Citroen DS3 withstood a rear impact from a Land Cruiser Prado at a speed of 200 km/h (3 photos)

16 November 2012

A girl from Ukraine, the owner of a Citroen DS3, was in a terrible accident; according to her, a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado SUV crashed into her at a speed of 200 km/h.

Here are the girl's comments after the accident:

“Good afternoon, dear Citroen concern.

I would like to thank you for saving my life and for the miracle that you bring into the world.

In February of this year, I became the proud owner of a Citroen DS3, which traveled to me for 2 months from distant France to become my good friend. We spent a wonderful six months together, traveling 11,000 km. And every time I got behind the wheel of my car, I experienced incomparable pleasure. He became a part of me, my continuation, an obedient, controllable, reliable, fast, unrealistically beautiful friend, whom others looked at - perfection. I have never driven a better car in 6 years of my driving experience.

But I am not writing to you with the goal of telling you about the wonderful qualities of the product that you create; you yourself know everything perfectly well. I want to thank you for the car that saved my life at the cost of its own.

On November 5 at 19.15 I left my office in Kyiv on Stolichnoye Highway and, according to all the rules, stopped in the left lane in order to make a U-turn towards the city center. I was passing the oncoming traffic when there was a terrible blow and I was thrown into the opposite direction of a 4-lane busy highway. I don’t remember the second blow, I only woke up when the car skidded onto the curb on the opposite side. I was alive and even used the handbrake to stop the movement. All airbags and curtain airbags deployed. I was buckled up and the lateral support of the seats worked at 5+. There was practically nothing left of the car. But I was alive.

As I later found out, a huge Toyota Prado jeep crashed into the car at a speed of more than 200 km/h from behind (you understand how powerful the impact was from such a giant), in the oncoming lane, my faithful friend was practically rammed by a Lexus LS 460 (also not a small car), The front passenger wheel was torn off and slammed into the side seat, tearing the metal so that the phone lying between the seats was found on the road. A hammer and an anvil that would turn me into a piece of tin. But I sat stunned and practically unharmed in a small capsule of life - my seat, around a pile of crumpled metal mixed with leather and plastic. People who saw the accident did not even rush to see me. Everyone thought there was a body there. The inspectors who arrived at the scene of the accident, and who had seen many accidents at this place, said that they rarely survive here, even in cooler cars, that I have a very good car and it has an excellent safety system. Everyone who saw many accidents and my car unanimously insisted that this could not happen, that the small, lightweight Citroen could not withstand this battle between two multi-ton titans. But he survived! And he protected me! I have a concussion and a hip fracture. That's all. But everything could have been much worse if I had been in another car. I’m just lying in the hospital and I know for sure that I want to write this letter and send it to you as soon as possible.

I don’t expect an answer from you, I just want you to know that you make a very high-quality product, very reliable and necessary, beautiful and one that actually saved at least one person. This is truly a miracle. Thank you very much! I remember with great gratitude the best car of my life, to which I am indebted for my second birthday...”