Jesus, I had a suspension shock top nut ping off the top once. The previous owner had fitted Spax springs and shocks but had over tightened the top nut and stripped all the thread off it. Of course had the car for a few months and had looked at it but never would have known to look at it.

Problem was it decided to go when I was on the M11 when I was only a little over the speed limit *cough*

Luckly the car was stripped out, so when the nut pinged off it bounced off the roof of the car and the boot floor. I thought what the fuck was that noise, so I slowed down looked arround but couldn't see anything at first. But then the car hit a bump and my arsehole tightened to the size of a pin head when I spotted the top of my suspension strut vanish and then come back up through the mount with a huge bang. I nearly shit myself.

Pulled over and put anything and everything nut wise I had in the back of my car onto the strut to try and secure it enough for me to get back home.

Looks like you had a lucky escape too on that one...