What can you do if you suddenly fall from a 10-story scaffold, or find yourself in free fall when your parachute fails to open? Luck does not greet you when you fall, but it is not impossible for you to escape death. If you can stay calm, there are always ways to influence the speed of your fall and reduce the impact force when you hit the ground.
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Method 1 of 2: Strategies to survive a fall from a height of several floors
Step 1. Grab and catch any object along the way to fall down
If you manage to grab and hold on to a large object such as a thick board or piece of rafter, your chances of survival are very high. The object will absorb most of the impact when you land, reducing the stress on the bones.
Step 2. Try breaking your fall into pieces
If you fall on the side of a building, or on the side of a rock in the wild, do your best to break the fall into pieces by hitting a steep edge, low cliff, tree, or other object. This will break the momentum of your fall and break it down into smaller falls several times, which obviously gives you a much greater chance of survival.
Step 3. Relax the body
If your knees and elbows are locked and all muscles are stiff, the impact of a fall will be far more damaging to vital organs. Don't stiffen your body. Try as much as possible to relax your body so that when you hit the floor, your body can more easily accept the impact of the impact.
- One way to stay calm (at least a little) is to focus on taking certain steps that lead to a greater chance of survival.
- Always be aware of the condition of the body, and move the arms and legs so that they are not locked.
Step 4. Bend your knees
There's probably nothing more important than bending your knees in an attempt to survive a fall from a height (or something easier to do when it does). Research results show that bending the knee when receiving the impact of a fall can reduce the magnitude of the impact force by 36 times. However, do not bend too far, just a little, so that the legs are not locked.
Step 5. Land with your feet first
No matter how high you fall, you should always try to land with your feet first. This will concentrate the impact force in a small area, allowing the foot to absorb the most impact. If your position is different, do your best to correct your position before hitting the ground.
- Fortunately, the position of falling with the feet first is an instinctual reaction of the body.
- Squeeze and align your feet so you can land at the same time.
- Land on the ball of the foot. Point your foot slightly downwards before hitting the ground so you can land on the ball of the foot first. This will allow the lower body to absorb impact more effectively.
Step 6. Try to fall and tilt your body to the right or left
As soon as you land with both feet first, you will sway and fall to the right or left, front or back. Try not to fall backwards. Fall to the right or left, that's the best statistically. If you can, try to fall forward, then break the fall force with both arms.
Step 7. Protect your head when your body bounces
When you fall from a very high distance to the ground, your body usually bounces. Many people survive the first impact (often even with both feet first) but suffer serious injuries on the second, after bouncing. Chances are you'll pass out when you bounce. Protect your head using both arms by positioning either side of your head with your elbows facing forward (pointing out in front of your face), and all fingers intertwined behind your head or neck. This will cover most of your head.
Step 8. Get medical help as soon as possible
As adrenaline rushes in in response to your will to survive, you probably won't feel any pain when you land. Even if you don't appear injured, there's a good chance that you have a fractured bone or internal wound that needs to be treated immediately. However you feel, hurry to the hospital as soon as possible.
Method 2 of 2: Strategy for Survival When Falling from an Airplane
Step 1. Slow down your fall by arching
Unless you fall straight from the plane, you won't have enough time to do this step. Maximize the surface area by extending the body using the technique of jumping from the plane.
- Position yourself so that the front of your body is facing the ground.
- Arch your back and pelvis, then tilt your head back, as if trying to attach the back of your head to the back of your feet.
- Extend your arms and bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle so that the bottoms of your arms and hands are facing forward (parallel to and at the sides of your head) with your palms facing down; spread your feet shoulder width apart.
- Bend your knees slightly. Don't lock your legs together and keep your muscles relaxed. Follow the fall motion to absorb most of the impact force.
Step 2. Find the best landing location
When you fall from a great distance, the surface you land on has a huge impact on your chances of survival. Look for steep slopes that slowly flatten downwards, as that way you won't lose all of your falling momentum when you land. Carefully monitor the shape of the ground as you fall.
- Hard, inflexible surfaces like concrete are the worst places to land. Surfaces that are uneven or jagged and provide very little surface area to spread the impact of impacts should also be avoided.
- The best surfaces to land on are surfaces that can solidify or expand upon receiving your fall, such as snow, soft soil (such as on freshly hoeed fields or in swampy areas), and trees or dense vegetation (although there is a high risk of getting stabbed by branches).
- Water is only safe as a place to fall in the range of a height of 46 meters; passing from this height, is only slightly better than falling on a cement surface because it cannot be compacted. Falling into the water also poses a high risk of drowning (since you're more likely to faint when you hit the water's surface). The water will be a safer place to fall if the surface is foamy and foamy.
Step 3. Navigate to the landing site
If you fall from an airplane, you usually have about 1-3 minutes before hitting the ground. You will also have the opportunity to cover considerable distances horizontally (up to three kilometers).
- From the arched position described above, you can direct your flight path by pulling your arms slightly back at the shoulders (to avoid stretching forward too much) and straightening (extending) your legs.
- You can move backwards by extending your arms and bending your knees, as if trying to touch your heels with the back of your head.
- Turning to the right can be done while remaining in an arched position, by turning the upper body slightly to the right (moving the right shoulder), while turning to the left can be done by moving the left shoulder.
Step 4. Use the correct landing technique
Always remember to relax, keep your knees bent, and fall with your feet first. Fall forward rather than backwards, and protect your head with both arms when your body bounces.
If you're in an arched position, keep your body vertical, long before hitting the ground so you don't get caught in the wrong body direction at that point (as a guide, always remember that at 305 meters, depending on speed, you have about 6-10 feet). seconds before hitting the ground)
Tips
- If you find yourself spinning uncontrollably, try to gain stability by arching your body. At least the stability in this position is enough to help you stay calm.
- If you land on soil that has a loose sand/clay-like layer, there's a good chance you'll get stuck in it. Do not panic! Make a stepping motion, as if you were climbing a ladder, while both hands pushing up with a long, full force. You'll have enough oxygen for at least a minute, which will give you plenty of time to get to the surface.
- Stay calm. If you're too busy panicking, you won't be able to think straight!
- If you are over an urban area, you may not be able to properly control your flying style to select a landing location. However, buildings that have a roof structure of glass or tin, as well as roofs and cars, are still better than roads and concrete roofs.
- Good physical condition and young age appear to be factors in the high survival rate from falls from heights. You can't change your age, but if you're looking for reasons to stay in shape, read on.
- You can train in special classes to help train your body for these conditions.
- Try to land with the heel position first so that the body is slightly tilted and slightly leaning back.
- Never land solely on the heels as this will break both legs and crush the knees. You can't bend your knees and land on your heels at once.
