Click magnet-style headlines have taught us all to avoid stories about "cheating death" and yet this has to be the most fitting label for the footage below. We're talking about a Subaru driver who jumped off a cliff and lived to tell that tale.
The accident took place about one year ago, but given the way it unfolded, we're not surprised the man waited that long until sharing the video with us - hat tip to Redditor nairbmik for bringing this to our attention.
As you know, canyon roads such as Angeles Crest Highway, where this extreme Subaru episode took place, do include sections that won't forgive careless drivers.
Doing about 90 mph/145 km/h at the end of a tunnel with no visibility does qualify one for the title mentioned above.
The man, who totaled his Forester XT in the process, describes what happened: "At the [tunnel] exit, I could barely see because it was so bright, a person standing and holding something while motioning. Wondering what they were doing, I stared, and stared, reaching the top of 4th gear, all while trying to comprehend what they were trying to tell me. Then I figured it out. They were telling me to slow down and watch the curve ahead, but it was too late. When I think about it now, I don’t ever remember seeing the road ahead until I was nearly out of the tunnel."
Not only did he fail to mind his velocity but he also caused the car to enter a state of lift-off oversteer, making everything worse by applying the brakes: "Realizing I was going way too fast for that section, I applied the brakes softly in an effort to keep the back end from sliding out, but, combined with a bump and rough switch in surface texture from concrete to asphalt, I lost traction."
His Forester spun, jumping off the edge of the road. As you'll be able to see in the clip below, what followed makes this driver one of the luckiest men on YouTube. After causing a crash that could've easily seen him crushed inside a cageless car, the man walked away without a scratch.
While this Subaru driver has received his fair share of pointed fingers on the web, we're glad to see he's learned his lesson and now he aims to help other amateur canyon runners to avoid such dangerous scenarios: "I’m not even close to being a pro driver, but I take a little pride in my situational awareness while driving, my somewhat decent understanding of vehicle dynamics and how various driver inputs affect a vehicle in motion, my autocross and canyon experience, and the fact that I haven’t gotten any tickets or into any accidents since I got my license. I guess I got too comfortable at the wrong moment and it got the best of me."
Before you hit the "play" button below, be sure to pay attention at the 1:24 mark.
In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist. Full profile
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