Mercedes-Benz
Impact: Real Drivers. Life-Changing Stories.
Explore unscripted accounts of survival and newfound perspective
William K. Wagonner
Hope, New Jersey
“When the 911 dispatcher asked my name, I couldn’t remember it — I was hit that hard. ”
Alexander Brigandi
Westport, Connecticut
“I had gone off the highway at 70 mph and landed so far into the woods, passing cars would have never seen me. ”
Aslam Jawaid
New York, New York
“Blocked on one side, I now had only a split second to dart to the other. ”
Martha Melara
San Bernardino, California
“I will never forget how my first Mercedes-Benz saved not only my life, but my daughter’s life, as well. ”
Courtney Gibson
Rockport, TX
“When my parents bought that C230, they did it because they believed it would keep me safe. Little did they know how soon they’d be proven right. ”
Edgar D. Preissner
Lake Barrington, Illinois
“The fire department had to pry open the driver-side door to get my wife out. ”
Michael Costa
Newington, Connecticut
“There was no trunk — it had been completely pancaked, and the rear license plate had disappeared into the wreckage. ”
David Thurn
Riverside, Illinois
“A motorcyclist was crossing just ahead of me when his engine apparently failed… There was no possibility that I could have stopped in time to avoid hitting him. ”
Danyse Streets
Jacksonville, Florida
“My door began to buckle and I managed to crawl out of the passenger window as the truck continued to push the car. ”
Dr. Joseph J. Sesta
Fort Sill, Oklahoma
“There was no time to brake, only the split-second recognition that an impact was imminent, followed by the sound of the air bags deploying. ”
Maureen Lampo
Staten Island, New York
“The impact was so bad that her jeans were full of glass, but the only mark on her was a tiny red line left by the seat belt. ”
David D. Johnson
Saint Charles, Illinois
“As soon as I applied the brakes, I lost control of the vehicle, which had started to spin. The last thing I remember is going backwards down an embankment. ”
Paul Zavala
Anaheim, California
“Prior to this, I had always thought that all vehicles were the same — except that some had features that were more like ‘gimmicks’ installed to induce consumers to purchase them. ”
Rudy Bauer
Sequim, Washington
“My wife and I had our world suddenly — and literally — turned upside down by a driver who ran a stop sign and proceeded to t-bone our ML500 at a speed in excess of 50 mph. ”
Allen Goodloe
Long Beach, California
“The entire front end was torn off my 400E… I walked away without a scratch or a bruise. ”


