Over the Edge

Driving down a steep mountain road. I was in the passenger seat, enjoying the view. It was sunny and clear, amazing views and the AC was working well so the inside of the car was comfortable despite the noonday sun. We started to pick up speed, not wanting to lose the two cars ahead of us. (Even though we weren't actually travelling together.)

I wanted to say something along the lines of "no need to rush," when the two cars ahead of us didn't manage to navigate the switchback and the second car broke through the guard rail. The first car managed to spark and scrape along, but then flipped over the damaged railing just as I thought it was going to stop, toppling into a drainage culvert and vanished out of site over the edge. We were also going too fast, but now there wasn't a guard rail to keep us from sailing right out there as well. The second car had taken the already damaged rail out. The tires and brakes both screeched in protest. I tightened my belt and tilted the seat down just as we slid sideways over the edge of the road (me first.)

I sort of was hoping we'd go over front first so we might get a little steering action, and the front facing airbags might be useful, but we went sideways over the edge, and immediately lost all contact with the ground. I ducked even deeper into the seat as the car began to roll over in the air.  I could tell it would be thirty or forty feet before we were back in touch with the ground, and that ground was steep enough to still call a cliff face for another hundred feet or more. I was pretty sure there was no way we could survive this one.