News, 'It’s a 100 per cent miracle' Woman recovering after falling seven storeys off balcony. (body, quote)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Those are all good observations and true. I had the pleasure of investigating a number of injury/fatality traffic accidents that involved alcohol as well as personal experience in accidents in a variety of personal vehicles, military vehicles and helicopters.
Bracing for impact is the wrong thing to do and it is the surest guarantee of causing injury to yourself. The best thing to do is nothing, which is what drunks and people suddenly caught unaware do.
It's a simple issue of physics. Not bracing yourself allows the force to be dissipated over a larger part of the body part or body, while bracing or preparing yourself results in the impact force being localized and more destructive.
I once saw a documentary with x-ray film showing an 8th Degree Black Belt breaking cinder blocks and chunks of wood. He was in such a state of relaxation at impact that the bones in his hand, wrist, forearm and arm actually flexed at impact.
Let us not forget that during WWII Nick Alkemade, a RAF tail-gunner, bailed out of a burning Lancaster bomber over Germany, sans parachute. He fell 18,000 feet and lived to tell the tale.
Alan Magee, an American B-17 ball turret gunner in 1943, fell better than 22,000 feet, again without parachute, and lived.
Vesna Vulovic, a flight attendant,fell 33,000 feet in the tail of an exploded DC-9 jetliner in 1972. She also lived.
Last edited by Nighteyes; 09-21-2010 at 09:52 PM..
Let us not forget that during WWII Nick Alkemade, a RAF tail-gunner, bailed out of a burning Lancaster bomber over Germany, sans parachute. He fell 18,000 feet and lived to tell the tale.
Alan Magee, an American B-17 ball turret gunner in 1943, fell better than 22,000 feet, again without parachute, and lived.
One of those and I can't remember which (maybe even both) was missing a spleen. It had been surgically removed earlier for health reasons, and that was part of the reason he survived.
SHE BROKE HER BACK, both her arms and shoulders and some ribs, partially ripped an ear off, lost some teeth and badly cut the top of her head open.
But Crystal Muise is alive after a seven-storey fall from her apartment balcony in Halifax early Sunday
I would have rather died. It sounds to me like "God" (if there ever was such a thing) didn't like this poor woman.
At any rate, why is cheating death considered a "miracle" to the theists? Isn't dying and going to "heaven" the ultimate goal? Makes one wonder if these theists really believe their own garbage. How can I believe it if YOU don't huh?
Let us not forget that during WWII Nick Alkemade, a RAF tail-gunner, bailed out of a burning Lancaster bomber over Germany, sans parachute. He fell 18,000 feet and lived to tell the tale.
Alan Magee, an American B-17 ball turret gunner in 1943, fell better than 22,000 feet, again without parachute, and lived.
Vesna Vulovic, a flight attendant,fell 33,000 feet in the tail of an exploded DC-9 jetliner in 1972. She also lived.
Well, once you reach terminal velocity it doesn't really matter how far you fall, you're going to hit with the same impact. For a tumbling body, arms and legs outspread, that's going to be about 125mph, a speed that's reached in about 13-14 seconds of falling, or about 1900 feet. Anything after that, you're not going to go any faster unless you ball yourself up. If you do, then you can go about 200mph.
Mathematically speaking, the woman in the article would have hit the ground going about 60mph assuming she didn't hit anything else on the way down.
Well, once you reach terminal velocity it doesn't really matter how far you fall, you're going to hit with the same impact. For a tumbling body, arms and legs outspread, that's going to be about 125mph.
Yeah, I know. It's just a lot more impressive-sounding to cite the distance each fell...
I once fell a bit over 40 feet and lived to tell the tale. I'm still dealing with the damage, but I'm on the good side of the sod. Funny thing, though. 45 years later, though I have no memory of the fall, I have an extreme fear of heights.
Yeah, I know. It's just a lot more impressive-sounding to cite the distance each fell...
I once fell a bit over 40 feet and lived to tell the tale. I'm still dealing with the damage, but I'm on the good side of the sod. Funny thing, though. 45 years later, though I have no memory of the fall, I have an extreme fear of heights.
Forty feet is no laughing matter. Statistically speaking, you beat the odds. Anything over 6' fall is considered a 'high' fall by EMTs and they'll treat you accordingly different when a call like that comes in.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
