Yup, spot on! When I dived underneath, there was no propshaft to be seen -- just the smashed yokes still attached to the axle and transfer box. It DOES explain the propshaft that was lying by the side of the road about 2 miles from here, so I've been and retrieved it, but only the splined end could be found. The other end destroyed itself later?
There was also a clue in the title of the thread -- you can clearly see where the end of the shaft dropped down and dug into the road, smashing the transfer box yoke, but forcing the shaft up into the floor, which has been pushed upwards by about half an inch. There's also what we in Yorkshire call a 'delve' in the chassis.
And the electrical hiccup? Well, here I WOULD appreciate some help. I suspected a possible inertia switch operated by the jolt, but according to my wiring Electrical Troubleshooting Manual it's only the petrol version that has that (to stop the high-pressure fuel injection pump working after a crash). The diesel doesn't seem to have such a switch, but there always WERE little oddities in the wiring of this car that seemed to be a bit 'intermediate' between the 93 and 94 model years (it was officially a 94MO, but built in 93). I can't locate the position of such a switch, but in the V8 it was supposedly under the front passenger seat, and would CERTAINLY have responded to that blow to the floor. WAS there such a switch in some models, akin to an airbag switch, which would cut the engine and operate the hazard lights? There's no airbags to go off, of course, but maybe this was a 'crossover' model?
GRAEME ALDOUS Yorkshire