with the bonnet having been ‘reshaped’ into a v-form. I am really happy to say though that my 2021 (lease) car did survive the ordeal, after fearing it would be economically written off – I got it back repaired just before the new year, and it looks and drives again beautifully. The Tesla was totaled.

I am so grateful for having been able to walk away, shaken (and stirred) but literally without a scratch, which is certainly owed to the rigidity of the car’s design and its substantial weight, as it remained planted on four wheels during the crashes – had I traveled in a small car, things would likely have been much, much worse. Thank you from the bottom of my heart Porsche (but those airbags….?). I hope my story will provide some additional comfort to all Taycan drivers, knowing their safety is well guarded by their cars –a (belated) happy New Year to all!

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[Scandinavian]

Glad to hear you are alright after such a horrible crash. Fantastic that there were no injuries for all involved. Shows how great the modern cars are at protecting its passengers.

Hope your car will continue to serve you well

 

[Mr Bill]

Thanks much Peter!

Even more bizarre: when I told my story last week to a colleague (who, as I, does not live anywhere close to the crash site), he replied to my disbelief that a few years ago, at the very same highway and approximate location, his car also had been hit by a truck in a similar fashion, whereby he ended up in the left guardrail, with a totaled vehicle.

A policeman then told him bluntly: in these accidents, usually people end up either completely unharmed, or dead.

A gratuitous pic of 'Lazarus':

 

[rim23]

Glad you’re unharmed!

I usually try to avoid driving nearby trucks simply because of these reasons and I recommend to everyone I know to do the same.

 

[FlyingPoint]

If you airbags deployed, you probably would have had some form of injury from the activation. Happy to see all were unharmed as this appears to have been a dangerous interaction.

Perhaps your airbags did not deploy for one of the following reasons, which were provided by ChatGPT:

1. Collision Severity

• Airbags typically deploy in moderate to severe collisions.
• The deployment threshold is usually based on the change in velocity of the vehicle (commonly referred to as the "delta-V"). This is often around 8 to 14 mph (13 to 23 km/h) for frontal airbags when hitting a solid, non-deformable barrier.
• The threshold might be higher for impacts with deformable objects (e.g., another vehicle).

2. Direction of Impact

• Frontal Airbags: Deploy in frontal or near-frontal collisions (typically within a 30-degree arc of the front of the vehicle).
• Side Airbags: Deploy during side-impact collisions if sensors detect forces from the side.
• Curtain Airbags: Activate during side impacts or rollover events.
• Knee Airbags: Usually deploy alongside frontal airbags to protect the lower body.

3. Occupant Position and Seatbelt Use

• Many modern vehicles have sensors to detect whether a seat is occupied, if seatbelts are fastened, and the occupant's position. Airbag deployment may be modified or suppressed based on this information to reduce the risk of injury from the airbag itself.
• Advanced systems can adjust the force of deployment depending on the occupant’s size and weight.

4. Sensor Inputs

• Deployment is triggered by sensors placed in strategic locations around the vehicle (e.g., accelerometers, pressure sensors, and gyroscopes).
• Sensors measure deceleration, impact force, and collision angle to determine whether the threshold for airbag deployment is met.

Situations Where Airbags Might Not Deploy

• Collisions below the threshold force.
• Impacts outside the sensor detection zones (e.g., rear-end collisions for frontal airbags).
• Occupant detection systems suppressing airbag deployment (e.g., a child or lightweight passenger in the front seat).

 

[d00d]

I'm not superstitious, but perhaps your nom de plume is somehow tied into this and needs changing, glad everyone's ok.

 

[Tighlines]

It's mind-boggling to think a big rig can push a 5k lbs car like a plastic bag and not even know. Even scarier is that truck drivers are truck drivers because they failed at every other job they had.
I'm currently teaching my daughter how to drive and I've made it very clear to never stay anywhere near a big truck. Get around them as fast and safely as you can. If you get a ticket for speeding to clear a truck, I'll gladly pay it.
So glad to hear all made it through safe.

