Fusion vs bison, bison loses and driver walks away
click above to the enlarge the Fusion
Here in Michigan, high-velocity physical interaction between motor vehicles and hoofed mammals is an all-too-common occurrence. Around these parts, such collisions usually involve white-tailed deer, which seem to be about as common as pigeons, crows and squirrels. These incidents generally result in hefty repair bills and fresh piles of venison on the roadside.
Montana resident Maureen Edgerton recently had a close encounter of her own and was lucky to walk away. Instead of a 200-pound deer, she ran into a heard of bison that was migrating across the road. Adult bison weigh 1,000 to 2,000 pounds, but somehow Edgerton walked away relatively unscathed. Not so lucky was her 2007 Ford Fusion or several of the Bison, all of which were write-offs. In spite of the damage to the front of the car, the roof remained intact and the engine was still running afterward. Needless to say, Edgerton is replacing the car with another Fusion.
[Source: Ford]
DRIVER SURVIVES HIGH-SPEED YELLOWSTONE BISON CRASH TO BUY FUSION AGAIN
SUMMARY:
* Montana driver buys a 2010 Ford Fusion to replace her totaled 2007 Fusion after walking away from a catastrophic crash with a herd of bison near Yellowstone Park
* The all-new 2010 Fusion and Fusion Hybrid – the most fuel efficient midsize car in North America – feature exclusive safety technologies and are "Top Safety Pick" rated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
* Among the Fusion's segment-exclusive safety and driver-aid technologies are Blind Spot Information System (BLISTM) with Cross Traffic Alert and 911 Assist
CONTEXT / BACKGROUND:
Maureen Edgerton, 51, of West Yellowstone, Mt., was driving home on the dark night of April 11, when she unexpectedly slammed her 2007 Ford Fusion into a herd of bison. The 55-mile-per-hour impact totaled the car and killed several of the migrating "American buffalo" on the snowbound highway. Edgerton, however, walked away with only minor scrapes and bruises. Impressed by the Fusion's crash protection, safety features and fuel efficiency, Edgerton has picked the new 2010 Ford Fusion to be her next new vehicle.
QUOTES:
"The crash was like a war scene. By the time it was over the hood was smashed in, the mirrors were ripped from the doors and the windshield was shattered, but the interior of the car wasn't affected whatsoever. And the car was still running and not leaking fluid. Not even the tires were deflated. Everyone who came to the scene asked 'what kind of car is this?' because they couldn't believe it was possible to walk away from such a crash."
– Maureen Edgerton, Fusion owner and resident of West Yellowstone, Mt.
"The Fusion's safety systems worked just as they were supposed to in Maureen's accident. They saved her life. I don't think there was any question in her mind when she came to us that her next car would be another Fusion, because the new model has even more safety technology on it than the one she'd been driving."
– Gary Berg, sales consultant at Bozeman Ford Lincoln Mercury in Bozeman, Mt.
"While our customer's bison collision certainly demonstrates how tough the 2007 Fusion is, we've designed the new Fusion to be even tougher. It proves that a high level of safety can come in a midsize package."
– Steve Kozak, chief engineer, Ford Safety Systems
DETAILS:
While Ford Motor Company does not have specific requirements to protect customers in collisions with bison or other animals, all of the company's vehicles are designed and tested to meet rigorous crash safety requirements. These requirements help protect occupants in all sorts of collisions, even with bison, which can grow to more than 6 feet tall, 11 feet long and more than 2,200 pounds.
Having emerged from the accident relatively unscathed, Edgerton said the decision to buy another Fusion came easily. The new model has even more safety features, such as side curtain air bags and is "Top Safety Pick" rated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). It also comes equipped with optional all-wheel drive and delivers segment-leading fuel economy for Edgerton's long drives up Rocky Mountain passes to visit her daughter in Seattle, Wash.
Maureen and her husband Doug Edgerton, who manufacture and sell ski grooming equipment, have driven Ford vehicles for many years, including at present a 2005 Ford Escape XLT, a 2002 F-250 XLT diesel, 2008 F-250 XLT V10. Previous to purchasing her 2007 Fusion, Maureen put 250,000 miles on a 1999 Ford Taurus.
