How to Survive a Fall from a Height

What would you do if you slipped off a scaffold as high as 10 floors, or fell freely when the parachute would not open? This situation is definitely very unfavorable but you still have a chance to survive. If you can stay sane, there are a few ways to influence the drop velocity and reduce the force of impact on the ground.

Table of Contents

Survive a fall from a height of many floors

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Grasp something on the way down. If you can grab a large object like a plank or a beam, your chances of survival will increase significantly. This object will absorb some of the impact when you land, reducing some of the pressure on the bones. ^{[1] X Research Source}

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Try to divide the fall distance into several parts. If you fall from a building or cliff in the wild, do your best to divide the fall by aiming at ledges, cliffs below, trees, or other objects. Dividing a high fall into several shorter falls will reduce fall inertia and improve your chances of survival. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Stretch the body. If you keep your knees, elbows, and body flexed, the fall will do more damage to vital organs. Don’t strain your body. Try to relax so that when you hit the ground, your body is more receptive to the impact.

One way to stay calm (relatively) is to focus on taking steps to increase your odds of survival.
Pay attention to your body, moving your arms and legs to make sure they don’t get tight.

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Bend knees. To survive a fall, perhaps nothing is more important (or simpler) than bending your knees. Research shows that bending the knee when landing can reduce the force of impact 36 times. Don’t bend your knees too close, though – just bend them slightly so your legs don’t get too tight.

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Land with your feet. No matter what height you fall from, you should always try to land on your feet. Landing with your feet concentrates the impact force over a small area, allowing the foot and foot to absorb the heaviest impact. If you fall in any other position, try to adjust your body before hitting the ground. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Fortunately, adjusting the body so that the foot is on the ground seems to be an instinctive reflex.
Close your legs and feet so that both feet are on the ground at the same time.
Land on top of your feet. Point your toes slightly down before impact so you’ll land on top of your feet. This position will help the lower body absorb the impact force more effectively.

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Try to fall to the side. After your feet hit the ground, you will fall to the side, forward or backward. Try to avoid falling on your back. Statistically, falling to the side is best. If you can’t fall to the side, try to fall forward, using your arms to support the fall.

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Protect the head when the body bounces. When you fall from a great height, your body often bounces. Some survivors of the first impact (often landing on their feet) were severely injured by the second impact. You will almost certainly pass out when you are turned on. Protect your head with your hands by placing your arms on either side of your head, elbows forward (and pointing in front of your face), fingers interlaced behind your head or neck. This hand position covers most of the head.

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Get medical help right away. Due to the high adrenaline during the fall, you may not feel any pain when you land. Even if there’s no external damage, you may have broken a bone or suffered an internal injury that requires immediate treatment. No matter how you feel, go to the hospital as soon as possible.

Surviving a fall from a plane

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Slow down your fall by leaning forward. You won’t have enough time to do this step unless dropped from a plane. Maximize the surface area by stretching your body out like an aeroplane.

Try to position yourself so that the front of your body is facing the ground.
Bending your back and pelvis, tilt your head back like you’re trying to touch the back of your head to the back of your legs.
Straighten your arms and bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle so that your forearms and hands are pointing forward (parallel and placed on either side of your head) with your palms facing down; Extend your legs shoulder width apart.
Slightly bent knees. Do not strain but should relax the leg muscles, and let the leg be in a position to absorb the most impact force.

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Find the best grounding position. For very high falls, the surface of the ground has the greatest effect on the chances of survival. Look for gentle slopes because when you hit the ground, the inertia doesn’t end immediately. Observe the terrain below while you fall.

Hard and inelastic surfaces like concrete will cause the worst falls. Rough surfaces with a smaller surface area for impact force distribution should also be avoided.
It’s best to choose a surface that’s likely to sink when you land on it, such as snow, soft ground (like a freshly plowed field or swamp), an area with thick trees or vegetation (although risk of being hit by a tree).
Water is only safe for you to fall in when the maximum depth is 45.7m; Beyond this depth, it is better to fall on the cement floor, because then, the water will not be able to compress. You also run the risk of drowning if you fall into the water (because you will almost certainly lose consciousness on impact). However, if the water has a lot of foam and bubbles, it will be much safer.

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Point your body towards the grounding position. If dropped from a plane, you have about 1-3 minutes before impact. You can also fly horizontally for fairly long distances (up to about three kilometers).

From the above stance, you can correct your forward flight by pushing your arms back slightly (so they don’t stretch forward as much) and straightening your legs.
You can fly backwards by straightening your arms and bending your knees as if you were trying to touch your heels to the back of your head.
Turn to the right while maintaining the hunched position by slightly twisting the upper body to the right (lowering the right shoulder), and to the left by lowering the left shoulder.

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Use correct grounding technique. Remember to relax your body, bend your knees slightly, and land with your feet first. Fall forward instead of falling back, and protect your head with your arms in case your body bounces.

If you are in a hunched position, return to an upright position before hitting the ground so that you do not collide in another position (remember at 300m you have about 6-10 seconds before impact). , depending on the falling velocity).

Advice

If you are falling uncontrollably, try to move into a squat to regain stability. If nothing else happens, that stabilization will help you regain some composure.
If you fall into a location that contains flowing sand or a viscous substance such as clay, there is a chance that you will become trapped. Don’t panic! Make a walking motion as if you are going up the stairs, while using your hands to push hard all the way up to bring your body up. You’ll have enough oxygen for at least a minute, which is long enough for you to come to the surface.
Stay calm, if you’re always in a panic state, you can’t think clearly!
If you are falling into an urban area it may not be possible to adjust the flight direction precisely to land in a good position, but you are better off choosing glass structures or corrugated iron roofs, awnings and cars instead of falling. concrete road or roof.
Good health and age seem to positively affect survival rates from high falls. You can’t change your age, but here’s why you should exercise.
You can also take classes to help respond in such situations.
Never land on your heels, as this will break both your legs and spine. Always land on your toes to avoid fatal injury.
Get rid of all the things in your bag if you have time so they don’t hit you.
Avoid falling into trees because trees will not help split the fall. Most likely you will be stabbed by a tree branch.
You can be seriously injured when you fall into the water, depending on the depth of the water and the force of the impact.

Warning

Victims very rarely survive falling from a height of 30 meters or more, the mortality rate is also high even if you fall from a height of 6-9 meters. Generally not falling is best.

Steps

Survive a fall from a height of many floors

Surviving a fall from a plane

Advice

Warning

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