Leaving home - leave note and talk later or confront parents and face huge fight?

I should explain I am 18 and I am leaving due to my father's anger issues. He has used yelling to terroize the household my whole life and as such I fear greatly bringing on a open conflict while still at home. He has been physically violent in the past leaving me injured and bruised for many days, although not in the last year. I am female and not large well under 5 feet tall.

I feel bad about sneaking out and just leaving a note explaining why I am leaving and yet I greatly fear a scene at best and violence at worse if I openly say I am leaving.

I wish I could talk with my mum but she is not open to such discussions but she treats me like she knows best in spite of what I desire or want and has come close to ruining my life. (long story) I do know my mother loves me but she will not defend me from my father. She just always says do what he says.

Anyway it seems obvious I need to run and leave a note and hope I can salvage some type of relationship with them at a later date.

Have any of you faced something similar? Were your relationships ruined forever? How long did it take to get back in contact? Any information or experiences would help me as I am walking into the unknown.

BTW I have a safe, loving family to take me in some 1500 miles away so I can get a job, go to college etc. But the loss of my family connection tears my heart out and yet if I stay I fear his verbal abuse will drive me to suicide.