Three Seconds, Two Collisions, One Amazing Story

Robert Mangrobang’s rear-end collision on a major expressway left the two drivers who hit him in shock, and their cars mangled, while he escaped without injury or major damage.

Robert Mangrobang has always loved driving. There is nothing he enjoys more than “cruising and singing along to the radio” during his commute along Manila’s busy North Luzon Expressway (NLEX). It’s a route he knows like the back of his hand. But little did he know that on his commute home that night his dream drive would turn into a nightmare.

As Robert was on his way home from work and was looking forward to picking up the dress his daughter had chosen to wear to her 18th birthday celebration the next day.

He was on the expressway, slowing down to approach a toll gate queue when he heard the ear-splitting screech of tires behind him.

“When I looked in the rear view mirror, a car was coming straight for me,” he recalls. As he waited for impact, his first instinct was to step on the brakes hard. “I didn’t want to create a domino effect with the cars in front of me,” he adds. Fortunately, his Subaru's brake system kept him from hitting the other cars ahead.

Unhurt by the rear-end collision, Robert breathed a sigh of relief. But the nightmare wasn’t yet over.

Twice lucky

Three seconds later, he heard the sound of tires screeching again as another car struggled to stop in the queue behind him. This car ploughed into the first car that hit him, causing the first car to careen into him again. A drag car racer in his college years, Robert was used to collisions, but never expected to experience a multi-vehicle crash on the open road. After realizing he hadn’t suffered any injuries, he clambered out of the car. “The first thing I did was to look at the other drivers because I didn't feel any pain. The two drivers were really shaken by the accident,” he recalls. Robert could see why - their cars were nearly totalled. “I didn’t want to look at my car, but I was amazed,” says Robert. “I was expecting the bumper to be totally blown away, but it only popped out on each side.” His Forester’s rigid structure, designed to absorb and dissipate impact, prevented the cabin from crumpling in on him.

Ironically, when Robert initially decided to buy his Subaru, he hadn’t given a thought to safety features. “When I bought that car,” he admits, “I was looking at the car’s aesthetics.”

After the crash he went back and researched the car’s safety features, discovering how he’d walked away uninjured that day.

“The first thing I did was to look at the other drivers because I didn't feel any pain. The two drivers were really shaken by the accident.”

Walking away without whiplash

Walking away injury-free from such a crash is particularly amazing given that rear-end collisions are one of the most common causes of whiplash injuries. But the car’s supportive seats, which he says are one of the Forester’s best features, are designed to reduce whiplash and other potential injuries in an accident. Subaru’s front seats also have tiltable and extendable headrests that cradle the head firmly while the seatbacks protect the occupants if they are thrown backwards. Providing protection, too, are the Forester’s Ring-shaped Reinforcement Frame and high-strength body steel, which absorb the impact energy from a crash and prevent the cabin from collapsing onto the occupants.

Back behind the wheel

Incredibly, the day after the collision Robert drove his Subaru Forester, with its damaged rear bumper, to collect his daughter’s dress and celebrate her birthday with his family. “I have another car,” he says, “but I prefer the Forester, I still drive it daily.” And while he may love the way it looks, walking away from a pile-up has made him appreciate the importance of the Forester’s safety features, for both himself and his loved ones. “I feel more secure and safe now when I drive the car,” he says. “Especially if I'm with the whole family.”