If you jumped off a highrise building, at which point would you be dead?

Question

Seems like a question, but do you die on impact (on the ground) or would you die in mid-air from shock or a heart attack? And what's the highest floor/story that anyone every jumped from and survived?

I meant to type "Seems like an easy question, but..."

Ok to the first person who answered, how would you neck break if you haven't hit the ground yet, that would be dead on impact (hitting the ground).,...so your answer doesn't really make sense.

Answer 1

Chances are you would die at impact.

At least three airmen survived free falls of around 20,000 ft (6,000 m) without a parachute in the Second World War; Lt. I.M. Chisov was a Russian bomber pilot, Sgt. Alan Magee was an American gunner on a B-17, and Sgt. Nicholas Alkemade was a British gunner on a Lancaster bomber. It is estimated that a person free falling in the "box" position reaches a terminal velocity of around 120 mph (200 km/h) after a fall of just 1,000 ft (300 m), so the additional 19,000 ft (5,700 m) doesn't make these falls that much more dangerous, apart from the lack of oxygen at high altitude. All three men lost consciousness during their falls, and two of them landed on terrain covered in deep snow, which was probably a significant factor in the survivability of the falls.

Vesna Vuloviæ, a flight attendant from Yugoslavia, survived a fall from 10,160 m (33,330 ft) when the DC-9 airplane she was traveling in blew up over Srbská Kamenice, Czechoslovakia, on January 26, 1972. She remained strapped into her flight attendant's seat in the tail section of the plane, which remained attached to the washrooms. The assembly struck the snow-covered flank of a mountain. A terrorist bomb was thought to be the cause. Vuloviæ broke both legs and was temporarily paralyzed from the waist down. No other passengers survived.

Answer 2

It's most likely that you would die once you hit the ground; you wouldn't die of shock if you jumped on purpose, I don't think you'd have a heart attack as there'd be more oxygen closer to the ground. I have no idea about the world record for jumping and surviving, but please don't try this yourself!

Answer 3

You would die at impact.  Falling is easy; skydivers do it for miles, and suffer no ill effects.  BASE jumpers leap off some of the same buildings and do it again for thrills.  The only difference is how gently you slow down and touch the ground.

Answer 4

Since you said they jumped, that assumes they did so willingly, so you could then assume that sheer panic and fear is not part of the game here. Therefore, they would probably not die from shock or other similar trauma, but only from impact. Someone who was puushed or fell accidentally may die from shock or fear, but that would depend solely upon the individual.

Answer 5

You could die from natural consequences unrelated to the fall. You could die from a heart attack or a stroke. You could hit something on the way down and die. You could choke on a starling. You could be suffocated from the rush of wind into your face, if you're falling for thousands of feet, but I'm not sure about this one. You could, theoretically, burn like a meteor if you fall from high up enough. You could be made an object of target practice on the way down. You would definitely be dead when you arrive at your destination.

Answer 6

Well, you'd be fine up until the moment when you hit the ground.

I have personally fallen from a height of 11,000 feet down to a height of 1,000 feet. (Fortunately, my parachute opened at that point.) I can assure you that my neck did not break while I was falling.

Answer 7

You'd be alive all the way down, feel the pain of impact (bones breaking, skull smashing...) and only then would you die, probably of ruptured internal organs.

Answer 8

The second of impact, if you're lucky. Otherwise you'd probably be a veggie for the rest of your life.

Answer 9

Your neck would break before you hit the ground...end of story.

Answer 10

neurogenic shock that your nervous system has when you jump and anticipate the coming events - itself is sufficient to kill you...