The severity of the injuries increases with the height of the fall, but also depends on the characteristics of the surface against which the impact occurs and the way in which the body impacts against it (falling on your feet is not the same as falling on your side).[13]​ The probability of survival increases if you land on a highly deformable surface (a surface that bends, compresses or moves easily), such as snow or water.[13]​.

Injuries caused by falls from buildings vary depending on the height of the building and the age of the person. Falls from the first floor of a building often cause injuries, but are usually not fatal. The height at which 50% of children die (who are prone to falling from windows and balconies) is between the fifth and sixth floors.[14]​.

Long-term exercise appears to decrease the rate of falls in older people.[5]​ The fall rate of older people in hospitals can be reduced by up to 72% through various interventions.[15]​ In nursing homes, fall prevention programs, which include several interventions, prevent recurrent falls.[16]​.

Falls can also be prevented by installing flooring with the appropriate slip resistance (non-slip) for the intended use. For example, a pool terrace and an outdoor ramp require a floor with greater resistance to slipping in the wet than the floor of a section of a store that sells only canned goods. Pavement slip resistance testing is very useful in preventing slips and falls in areas that are expected to become wet or dirty during use.

Contenido

En 2013, las caídas accidentales provocaron aproximadamente 556 000 muertes en todo el mundo, un aumento considerable respecto a las 341 000 muertes registradas en 1990.[17]​ Son la segunda causa más común de muerte por lesiones no intencionadas después de los accidentes de tráfico.[18]​.

USA

Falls were the most common cause of injuries treated in emergency departments in the United States. One study found that there were nearly 7.9 million fall-related emergency room visits, accounting for nearly 35.7% of the total. Among children and young people under 19 years of age, there are approximately 8,000 daily visits to the emergency room for this reason.

In 2000 in the United States, 717 workers died from injuries caused by falls from ladders, scaffolding, buildings or other heights. More recent data showed that falls accounted for 14% of all workplace deaths in the United States in 2011.[20]​.

A person falling at a low altitude usually reaches a terminal velocity of 190 km/h after about 12 seconds, falling about 450 m. From that moment on, the person maintains this speed, unless they alter their aerodynamic profile (for example, opening a parachute). The terminal velocity at a higher altitude is higher, because the air is less dense and, therefore, offers less resistance.

JAT flight attendant Vesna Vulović survived a 33,000-foot (10,058.4 m) fall on January 26, 1972, when she was trapped in the shattered fuselage of the DC-9 of JAT Flight 367. The plane was shot down by explosives placed by the Croatian Ustaše over Srbská Kamenice, in the former Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic). The Serbian stewardess suffered a fractured skull, three broken vertebrae (one of them completely crushed) and remained in a coma for 27 days. In an interview, she commented that, according to the man who found her: «…She was in the central part of the plane. They found me with my head down and my partner on top. Part of my body, including my leg, was inside the plane and my head was outside. A catering cart was wedged against my spine, keeping me inside the plane. The man who found me says I was very lucky. He had been a doctor in the German army "Heer (Wehrmacht)") during World War II. He knew how to take care of me at the scene of the accident."[21]

During World War II there were several reports of military aircrew surviving long falls from severely damaged aircraft: Flight Sergeant Nicholas Alkemade jumped from 18,000 feet (5,486.4 m) without a parachute and survived hitting pine trees and soft snow. He suffered a sprained leg. Sergeant Alan Magee jumped from his plane at 22,000 feet (6,705.6 m) without a parachute and survived crashing into the glass roof of the Saint-Nazaire train station. Lieutenant Ivan Chisov jumped from his plane at 23,000 feet (7,010.4 m). Although he had a parachute, he did not want to open it immediately, because he was in the middle of an aerial combat and feared being hit while hanging from the parachute. But he lost consciousness due to lack of oxygen, was unable to open his parachute and crashed into a snowy slope while still unconscious. Although he suffered serious injuries, he was able to fly again three months later.