Front and side impact protection
Fusion gets some of its core strength from the use of lightweight high-strength steel in the body structure. The structure of the Fusion helps it withstand intrusion in many accidents, including the most common frontal and side impacts.
The tailor-welded B-pillars between the front and rear doorframes are stronger at the top of the vehicle – from below the beltline upward – than at the bottom. This helps to channel energy below the level of the occupants. At the torso level and above, the structure helps to prevent intrusion into the passenger compartment.
Fusion's front and side-protection elements include:
* The first use on a Ford vehicle of dual-phase, high-strength steel rails on the front end;
* Two energy absorbing foam blocks between the inner door panels and interior trim, aligned with the occupants' chest and hip ;
* Side-intrusion beams inside the door, anchored at the hinge and latch areas;
* Tailor-welded steel in the B-pillar structure with extra thickness – nearly a quarter inch of solid steel – above the beltline; and
* Front-seat side air bags for front occupants and side-curtain air bags for head protection in both rows.
Segment-exclusive features
Among the segment-exclusive safety and driver aid technologies on the new Fusion is Blind Spot Information System (BLISTM) with Cross Traffic Alert and 911 Assist – a new feature integrated into the award-winning Ford SYNCTM hands-free system.
The 911 Assist feature is designed to aid occupants in placing a call directly to a local 911 emergency operator if an accident that activates an air bag or the emergency fuel cutoff occurs. Unlike competitive systems that are routed through an intermediate call center, 911 Assist places the call directly to the 911 operator to speed response time.*
Safety comes standard
Fusion offers standard AdvanceTrac® electronic stability control, which uses sensors to detect, measure and help reduce side-to-side skidding conditions to help the driver keep the car tracking on its intended path.
Additional standard safety features include six air bags and Ford's Personal Safety System®, BeltMinder® safety belt reminder, the LATCH anchor and tether system for child seats, and Tire Pressure Monitoring System.
*The cell phone or 911 Assist hardware may become damaged in a crash, the vehicle may lose battery power, or the cell phone may be thrown from the vehicle, which could prevent operation. Additionally, not all crashes deploy an airbag or activate the fuel pump shut-off, which are the criteria to initiate 911 Assist.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
geo.stewart 10:10AM (5/02/2009)
Fusion has turned out to be quite a coup for Ford. Definitely preferred Iosis styling to the first Gen Fusion and the blend with the 2nd gen face is a winner hands down.
Add in the fuel mileage of the base much less the hybrid , and stories like this, and yesterdays report is no mystery
Reply
Robert 11:43AM (5/02/2009)
I'm sorry, as much as all of this technology/distraction talk is true, have you all never driven around a corner? Seems to me that a great driver who is fully attentive is still always at risk driving around a sharp corner at night--whether the obstacle is deer, bison, or an illegally passing car.
Though do go forth sounding like crotchety old men... "kids these days..."
Nightcrawler 10:58AM (5/04/2009)
"Fusion has turned out to be quite a coup for Ford."
It's not a coup, it's a sedan.
(Yes, that was a joke)
Bob-omb 10:12AM (5/02/2009)
Yeah, because just like a deer, those herds of giant bison just come out of nowhere, huh? Sounds like this accident could have been prevented if the driver had been paying more attention or the Fusion had better headlights. Take your pick.
Reply
LX builder 10:17AM (5/02/2009)
Huh? Deer do come out of nowhere dumb-ass... not so sure about bison.
Smegley 10:21AM (5/02/2009)
Agreed. How do you not see a herd of bison?
Oh yeah, I know. Texting/twittering while driving or something like that. Personally I wish the opposite result came true and the bison were unscathed.
Aprime 10:24AM (5/02/2009)
Don't mention deer coming out of nowhere - I hate HWY 40 for that - they hang out between the two sides of the highway in hopes for a good opportunity to cross... Regardless of the side they came from. D:
tankd0g 10:26AM (5/02/2009)
A moose in the dark is practically an invisible hole in the night, I would imagine bison are not much different.
knightuc1992 10:31AM (5/02/2009)
Sounds like this accident could have been prevented if the driver had been paying more attention
You are correct, sir...:)
It's no coincidence that an incrfease in the use of driver-distracting electronic gadgets and the like is directly proportional to the increase in accidents the last couple of decades or so.