 

[McgR]

I'm not superstitious, but perhaps your nom de plume is somehow tied into this and needs changing, glad everyone's ok.

You nom de plume in Dutch isn’t really better in this case. It literally means death. ?

 

[d00d]

In Afrikaans if zero were o, yes, but I'm not superstitious. : )

 

[Mr Bill]

I'm not superstitious, but perhaps your nom de plume is somehow tied into this and needs changing, glad everyone's ok.

LOL - but you may have a point there, as this is the second time in three years the Taycan was hit by a truck. The first happened when I was slowly reversing out of a designated parking spot in the city, in front of a stationed truck with workers doing some road repairs. While I was reversing, suddenly the truck's engine was started, and it began moving forward. I saw it coming towards me and honked my horn like hell to get the driver's attention, but he only noticed after the truck hit the right side of my car. "I did not see you"....

Why do those f&&& trucks not all have mandatory cameras covering their blind spots? My family knew two teenagers who were killed on separate occasions by trucks who failed to notice them when making a right turn. A huge tragedy that could have been prevented.

 

[McgR]

In Afrikaans if zero were o, yes, but I'm not superstitious. : )

Well Afrikaans originates from the Dutch language. What does d00d stand for ?

 

[d00d]

If I recall correctly it's disk zero zero disk.

 

[Reg]

Good to hear you are safe.

Porsche really makes excellent, safe cars! All that racing experience helps in both performance and safety.

 

[Grah_offline09]

Glad that you and others are OK, that's the main thing and thanks for sharing your story!

 

[bxwatso]

In late November I drove on the right lane of a three-lane highway, when I suddenly got hit by a commercial truck moving to the right from the middle lane, whose driver had not seen me. The impact, around my left rear wheel, turned my car sideways against the bumper of the truck, which continued to drag my car on for about 100 yards – the truck driver apparently did not notice he had crashed into me. With my head inches away from the truck’s grille I started frantically honking my horn, after which the truck turned to the right. This released my car, which crashed headfirst into the left guardrail and immediately got t-boned by a Tesla M3. This collision yanked my car again in the forward direction of the highway, and I managed to drive to the emergency lane on the right side as all controls were still working. I don’t understand why no airbags went off in the Taycan, but this actually helped me moving quickly out of harm’s way.

I ran out to check on the passengers of the Tesla, whose left side was wedged under the guardrail, with its both front airbags deployed. Luckily, everyone, a family of three and myself, were completely unharmed - even in the days after the crash, I did not experience even the slightest muscle pains. A tow truck driving on the opposite side of the highway had seen the smoke cloud coming from the Tesla’s airbags and was at the scene in minutes, soon followed by the police and an ambulance. After some discussions and health checks we were transported elsewhere to do the paperwork.

I have no photos of the battered car, since my phone battery had run out after calling the emergency services and my family, but there was substantial damage to the entire left side, plus a big hole in the front bumper with the bonnet having been ‘reshaped’ into a v-form. I am really happy to say though that my 2021 (lease) car did survive the ordeal, after fearing it would be economically written off – I got it back repaired just before the new year, and it looks and drives again beautifully. The Tesla was totaled.

I am so grateful for having been able to walk away, shaken (and stirred) but literally without a scratch, which is certainly owed to the rigidity of the car’s design and its substantial weight, as it remained planted on four wheels during the crashes – had I traveled in a small car, things would likely have been much, much worse. Thank you from the bottom of my heart Porsche (but those airbags….?). I hope my story will provide some additional comfort to all Taycan drivers, knowing their safety is well guarded by their cars –a (belated) happy New Year to all!

You are blessed, based on this story. It must have been very unnerving.
Regarding the airbags, I can say from experience that you do not want them unless absolutely necessary. They are like getting punched in the face - hard. And they are hot; they will burn on contact.
I would not presume a defect or fault from the bags not going off, but I cannot know of course.

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