Front Suspension Lower Ball Joint problems of the 2002 Mercury Grand Marquis

Backed out of driveway at a friends house and went about 4 houses, when the right front of the car dropped to the pavement and dug into the asphalt. The car was stopped immediately as it was only traveling at 10 mph. Upon inspecting the damage it was discovered that the lower ball joint on the passenger side had broken off. The tire was cut down on the inside sidewall and was pushed back into the fender forcing the fender back into the door. The rim and sway bar link were also damaged. We travel to the veterans hospital in iowa city, iowa quite frequently, two appointments this week, and had we been on the highway when this happened, I fear we would be statistics.