Hello, my name is Johnny. I have been in the Air Force for almost 18 years. I just passed an experience that I wish to share, not only to a friend, not only to my family, but also I want to publicly share my story with Ford, Ford’s forum and its awesome community members. In summary, this is a story of how I am still alive, thanks to Ford…



Since the year 2012 I have done an extensive amount of research towards my next vehicle purchase, not a vehicle to keep to resell later, but a vehicle to go everywhere with me for as long as it can, for as long as I can go anywhere. The initial first features I was looking for in my next vehicle were:



1. A sport looking car

2. The power of electricity and gasoline combined, without sacrificing power

3. Good reviews from vehicle testers, vehicle owners, Internet video streamers, etc.

4. Nice features such as adaptive cruise control, good climate control, nice sound system, etc.

5. And of course, it had to be painted with my favorite color, Gray.



After months of research and consideration I found the Ford Fusion Energi to be one of the top contenders of my search. I knew that buying a hybrid vehicle was not going to be cheap, but I learned that is was worth it. Years went on, I still had my previous vehicle, but I was saving money every month to complete this goal, my goal towards the acquisition of my next favorite vehicle. Out of nowhere, all of a sudden, I receive news that my unit in the Air Force was going to be activated for a mission in the Middle East. I had spent the previous years studying to obtain a university degree, this degree was possible because of my job in the military, it was time to give back, and it was my time to defend my country. I performed my mission in the Middle East until the very last day, however there are consequences for everything…



I was hurt in Afghanistan and coming back stateside introduced me to a very different world… Among many other conditions suffered during my time in service, two conditions affected me the worst, PTSD and a spine disk compression fracture. Focusing on the physical area, this fracture is a degenerative condition that causes two vertebrae to make contact with each other because of the lack of a proper functioning disk or “cushion” in between, and causes pressure or “pinching” to the nerves channeling through the vertebras. The nerve is called “sciatic nerve”. This in turn causes acute pain on the lower back and the legs when standing or sitting still in the same position for prolonged periods of time and when moving or walking, not to mention trying to run, jog or move faster than a slow walk is painfully impossible. I am now a disabled veteran…



I felt I had to share some of the backstory for my story to be relevant or make sense, so now I will stress a focus on the good parts of this story.



My time on intensive rehabilitation and physical therapy was over, so I decided to move to Houston, Texas to start a new life, a better life. When I settled, I made two of the best and most important decisions in my life… I did not only buy a Ford Fusion Energi for me, I also bought one for my wife. Interestingly they were the same color and the same Titanium model, with the only absolute difference being the vehicle’s year. Mine was a 2016 and my wife’s is a 2014. This vehicle not only has a very impressive seat that diminishes my pain on prolonged drives, but I had the Plug-in model, and that battery is a powerhouse. The vehicle’s combination of electric and gasoline power is excellent, the car’s sporty look is awe-inspiring. My car’s sound system was so great I did not need to modify the sound system in any way (I had my previous car sound system modified with two 18” bass speakers on the trunk, a 800 watts RMS power plant, a cross-over, a one Farad capacitor and a more powerful radio)… And of course, my Ford Fusion Energi’s sound it’s not “that” loud, but it didn’t need to be. Best of all, the adaptive cruise controls made my life so much easier and safer in the road, it was one of my favorite features.



THE REASON OF MY STORY…



Yesterday (March 30, 2020) I was the victim of a very unfortunate car accident… Another vehicle crashed on my car’s rear at a very excessive high speed on I-45 in Houston Texas… As soon as the impact happened, the momentum between the other vehicle transferred to mine, this sent me rapidly directly towards the left barrier of the interstate. I managed to stabilize the car from that, but I still had momentum, so now I was heading directly towards the interstate’s right barrier by the shoulder lane. I was about to crash, but the vehicle, with whatever systems had left in operation like traction control and ABS, activated, and I successfully stabilized the car right in the line of the shoulder lane.



I will tell you the facts of every detail that happened here, each fraction of a second as I was looking forward, backwards, sides and dash instrumentation during the accident...



