Is it even possible to survive such a fall?! How to survive in a free falling elevator? Today, we will answer these questions and shares some recommendations from scientists and engineers about what you should and shouldn’t do if you find yourself in a falling elevator.
Free falling trapped in a small metal box sounds terrifying. Even the thought of such a grim situation gives us the chills. And you have probably wondered what you would do if the elevator cable suddenly snapped.
- There is a popular misconception that if you jump a moment before the elevator hits the bottom, you will somehow decrease the impact on your body. You might hurt yourself badly if you hit the ceiling with your head. Jumping is not worth the risk at all.
- Standing up straight and simply hoping for the best is also not the best idea. Nothing good is coming. What is coming is a weight ten times larger than that of your own body dropping on your legs at the moment of the impact.
- Your best bet would be to lie flat on your back. This position will help you distribute the force of the impact across your entire body. Yes, your small thin bones will probably snap anyway (though it mostly depends on how high up you were when the cable snapped).
- Betty Lou Oliver, who works as an elevator operator for the Empire State building, holds the world record for surviving the longest elevator fall in history! She traveled 79 floors in a falling elevator and stayed alive.
- Elevator accidents happen extremely rarely. More people die when they step in empty shafts or get stuck between the elevator doors. So, watch your step and don’t hurry — you’ll catch the next one.
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