Used Lincoln models in New Jersey could appear to be even safer after Eric Patterson, mayor of Leeds, Alabama, crashed his 2001 Lincoln into a tree and survived.

Patterson had just concluded a long day at the office when he picked up his son John to take him to a friend’s birthday party, according to the St. Claire Times.

On route, Patterson lost control of his vehicle and skidded off an embankment directly into a tree, splitting it in half.

While the official police report stated that there were no drugs or alcohol involved, Patterson was “apparently asleep” when he lost control of the vehicle.

“We really don’t know what happened, if I got off the edge of the road or dozed off. I’d been sick for a week – just coming down…over the mountain and ran into a ditch and hit a tree.”

Patterson broke his right leg, but his son, who was wearing a seatbelt, was left virtually unharmed.

“It puts your life in perspective, I can guarantee that,” the mayor said later in the week. “I just consider myself fortunate.”

Used Lincoln models in New Jersey might become more sought after following Eric Patterson’s harrowing accident.