to get away / escape
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to escape
To escape from a dangerous or unpleasant situation, often unharmed or with only minor damage.
Er hatte großes Glück und kam bei dem Autounfall mit nur leichten Verletzungen davon.
He was very lucky and escaped the car accident with only minor injuries.
to get away
To avoid a just punishment for a wrongdoing or a crime.
Obwohl es viele Zeugen gab, ist der Täter mit seiner Tat davongekommen, weil die Beweise nicht ausreichten.
Although there were many witnesses, the perpetrator got away with his crime because the evidence was not sufficient.
'Davonkommen' (to get away/escape) is a separable verb. The prefix 'davon-' goes at the end in a main clause. In subordinate clauses and in the infinitive, the verb stays together.
Der Dieb kam leider davon.
Unfortunately, the thief got away.
The perfect tense of 'davonkommen' (to get away/escape) is always formed with the auxiliary verb 'sein' (to be). This is because it describes a form of movement or a change of state (escape).
Sie ist mit nur einem Schrecken davongekommen.
She escaped with nothing more than a fright.
'Davonkommen' (to get away/escape) is very often used with the preposition 'mit' (with). This combination describes what the result or consequence of escaping is.
Er ist mit einer kleinen Schramme davongekommen.
He escaped with a small scratch.
The context makes clear which meaning is intended. If it is about physical danger (accident, fire), it means 'to remain uninjured.' If it is about rules or laws (crime, lie), it means 'to go unpunished.'
Das Haus brannte komplett nieder, aber die Familie ist zum Glück davongekommen.
The house burned down completely, but fortunately the family escaped.
to survive
In the context of a danger, überleben mainly says that someone did not die; the word alone says nothing about injuries. davonkommen focuses more strongly on the consequences with which someone escapes the situation, often unharmed or with only minor damage.
Der Fahrer ist bei dem schweren Unfall mit leichten Verletzungen davongekommen.
The driver got away from the serious accident with minor injuries.
Der Fahrer hat den schweren Unfall trotz lebensgefährlicher Verletzungen überlebt.
The driver survived the serious accident despite life-threatening injuries.