And here's the kicker:
In my 30+ years of driving, I've noticed a significant increase in accidents during sunny days and dry conditions (which would be considered ideal driving conditions). That tells me right away that there was a lack of concentration on the road...
knightuc1992 10:32AM (5/02/2009)
Correction:
Replace "incrfease" with increase...
Judy Zik 11:50AM (5/02/2009)
Most accidents generally involve some form of driver error. Unfortunately nobody is perfect which is why we call them accidents and why cars are engineered for safety. We also don't know all the details on whether this might have been a straggler that darted out into the road. In rural parts of Canada (most of the country) people die every year from accidents involving Moose. They are far larger than a deer and can dart out into the road from out of nowhere giving you little or no chance to react. The same thing happens all the time in Sweden which is why Volvo actually does a crash test that simulates hitting a Moose. They also do a swerving test called the "Moose Test" that the Mercedes A Class made famous or is that famoose:) by failing. Of course there are some people who just get lucky as well http://www.snopes.com/photos/accident/moose.asp
RX-8 SS 10:59PM (5/02/2009)
Pennsylvania, very little to no traffic, speed limit 50 mpg, me driving about 45/48 mpg just under the limit, 2 lane country road, hills and curves, on my right a banked hill going up to scrub brush and trees, on my left a banked hill going down hill into trees thinly forested. just ahead maybe 20 feet, a deer jumped down from the right side crossed the road to the left, and disappeared down hill into the trees.
1 second sooner and i would have hit it, 2 seconds later and i would have been past it and maybe not even seen it.
another time in California, in a suburban area full of homes, no traffic but me, speed limit 35 me doing 30, i rounded a curve and immediately in front of me a flock of wild turkeys in the middle of the street. a panic stop and no turkeys killed or car damage, just frazzled my nerves.
that's how quickly and unexpectedly an accident can or cannot happen.
Tdogg 10:15AM (5/02/2009)
"Needless to say, Edgerton is replacing the car with another Fusion. "
Just in time for the 2010 models.
Reply
Bob-omb 11:05AM (5/02/2009)
And just in time for a Ford press release, apparently.
This entire story is tacky.
chconline 11:21AM (5/02/2009)
Exactly. I've heard similar stories with Honda Accords and even Civics about people crashing into large entities and walking away unharmed.
This guy's Accord Coupe V6 got rear ended by a truck at over 100mph, he's going at 74, flipped over 4 times and crawled out the back window with minor bruises.
http://vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=802711
why not the LS2LS7? 11:43AM (5/02/2009)
Agreed, this kind of anecdotal bunk is the same way people decided SUVs were safe.
They'd get in an accident, like a small fender bender and then say "look, this car is barely damaged, if I were in a regular car it would have been all stove in!" even though they don't really know what would have happened with a regular car. Or they'd end up in a rollover accident. Then they'd say "this vehicle is so strong it can roll over and the roof doesn't cave in or anything" even though a regular car wouldn't have gotten in that rolled over in the first place (nor would the roof have caved in).
I'm glad she was safe.
JH 1:36PM (5/02/2009)
I too find it tasteless for Ford to put out a corporate press release. Some lady drove into a herd of buffalo and killed a bunch of them. Let's exploit this sad incident to sell more cars! Next time Autoblog, please don't bite.
At best it's just silly anecodotal nonsense. How many deer are hit on the road every day, and how many avoided because of superior brakes, lights, handling, driver reflexes? The only thing novel here is the body count or that the animal is somewhat exotic -- what if she had hit a grizzly, or driven through a game reserve and hit a lion? Imagine how many Fusions Ford could sell then! *If* the bison had all survived, Ford could have said something about better pedestrian impact safety ... but no, it's look how many we killed!
I crashed my '88 Accord head-on into a tree at 50 mph, spun 180 degrees in the air. Not a soft animal that gets pushed out of the way. Afterward, I unbuckled my seatbelt and got out. Just another anecdote, not a reason to get "Hondas4Life" tattooed on my arm.
Avinash machado 10:18AM (5/02/2009)
So how many of the Bison died in this accident?
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Gordon 3:35PM (5/02/2009)
Herd of bison?
Of course I've heard of bison!
Rocketboy 9:32AM (5/04/2009)
Who cares, they're jerks anyways... didn't you ever hear that Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo?