While we were still at our old house, while one of the neighbors was on vacation, the SIL was dog sitting. The saturday morning when she was leaving she managed to drive the car up the support wire of the the telephone/electric pole...at the enterance to the cul-de-sac of all places. It took several hours. She was laughing about it and even asked people to take a picture with her cell phone while she was in the car waiting for the fire department.
Hey with today's health insurance, instant death might be better over the minor knee injury - drove a 2010 Malibu for the past week (loaner vehicle while teenage daughter's car was in body shop) - very nice car, even with the 4-banger base motor.
Cars in the '50s era were a bit more than tin sheds on ladder frames on wheels. The video made me cringe that once upon a time I drove a death trap (which was really cool looking) like that '59.