Unfortunately, no one in the world is completely safe from the dangers of life. But it is in our power to find out beforehand how we should act if, God forbid, we find ourselves in a dangerous situation. In fact, if we act accordingly in such a situation we can save our lives and the lives of others.
Today we share with you the recommendations of scientists and engineers as to what you should do and what you should not do in case you find yourself in a free falling elevator.
Under no circumstances should you try to jump at the moment of fall
Firstly, it will be very difficult to jump when you’re in freefall. Secondly, your jump will reduce the speed of your fall by the same amount that it’s occurring, and this is bad news for most people. Thirdly, there’s no way to predict which part of your body you’ll land on, and therefore what harm jumping will do to your body. The guys over at the Discovery Channel have long since proved that you should never do this – see this video.
Don’t stand straight
This is not a good idea either, as 10 times your body weight has dropped on your feet during the fall. This can lead to extremely serious injuries.
The best position to adopt at impact: lie on your back on the elevator floor
As soon as you feel that the elevator is falling, immediately lie on your back on the floor of the elevator. In this position, the strength of the blow will be spread equally across the area of your body.
If there are many people in the elevator and you can’t lie down, sit down or kneel
In this situation, the best thing you can do is to sit on the elevator floor. In this position your skeletal load will be smaller than if you stand. If there is no room at all, then at least try to bend your knees, as this will help reduce the intensity of the impact.
Illustration: Yekaterina Ragozina for BrightSide
