Some people get lucky and win the lottery. Other people are lucky in different ways, like getting flung out of a car after colliding with a sign at the side of the road.
Most of you would see the latter as a spot of bad luck, but what if we told you the flinging saved this individual from a spectacular Michael Bay-like death?
In this case, an unnamed man from Point Cook in Australia got flung from his Ford Mustang after hitting a give-way sign. The Mustang then went on sans the lucky driver and hit a tree. It then burst into flames and melted down to an almost unrecognizable pile of metal. Apart from the obvious coupe design, the only way we could tell it was a Mustang was the placement of the fuel filler cap in relation to the rear wheel.
Miraculously, the driver sustained only minor injuries. According to Victoria Police, his injuries were "non-life-threatening." The police are currently investigating whether the driver was speeding and lost control of the Mustang. The Australians seem to have a hooning problem at the moment, as a professional criminal recently had his Lamborghini Huracan Performante confiscated after a series of dastardly deeds.
It's not clear what Mustang it was, but even the most basic model you can buy in Australia is already brisk. Oz doesn't get the entry-level 2.3-liter EcoBoost model, but rather the high-output 330 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque. We think it's the 5.0-liter naturally-aspirated GT, however. In Australia, it's the only model that comes standard with black alloy wheels.
The GT can do 0-60 mph in 4.3 seconds, which is quick enough to get you into trouble. And it's not like Mustangs have an admirable reputation when it comes to showing off.
Was the driver speeding? Well, we did some digging on Google Maps and found some interesting information about the crash location. The accident happened next to the Footscray General Cemetary, right across the road from Le Mans Toyota. It also happens to be a rather long straight, so we can see how someone might be inspired to go a little faster than recommended by law. It seems to be Oz's version of the Mulsanne Straight.
It's obvious the driver wasn't wearing a seatbelt; otherwise, he would have joined the Mustang on its journey to the final destination. We have here one of those rare occasions where not wearing a seatbelt actually saved a life. We still recommend you always wear a seatbelt, as the official data suggests. The odds of being hurled from the vehicle and not being burned to the crisp are likely similar to the odds of winning the lottery.
Is the Mustang's reputation fair, however? Well, the evidence is out there, and in case you want to look at some Mustang Fails over the years, check the video below.