Two of the victims of Pan Am Flight 103 (which crashed over the town of Lockerbie due to a bomb) were reported to have survived for a short period after hitting the ground (they were in the forward section of the fuselage, which plummeted to the ground), but died of their injuries before help arrived.

Juliane Koepcke survived a long free fall following the crash of LANSA Flight 508 "LANSA Flight 508 (Peru)") (a LANSA Lockheed Electra commercial airliner OB-R-941 "LANSA (Peru)") on December 24, 1971 in the Peruvian Amazon. The plane was struck by lightning during a strong thunderstorm and disintegrated at an altitude of 3.2 km. Köpcke, who was 17 at the time, fell strapped to her seat. The German-Peruvian teenager survived the fall with only a broken collarbone, a wound to her right arm, and her right eye swollen shut.[22]​.

As an example of "free fall survival" that was not as extreme as is sometimes reported in the press, a Staffordshire skydiver, James Boole, was said to have plummeted 1,800m in Russia and survived. Boole stated that another skydiver had given him the signal 2 seconds late to open his device. Boole, who was filming the other skydiver for a television documentary, landed on snow-covered rocks and suffered broken back and ribs.[23] While he was lucky to survive, it was not a case of true free-fall survival, as he was wearing a wingsuit (which allows for gliding), which significantly reduced his speed. Furthermore, the impact occurred on a slope with abundant snow, and just as his parachute began to deploy.

Over the years, other parachutists have survived accidents in which the press reported that they did not have their parachute open, when in reality they were being slowed by a small section of the parachute that was tangled (to function well, the parachute must fully deploy;[24] however, if it only partially deploys, it also reduces the rate of fall, although perhaps not enough for an undamaged landing).

Skydiver and stuntman Luke Aikins successfully jumped without a parachute from approximately 25,000 feet (7,620.0 m) over a 930-square-meter net in California on July 30, 2016.[25]​.

Elevator-related fall accidents are extremely rare (less than 1 in every 6.66 million elevator trips).[26] They can be of 2 types:

If the elevator is checked properly and with the established periodicity, these accidents become impossible.

The severity of the injuries increases with the height of the fall, but also depends on the characteristics of the surface against which the impact occurs and the way in which the body impacts against it (falling on your feet is not the same as falling on your side).[13]​ The probability of survival increases if you land on a highly deformable surface (a surface that bends, compresses or moves easily), such as snow or water.[13]​.

Injuries caused by falls from buildings vary depending on the height of the building and the age of the person. Falls from the first floor of a building often cause injuries, but are usually not fatal. The height at which 50% of children die (who are prone to falling from windows and balconies) is between the fifth and sixth floors.[14]​.

Long-term exercise appears to decrease the rate of falls in older people.[5]​ The fall rate of older people in hospitals can be reduced by up to 72% through various interventions.[15]​ In nursing homes, fall prevention programs, which include several interventions, prevent recurrent falls.[16]​.

Falls can also be prevented by installing flooring with the appropriate slip resistance (non-slip) for the intended use. For example, a pool terrace and an outdoor ramp require a floor with greater resistance to slipping in the wet than the floor of a section of a store that sells only canned goods. Pavement slip resistance testing is very useful in preventing slips and falls in areas that are expected to become wet or dirty during use.

Contenido

En 2013, las caídas accidentales provocaron aproximadamente 556 000 muertes en todo el mundo, un aumento considerable respecto a las 341 000 muertes registradas en 1990.[17]​ Son la segunda causa más común de muerte por lesiones no intencionadas después de los accidentes de tráfico.[18]​.

USA

Falls were the most common cause of injuries treated in emergency departments in the United States. One study found that there were nearly 7.9 million fall-related emergency room visits, accounting for nearly 35.7% of the total. Among children and young people under 19 years of age, there are approximately 8,000 daily visits to the emergency room for this reason.

In 2000 in the United States, 717 workers died from injuries caused by falls from ladders, scaffolding, buildings or other heights. More recent data showed that falls accounted for 14% of all workplace deaths in the United States in 2011.[20]​.

