How to survive a fall to the ground

I'm sure there are other candidates for worst case scenario (e.g. being struck by lightning), but my general worst case scenario leads to me moving down rapidly. The cause could be equipment failure, tree failure, overloaded descent device or hitch, etc. If you are about to hit the ground, what can you do to minimize injury and maximize your chances of climbing another day?

Brad

PRAY

Try not to land on your head or spine, obviously. I've got a friend who fell about forty feet from a tree and got out of it with a permanently fucked up wrist because he landed on his arm/wrist and rolled with it. Landing squarely on your feet will probably shatter every bone up to your hips. I knew a guy who was building an Alpine Tower and was rappelling down when he ran out of rope. He fell 25 feet, landing squarely on his feet on a pile of lumber and shattered everything up to the waist. And pray. Definitely.
Joshua

I agree with trying not to land on your noggin. How do you want your body positioned?

Let's assume you're facing the trunk, and you are falling feet first. If there was a way that you could do it, I think you'd want to land on your feet to take a LITTLE of the impact, then roll backwards off to one side so that you do a backflip over one shoulder. You wouldn't want to go straight back (as if you could help it!) because you would greatly increase the chance of getting a subdural hematoma or breaking your neck. Even if you had practiced that move - falling backwards from a standing postion then rolling over your shoulder - before you go into a tree, I doubt that you could think about doing it AND actually perform it if you actually fell out of a tree.
Praying seems like your best option.

I've read rolling suggested in this situation before. Thanks Patrick.

Anyone know of martial arts techniques that might apply (e.g. holding breath to increase internal pressure in preparation for large energy expenditure)?

Brad

Falling is common training with the Ninjitsu folks (Ninja). Most falls are at an angle. If a vertical drop is experienced, a redirect to an angle saves bones and joints and this is accomplished with a collapse of legs and then a roll. This kind of training comes with a lot of bumps and scrapes if you train on hard surfaces. Training on a good mat is a must in the early days.

I know of a redwood climber that took a 75 foot fall and survived with few injuries because he fell on a forest floor deep in duff. A straight vertical fall of only 5 feet can mess you up pretty bad with a compressed spine (nerve damage too!) and damaged supporting bones like ankles and knees joints.

So what’s up with you? Are you anticipating a fall in the future? I hope not. It’s not very pretty. As for double rope technique, tie a slip knot in your rope at least 10 feet off the ground in case you loose control of your descent. You can do the same with a double figure 8 knot 10 feet up from the ground if you are using a descending device.

Oh yes. You want to EXHALE the air in your lungs before impact. Less chance of loosing your wind.

Preparation. Lots of material available to help prevent falls. Not so much on how to be the one that walks away instead of being carried to the hospital or morgue should your preparation not be enough for some reason. I want to learn this, but I hope to never need to use it. Kinda like buying car insurance--I pay for insurance but consciously drive to avoid an automobile accident.

Thanks for the Ninja information!

Brad

I've heard of sky divers surviving parachute failure--breaks most of their bones. At what height does this become a "good" outcome of a fall? If faced with a fall from this height, how would you ideally position your body?

Brad

Honestly, you also have to choose whether you'd rather break all your bones/ be paralized or die. I'd rather die instantaneously than be paralized or break every bone in my body. I'm young and carefree and a little cocky, and that probably influences me saying that, but it's true. I'd rather not survive a fall that was going to incapacitate me for the rest of my life. If falling from a significant height, I'd try to land at an angle on my feet/legs, so that probably my legs and an arm would break, but my torso would not experience the initial direct contact with the ground. A dumpster jumping tip that I've picked up: When jumping, say out of a second or third story window, into a dumpster below, you want to land on your back instead of your stomach. Your body will automatically bend in the middle when you hit a relatively soft object like the contents of a dumpster, and you want that bending to affect your abs, not break your spine.
Josh

OK,

Now you are putting us on! What the heck is Dumpster Jumping, and why on earth would anyone other than a stuntman or carreer criminal be interested in it?

I want pictures Joshua!

I'm interested in this stinky story!

Things like banner drops, billboard alteration, etc. that might require a quick escape from a height of several stories and where a dumpster might be the most available, friendly landing surface. No pictures available. Not career criminal or stuntman. Just someone who likes to have civily disobedient fun every now and then.
Josh

So do you study crash results in autos too? I presume you drive. My coaching to you is to study safety rather than the results of an error or accident. LIfe is full of opportunities to die. Dieing is part of living, no? Good luck with your hidden agendas.

Originally posted by Treeman

I know of a redwood climber that took a 75 foot fall and survived with few injuries because he fell on a forest floor deep in duff.

Could you reasonably, artificially create a "deep duff" environment as a fall-back to your safety precautions ( a 'safety net' to your 'high wire act' )?

Brad

Luck is luck. Spiritual reason- it wasn't his time. Duplicate that event? How many lives (or bones) do you to spare in a trail and error study?