Right from the moment the collision happened, the impact was so great that the damage had reached the rear tires axles, this in turn caused a malfunction on the rear brakes, and this was showing on the dash instrument panel, however I also had received military vehicle training in the past, so part of this training instantly kicked in and helped me maintain calm. I was trying my best to stabilize the vehicle, trying not to crash into another vehicle or the barriers – the power steering, I believe is an electronic power steering, worked correctly each fraction of a second. Even though the car had a brake malfunction the ABS was working in “overdrive”. Whatever juice the car had left, this was the moment I needed it the most, and the car did not fail me. I felt it… I felt the car working very hard to correct every traction miscalculation and braking. It was these corrections, it was this marvelous engineering that saved me from another accident since the impact one second ago…



The car was standing idle near the shoulder lane, I was inside motionless, scanning and assessing any harm or injury I received, while at the same time going back in time in my mind, reliving this moment that happened seconds ago, asking myself: “What just happened? Am I ok?” I was in shock, I was sweating cold, my heart was beating fast, but most importantly, I remained calm. I proceeded to completely move the vehicle out of the lanes and inside the shoulder lane for safety. The engine still on, my mind running, seconds felt like hours, I could not help but think: The car was telling me its last moments were spent saving my life. The car was telling me: “I did this, you did this… We did this!” I was taken to the hospital and luckily I do not have another bone fracture, however I am still in pain. Thank you Ford, its engineers, mechanics and all employees for making this product possible.



My wife is still happy with her Ford Fusion Energi and I feel more at ease, knowing that she drives a very safe vehicle every day to work (not right at this time due to ‘work from home’ mandate). At this moment the current Ford Fusion Energi Titanium does not have all the features of my 2016 Ford Fusion Energi Titanium, now these features are reserved for the ‘Platinum’ model, which is a more expensive model than the Titanium version.



Unfortunately the driver responsible for causing the accident left the scene and has not been found so far. I filed a report and a claim with my car insurance provider and the only option I have so far is Uninsured Motorists Property Damage. This coverage, plus the deductibles, reduced coverage and other charges leaves me unable to obtain the same car model, or a newer model with the same features. I am not on active duty anymore, and even though I am still technically a member of the military, I am awaiting separation due to physical disabilities. Basically this means I am not working and thus I am not receiving income from work. I will not feel safer with a different vehicle that is not the Ford Fusion Energi.



This story is real, authentic. I am a real driver, not a marketing or promotion specialist. If this sounds like a promotion or commercial of the vehicle, that is not my intention, however I have to share my thoughts after yesterday’s event. If you are thinking about obtaining a Ford Fusion Energi, I can tell you, it will be one of the best decisions you will make. For me it worked wonderfully with a rating of OUTSTANDING and I rate its safety with a level of PERFECT, just like it behaved during this crucial moment during the accident.





- No amount of training or human intervention could have saved me from crashing again during this accident possibly having other or worse undesirable results. Only the collective engineering, programing, manufacturing process, electronics, instrumentations and features of the Ford Fusion Energi, plus all Ford employees made this possible… (with a little help from maintaining calm)



Thank you.



If a Ford employee reads this, please forward this letter to a supervisor. I am hoping I can get a discount on a promotion to help me acquire another Ford Fusion Energi. I have photos and documentation of the accident, however I do not want to share this private information publicly.

 

I cannot speak for Ford, but in light of the current situation and what Ford IS doing to help our country I personally do think Ford should contact you and if they don't you might contact them.
Thank you for your service to our country and I'm sure we all appreciate your sacrifice. Our veterans deserve something more than parades and I hope Ford will come across with whatever you need .
I believe that is what the "Ford Family " is all about Thank you for your service and keep in touch.

 

Hello, Hanky. Thank you for your kind words. I am glad to see what I wrote was read by at least one person. I was worried it might've been too long or too sad. I woke up today, then minutes after waking up I remembered... I remembered what happened, I remembered and again re-lived in my mind this moment that happened two days ago. It is not a good feeling. Today not only I am experiencing back pain, but now my left arm, left wrist and right wrist are sore and in pain. Just like material objects in which hidden damage might appear, we, our bodies also have hidden injuries. I keep telling myself I am alive and that is what matters. As the tow truck drivers said, they are glad, but also surprised to see that I was alive, and as somebody told me in the VA hospital two days ago, maybe I still have another mission to complete and it was not my time. Today I am doing research online about the current available Fusion Energi models.

I will be periodically checking my email for notifications about this thread and I will do my best to keep in touch as you ask. Again, Hanky, thank you for your kind words.

 

Welcome to the site Johnny.

