Auto Parts: shift cable, mercury villager, knowwhere

Question
How can I tell if my shift cable is broken (Mercury Villager van)? My gas pedal got stuck and the van was about to cross an embankment full throttle. I couldn't turn car off, had both feet on the break and just pushed the gear shift into park.  I can put the car in MN, D, knowwhere, D1 and it makes a rubbing noise and but transmission is not engaged and so the car goes nowhere.  When I try to put the car back in park it makes a metal rattling noise.  I have not had any problems with the transmission slipping or not shifting smoothly into gear when I am driving.  This was just a one-time freak occurrence.   I don't want to be told my transmission is shot if it is just a broken cable but how can I find out before I take it to a mechanic.

Answer
    It is most likely that you broke the transmission and not the cable.  If you look under the hood you should be able to see the selector lever on top of the transmission.  The end of the cable is attached to that.  Get someone to work the shifter while you watch the end of the cable.  If it moves the selector lever through its full range of motion, then it is OK.