How did this happen in my car accident?

[DS1000]

Hello everyone. This is my first post on this board...so please bear with me!
I've asked a couple of people if they've ever heard of this phenomenon, and no one has; so I decided to check online for help. Has anyone ever heard of a key ejecting itself from the ignition during a crash?

Here are the details, and they are long:

Yesterday I had a bad accident with my 1989 Dodge Caravan. Basically, I was coming up behind someone, at about 45 MPH, and didn't realize he was stopping (he was going to turn left.) I didn't see until it was too late. His brake lights looked like his taillights, and since it was rainy out I thought he just had his headlights on. In a panic I slammed on the brakes and tried to swerve around his 4X4. Needless to say I didn't make it, and my front driver's-side slammed into his back passenger side at an angle.
The impact completely crushed the area about where the headlight would have been located. (When I went back to look at it later, there was about a 3-foot-deep gash on the front driver's side. It looked like it had gotten punched in.) The steering column broke (this is when I think the keys flew out). I swung around about a 3/4 turn and slid the whole way across the road. When I landed, I was facing the opposite way I had been driving. My driver's-side window was shattered and the door was bent and stuck shut. My hood was ripped and my windshield suffered damage too - it was all cracked on the driver's side.
I was wearing my seat belt, and even though it broke out of the buckle during the accident, I only suffered minor injuries from hitting my head on the steering wheel. The van was completely totaled.

The bunch of keys was on the floor when I stopped. This was a good thing because the steering column had broken and I would have had no control over the wheels; the car probably would have careened all over the place if it had still been powered. They probably flew out on impact. The car was still in gear and I am pretty sure (though not totally certain) that the keys flew out while the van was still turned on! I didn't know how this could have happened. I know I didn't touch the keys or move my hands in front of the wheel during the accident. I remember thinking it was odd to have the keys on the floor, instead of hanging or jammed in the ignition...and it's awfully difficult to yank the keys out while the car is powered.

If anyone can tell me how this may have happened, I would appreciate it, as it's keeping me baffled.

Thanks!

[KManiac]

The lock cylinders in these cars are designed to hold the keys in every position except the Lock position. But just because they are designed this way when new doesn't mean that this can't change.

Case in Point - I own a 1991 Dodge Shadow ES Turbo Convertible, which I have owned since 1993. A few years ago, I noticed that I could remove and reinstall my keys in the ignition, in any position. This makes it easy to get something out of the trunk without turning off the radio or the engine. It is possible, with age and usage, that your lock cylinder developed this habit as well.

This only goes to show you that ejecting the keys is unusual, but not impossible.

[B33p3r]

"The bunch of keys was on the floor when I stopped"
That caught my eye because I'm always telling my wife the weight of all the keys and dodads is going to ruin her ignition switch. Add that to the force of a crash and I'll bet you busted the ignition during impact. Sounds like you made it through all right and that's the important thing.

[neon_rt]

I hope you have for than the minimum 25/50 coverage. A person hit us under similar circumstances and my wifes medical (two surgeries now) will exceed the $25,000 per person cap. The car owner will probably lose their house and/or business covering the remainder of the bill. BTW the accident resulted in 5 people being injured, $50,000 max coverage gets very thin for 3 totaled vehicles, two surgeries, broken neck, cracked skull, months of rehab and settlement for pain and suffering.