A person falling at a low altitude usually reaches a terminal velocity of 190 km/h after about 12 seconds, falling about 450 m. From that moment on, the person maintains this speed, unless they alter their aerodynamic profile (for example, opening a parachute). The terminal velocity at a higher altitude is higher, because the air is less dense and, therefore, offers less resistance.

JAT flight attendant Vesna Vulović survived a 33,000-foot (10,058.4 m) fall on January 26, 1972, when she was trapped in the shattered fuselage of the DC-9 of JAT Flight 367. The plane was shot down by explosives placed by the Croatian Ustaše over Srbská Kamenice, in the former Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic). The Serbian stewardess suffered a fractured skull, three broken vertebrae (one of them completely crushed) and remained in a coma for 27 days. In an interview, she commented that, according to the man who found her: «…She was in the central part of the plane. They found me with my head down and my partner on top. Part of my body, including my leg, was inside the plane and my head was outside. A catering cart was wedged against my spine, keeping me inside the plane. The man who found me says I was very lucky. He had been a doctor in the German army "Heer (Wehrmacht)") during World War II. He knew how to take care of me at the scene of the accident."[21]

During World War II there were several reports of military aircrew surviving long falls from severely damaged aircraft: Flight Sergeant Nicholas Alkemade jumped from 18,000 feet (5,486.4 m) without a parachute and survived hitting pine trees and soft snow. He suffered a sprained leg. Sergeant Alan Magee jumped from his plane at 22,000 feet (6,705.6 m) without a parachute and survived crashing into the glass roof of the Saint-Nazaire train station. Lieutenant Ivan Chisov jumped from his plane at 23,000 feet (7,010.4 m). Although he had a parachute, he did not want to open it immediately, because he was in the middle of an aerial combat and feared being hit while hanging from the parachute. But he lost consciousness due to lack of oxygen, was unable to open his parachute and crashed into a snowy slope while still unconscious. Although he suffered serious injuries, he was able to fly again three months later.

Two of the victims of Pan Am Flight 103 (which crashed over the town of Lockerbie due to a bomb) were reported to have survived for a short period after hitting the ground (they were in the forward section of the fuselage, which plummeted to the ground), but died of their injuries before help arrived.

Juliane Koepcke survived a long free fall following the crash of LANSA Flight 508 "LANSA Flight 508 (Peru)") (a LANSA Lockheed Electra commercial airliner OB-R-941 "LANSA (Peru)") on December 24, 1971 in the Peruvian Amazon. The plane was struck by lightning during a strong thunderstorm and disintegrated at an altitude of 3.2 km. Köpcke, who was 17 at the time, fell strapped to her seat. The German-Peruvian teenager survived the fall with only a broken collarbone, a wound to her right arm, and her right eye swollen shut.[22]​.

As an example of "free fall survival" that was not as extreme as is sometimes reported in the press, a Staffordshire skydiver, James Boole, was said to have plummeted 1,800m in Russia and survived. Boole stated that another skydiver had given him the signal 2 seconds late to open his device. Boole, who was filming the other skydiver for a television documentary, landed on snow-covered rocks and suffered broken back and ribs.[23] While he was lucky to survive, it was not a case of true free-fall survival, as he was wearing a wingsuit (which allows for gliding), which significantly reduced his speed. Furthermore, the impact occurred on a slope with abundant snow, and just as his parachute began to deploy.

Over the years, other parachutists have survived accidents in which the press reported that they did not have their parachute open, when in reality they were being slowed by a small section of the parachute that was tangled (to function well, the parachute must fully deploy;[24] however, if it only partially deploys, it also reduces the rate of fall, although perhaps not enough for an undamaged landing).

Skydiver and stuntman Luke Aikins successfully jumped without a parachute from approximately 25,000 feet (7,620.0 m) over a 930-square-meter net in California on July 30, 2016.[25]​.

Elevator-related fall accidents are extremely rare (less than 1 in every 6.66 million elevator trips).[26] They can be of 2 types:

If the elevator is checked properly and with the established periodicity, these accidents become impossible.