My LEAF saved my life last night.

[Devin]

I was coming home from school last night at about 10:30 when driver in a 1997 Mustang failed to stop at stop sign on the off-ramp of the 405NB. He made impact on my passenger-side rear door, pushing the tail of my LEAF out and causing me to jump the curb and hit a utility pole 10 feet away at about 30-35MPH. The front and side airbags deployed immediately as the LEAF continued to spin clockwise before coming to a rest in the middle of Sherman Way. Before the car stopped spinning I could feel it had lifted off the driver's side wheels and am certain that had it not been for the weight of the battery pack I would have flipped over onto the side or roof.

Other drivers who had witnessed the crash pulled over to help me out of my car, ensure the other driver didn't attempt to flee, and wait with me for emergency services. They were very kind and compassionate and took my phone to take photos of the scene and stayed with me. CHP, LAFD, and LAPD arrived within minutes. The LAPD officers, in particular, were incredibly caring and did what they could to make me feel comfortable. They handled the exchange of insurance information and helped make sure that the towing was sorted.

I am extremely grateful for the LAPD officers who responded, the witnesses who helped me, and also to the engineers at Nissan who built my LEAF in such a way that it sacrificed itself so that I could live to see my 25th birthday today.

 

[mefonz]

Glad you are ok :shock:
Maybe the weight of the battery IS a GOOD thing. :mrgreen:

 

[jsongster]

Glad you were OK... the cars are like weebles... (those bottom weighted egg shaped toys) they wobble but they don't flip over easily... and they right themselves fast once the weight is reoriented... 1st responders are learning...

 

[WetEV]

I am extremely grateful for the LAPD officers who responded, the witnesses who helped me, and also to the engineers at Nissan who built my LEAF in such a way that it sacrificed itself so that I could live to see my 25th birthday today.

+1

Happy to hear you are ok.

 

[Pauly]

Hi Devin,

Glad you are okay!

I was in an accident on Sept 26th, 2013 with my white Nissan SV Leaf. These cars are very well built. A grandmother in a PT Curiser pulled out in front of me. I started a thread for Nissan Leaf accident pictures here....http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=15432


Pauly

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

Well, Happy Birthday! May you live to see many more!

Nice to hear how helpful people were, really warms the heart.

 

[GregH]

Wow! Glad to hear you're ok! I know when my last Leaf took a big hit on my behalf and left me without a scratch I was amazed.

 

[adric22]

With any luck they'll total it and you can get a brand-new Leaf!

 

[Graffi]

Glad you were able to walk away from it. The car is only money, and money can be replaced. Body parts are not so easy to replace.

But Hey! Look on the bright side, you no longer need to worry about battery capacity loss!!! Now you can get a 2014 with the new battery chemistry and see how much better it can be.

 

[hill]

Keep us posted on how you feel over the next few days!
Glad you're ok!

 

[JasonA]

Totally glad that "hopefully" you're OK and don't start to feel it in the coming days.

The Leaf's replaceable.. loved one are not!

Glad the Leaf protected you!

 

[DanCar]

Wow, thanks for posting! Glad you o.k. enough to post those pictures and tell your story!

 

[jhm614]

WOW! Glad you are okay!

 

[Devin]

Thanks, everyone! And yes, I feel like the LEAF has proven it's worth and I think I'll be shopping for another soon! It'll be nice to start with a fancy new 2014 battery although now my girlfriend and I will have to compete for the 6.6kW EVSE in our garage.

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

A new lease on life is a pretty good Bday gift, 'cause when you get down to it, we're all lease only.

 

[Nubo]

Sorry the car had to prove itself but glad it did. Happy Birthday.

 

[Boomer23]

Glad you are ok, Darrin. That must have been quite a shock.

 

[Maaz]

Wow. Thank god mate. Enjoy the new 2014 model.

 

[91040]

Devin, sorry you had that experience but very glad you are OK. As others have said, any time you walk away without being hurt, you are way ahead of the game!

 

[mbender]

Thank you for sharing, and thank someone, or some "thing", that you were able to share!

It's reassuring to all of us that we are well-protected from crazy and random events that can occur out there.