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This isn’t your typical fender bender. In Greensboro, North Carolina, a silver Honda Accord was involved in an in-town car accident that left its front end heavily damaged. A full-size SUV experienced slight rear damage, mostly to the bumper assembly.

While the Honda Accord would have otherwise been totaled out from its crunched nose, something incredible happened during the collision.

An AT&T telephone pole was uprooted at some point and traveled to the Accord’s rear windshield, where it pierced through the glass into the back passenger zone.

A grey 2018 Honda Accord Touring 2.0T is shown parked in left rear angle view with fall colored trees in the background
Honda Accord Touring 2.0T | Honda

A Fox 8 News video shows the scene. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.

According to Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative, a telephone pole can weigh between 800 and 4,000 pounds. There are defined industry standards for pole height and weight.

The Accord involved looks to have been a Honda Accord Touring 2.0T, perhaps a 2018 model. The 2023 Honda Accord was an IIHS Top Safety Pick. It received all “Good” ratings for crashworthiness and a “Superior” score in front crash prevention: vehicle-to-pedestrian for daylight hours. It received an “Acceptable” score for dummy restraints and dummy kinematics during testing.

The larger SUV looks to be a much older Ford Expedition, based on the wheel caps and body style.

While both vehicles did well in preventing injuries during this particular fender bender, the telephone pole reminds us that accidents can always go sideways beyond safety standards.