I read your post the other day, but got distracted with current family issues. Sorry about the delayed Welcome!
Sounds like you've been through a lot, in both your career (Thank You) and the crash! Glad the car took the brunt of the impact. Hit as hard as you were, no doubt something in the bod is gonna let you know..
I was rear ended by a young cell phone user out on the highway, hit me in dead stop traffic and it totaled my truck, as well as the car I was pushed in to. The impact slammed my head backwards against the back glass and nearly shattered some of my teeth. Then came the whiplash. I didn't even have time to utter any words, just looked up in the rear view and saw the car barreling towards me with no skids. Jacked my neck up pretty good, back was a tad sore but both seemed to heal ok at the time. Odd though, a year later just looked up skyward at something and 'pop' a shooting pain and reasonably bad neck pain again for a few more months. Good though, that this time its been ok for many years.. Frightening though, in a split second things can change.. Glad your accident wasn't worse...

 

Hayapower, thank you for your words and thank you for welcoming me to this awesome community. In regards to my military career there is something I'd like to say: I am glad to serve! Having the opportunity to defend America, my country, makes me proud. Feeling the gratitude from wonderful people is heartwarming. Regarding the crash, I am amazed (and glad) at the way my vehicle absorbed some of the impact from this crash. I read your experience and now having an experience of my own I can imagine every word. I am happy to know you feel better from your injuries, even though you may carry a remainder (the 'pop'). Things can change for the worst in a split second, I agree 100%.

I have tried to find contact information about Ford executives, supervisors, human resources, promotions, etc. However my search has proven difficult. I cannot find any relevant information online, and employees at Ford dealerships say that they cannot share this information to protect the privacy of employees. I was only provided with a link to a website by a Ford dealership employee (https://social.ford.com). The employee stated that Ford executives read this website frequently. However when I try to use the website it returns a message stating "Server Error" or "There are Gremlins in the system".

I wish to contact Ford. Just a phone number or an email I think would be enough. If anybody can, please help me, help me obtain a positive change in a split second...

 

 

Touching this thread again to "check in", since I was asked to keep in touch.

My thread was read by Ford. Watch out! Ford is watching... (I'm kidding) This is indeed very good, it shows this forum is noticed by Ford employees and Ford cares about it's customers feedback. I got a message from a Ford executive. I will go ahead and not mention names or contact info for privacy. I was told "Your note to Bill Ford has been forwarded to our office for reply". I felt relieved knowing that, it's a good feeling. In the message I was offered military discount, I did not even suspect Ford had a program for military members. There you go fellow brothers in arms, "Uncle Sam Ford wants you!" (another funny)

In the message the Ford executive expresses gratitude for my praise towards the vehicle and discusses a preliminary discount, mentioned above. I am glad the vehicle was noticed by their own creators, after all, I do know that here in Texas my vehicle does not sell as well as in California, for example. Mostly everybody buy trucks here. There is, however, great potential for this vehicle here in Houston Texas, as I have experienced. I am sure my fellow military members and veterans as well as civilian commuters in the local area will notice what I can say about this vehicle and buy one to take advantage of it's benefits.

I still do not have a vehicle and my vehicle is still in the vehicle storage waiting for "the process". Since this accident was categorized as a 'hit and run' because the driver of the other vehicle left the scene on foot, the case is taking much longer than usual. I am worried about what I am going to do when "stay at home" is no longer required and I need personal transportation again. My wife has a very long commute, so she needs her Fusion Energi. I cannot use her vehicle. I try not to worry about this, but I cannot lie, it is giving me stress. On a positive side, compared to being in the middle east and being attacked with bombs and mortars every other day (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays), this stress is peanuts. Yes, the attacks were that frequent, and we even used the bombings to tell what day of the week it was. (another joke, but true story)

I am experiencing a decent recovery from the physical damage to my body, but I am still receiving medical care appointments, especially for my left shoulder, and soon will have an MRI done on that area. I know my vehicle is not repairable based on the damage from the accident, even though many body shops will say it is to obtain the insurance money. I have a disabled veteran license plate and a disabled veteran EZ Tag toll windshield sticker, but I don't know if I can transfer those or even how to do it. The rear license plate got ripped from my car during the accident and it went flying somewhere. The police and tow truck drivers helped to look for it, but it was never found.

Thanks to all for reading this thread on Ford Forum. Please let me know if I should move the thread to another sub-category so it can be read more easily, since I received a warm welcome already and this is basically following up on the thread.

I am still waiting for reply from the Office of the Executive Chairmanregarding what I asked for in my message. I sincerely hope I get good news in the reply.

 

P.S. Please let me know if I should set up a donation method and how to do it. I have only donated in the past, my most recent donation being food for veterans because donating is easy, but I have never received donations and I do not know how it works.