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-Short Attention Span Theater- | |||
Man survives 3,500ft fall | |||
2004-11-18 | |||
A British skydiver has survived a 3,500ft fall after his parachute failed to open. Charlie Williams, 25, was saved by a corrugated iron roof he smashed through at 120mph.
Charlie said: "I don't know if I'm very lucky or very unlucky. I'm alive and frankly that's all that matters."
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Posted by:Steve |
#8 Hyuk, hyuk... |
Posted by: mojo 2004-11-18 4:25:29 PM |
#7 I guess once you fall far enough to reach terminal velocity it doesn't matter if you fell from 3,000 or 30,000,.. Apparently, Mr. Williams' velocity wasn't actually "terminal"..... :) |
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-11-18 4:23:56 PM |
#6 Yup, it was Willie and Joe. The two of them are sitting in a foxhole with ordinance flying back and forth over their heads, and Willie says to Joe: "I feel like a refugee from th' law of averages." Classic quote. |
Posted by: Weird Al 2004-11-18 4:08:13 PM |
#5 Mike--Don't know if he coined it, but I've seen that line in a Bill Mauldin "Willie and Joe" cartoon before. |
Posted by: Dar 2004-11-18 12:50:33 PM |
#4 "I was very frightened and I was panicking. My body position meant it was impossible to deploy my reserve parachute." By "body position" I assume he means "curled up, screaming, crying like a baby". 'Cuz, that's how I'd be in that situation. |
Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-11-18 12:43:59 PM |
#3 I believe it was Ernie Pyle who coined the phrase "fugitive from the law of averages." This guy just lived it. |
Posted by: Mike 2004-11-18 12:43:19 PM |
#2 More info on free-fallers who survived from great heights here: http://www.greenharbor.com/fffolder/ffallers.html |
Posted by: Dar 2004-11-18 12:42:13 PM |
#1 Well, the current world record for highest survived fall is over 33,000 feet. I guess once you fall far enough to reach terminal velocity it doesn't matter if you fell from 3,000 or 30,000, however I would expect the cold and lack of oxygen once you get much above 10,000 ft could be nearly as dangerous as the fall itself? |
Posted by: Dar 2004-11-18 12:36:34 PM |