Survival of High-velocity Free-falls in Water

Book excerpt: Forty-four cases of free-falls survived by individuals impacting water environments under conditions of high velocity (50 to 116 ft/sec, corrected for aerodynamic drag) have been intensively investigated and analyzed. Ages varied from 7 to 80 years and the study included 34 males and 10 females. The falls occurred in 17 states, mainly over a 3-year period, and included all known survivals of water impact at over 50 ft/sec. It was found that the most survivable body orientation, by a factor of five to seven, is a feet-first impact in which critical velocity for human survival was approximately 100 ft/ sec No correlation of velocity with degree of injury was found, although distinct patterns of injury were shown. Factors believed to influence human survival tolerances are discussed.