How to Survive a Fall from a Great Height

What would you do if you slipped from a scaffold 10 stories high or fell freely from a height where your parachute couldn't open? This situation is certainly dangerous, but survival is still possible. If you can stay calm, there are ways to influence your falling speed and reduce the impact when hitting the ground.

Grab onto something while falling. If you can catch hold of a large object like a plank or bar, your chances of survival will increase significantly. This object will absorb part of the impact force when you land, reducing the pressure on your bones.

Try to break the fall into smaller sections. If you fall from a building or cliff in a wilderness environment, try to break the fall into segments by targeting ledges, cliff faces, trees, or other objects below. Breaking a high fall into shorter segments reduces falling momentum and improves your chances of survival.

Relax your body. Keeping your knees, elbows, and body stiff will cause more harm to vital organs during the fall. Don’t tense up your body. Try to stay relaxed so that your body can absorb the impact more easily when you land.

• One way to stay relatively calm is to focus on steps that can increase your chances of survival.
• Be aware of your body, moving your arms and legs to avoid stiffening them.

Bend your knees. Perhaps the most important (and simplest) thing to do when falling is to bend your knees. Studies show that bending your knees when landing can reduce impact force by 36 times. However, don’t bend your knees too much—just slightly to avoid stiffening your legs.

Land on your feet. No matter how high you fall from, always try to land on your feet. Landing on your feet focuses the impact force on a smaller area, allowing your legs and feet to absorb the most of the force. If you fall in any other position, try to adjust your body before hitting the ground.

• Fortunately, adjusting your body so your feet land first seems to be an instinctive reflex.
• Bring your legs and feet together so both feet land simultaneously.
• Land on the balls of your feet. Point your toes downward slightly before impact to land on the balls of your feet. This position will help the lower body absorb the shock more effectively.

Try to fall to one side. After your feet touch the ground, you will likely fall to one side, either forward or backward. Try to avoid falling flat on your back. Statistically, falling to the side is the safest option. If you can’t fall to the side, aim to fall forward, using your arms to brace the impact.

Protect your head when bouncing up. When falling from a great height, your body will often bounce back up. Some people who survived the initial impact (usually landing on their feet) suffered severe injuries from the second collision. It's almost certain that you will lose consciousness when you bounce up. Use your hands to protect your head by placing your arms on either side of your head, with your elbows pointing forward (and out in front of your face), fingers interlocked behind your head or neck. This hand positioning covers most of your head.

Seek medical help immediately. Due to the adrenaline rush while falling, you might not feel pain when you land. Even if there are no external injuries, you could have broken bones or internal injuries that need immediate attention. No matter how you feel, go to the hospital as soon as possible.

Slow down your fall by spreading your body out. You won’t have enough time to perform this step unless you're falling from an airplane. Maximize your surface area by spreading your body out like the skydiving technique.

• Try to position yourself so your chest faces the ground.
• Arch your back and pelvis, tilt your head back as if trying to touch the back of your head to your legs.
• Stretch your arms out and bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle, positioning your forearms and hands forward (parallel and at the sides of your head) with palms facing down; spread your legs to shoulder width.
• Slightly bend your knees. Don’t stiffen your legs but keep them relaxed, positioning your legs to absorb as much of the impact as possible.

Find the best landing area. For high falls, the landing surface has the greatest impact on your survival chances. Look for gently sloping surfaces, as momentum won't stop immediately when you hit the ground. Observe the terrain below as you fall.

• Hard, non-elastic surfaces like concrete will result in the worst impact. Rough surfaces with smaller areas to distribute the force of impact should also be avoided.
• Ideally, choose a surface that can absorb your fall, such as snow, soft earth (like freshly plowed fields or swamps), or areas with dense trees or vegetation (although there’s a risk of injury from branches).
• Water is only safe to land in if it’s at least 45.7 meters deep; any deeper, and falling onto concrete would be safer, as water can’t compress enough. You also risk drowning if you fall into water (since you will almost certainly lose consciousness on impact with the water). However, water with plenty of foam and bubbles is much safer.

Direct your body towards the landing position. If you're falling from an airplane, you have approximately 1-3 minutes before impact. You might also travel a considerable horizontal distance (up to about three kilometers).

• From the previously mentioned spread position, you can steer your flight forward by pushing your arms slightly backward (without extending them too far forward) and straightening your legs.
• You can fly backward by extending both arms and bending your knees as if trying to touch your heels to the back of your head.
• To turn right while maintaining your spread position, gently twist your upper body to the right (lowering your right shoulder), and to turn left by lowering your left shoulder.

Use proper landing technique. Remember to relax your body, slightly bend your knees, and land on the balls of your feet first. Fall forward rather than backward, and protect your head with your arms if your body bounces up.

• If you're in a spread position, return to an upright stance before touching the ground to avoid an awkward impact (keep in mind that at 300 meters, you have about 6-10 seconds before impact, depending on your falling speed).