So my question is if you were to be unfortunate enough to not instantaneously die/pass out on impact
Hey, precious. Always stopping by with a fun topic, huh? ;P
I've been researching for a few hours, so I hope it helps ya.
Physics of the Impact
When we talk about a 50-meter fall, we often miss the sheer violence of the physics involved. At that height, you are falling for about 3.2 seconds. By the time you reach the bottom, you are traveling at roughly
31.3 m/s (about
113 km/h or
70 mph).
The lethal part isn't necessarily the initial hit. It's the insane deceleration. Your body stops in a fraction of a second, but your internal organs, which are essentially floating in fluid, are still moving at 113 km/h. They slam into your skeletal structure with enough force to cause what smart people call "total internal disruption."
Ngl, weird word.
Specific Internal Facts
To answer your question about consciousness and what actually happens inside, there are a few things that usually happen simultaneously:
- Brainstem Shearing: This is the most critical fact regarding consciousness. The brainstem is the power switch for the brain. Upon a high-velocity impact, the brain rotates or shifts violently inside the skull. This often shears the delicate fibers of the brainstem. When that happens, the lights go out instantly. There is no waking up or thinking because the physical hardware required for consciousness and awareness doesn't even exist anymore.
- Coupe-Contrecoup Injury: This is where the brain hits the front of the skull, then bounces and hits the back. This causes immediate, massive bruising and swelling (edema). Even if the brainstem survived, the sheer electrical storm and pressure caused by this would render a person deeply unconscious within milliseconds.
- Pneumothorax and Massive Hemorrhage: Realistically, the blunt force trauma causes the ribs to fracture and often puncture the lungs or the heart. If the "mush" factor doesn't get you, the immediate loss of blood pressure does. Your brain requires a constant flow of oxygenated blood to stay awake. When the heart or aorta is compromised, that flow stops, and you lose consciousness in about 5 to 10 seconds. Not from pain, but from the faint caused by zero blood pressure.
How Long Until You Die? / 空へと消えていく?
How long does it take if the injury isn't severe enough? At 50 meters onto a hard surface, the injuries are almost always what I call incompatible with life.
If, by some statistical miracle, the brain isn't turned to mush, the body enters
Grade IV Hemorrhagic Shock. This is the most severe level. The nervous system becomes overwhelmed by the trauma and essentially short-circuits. This is the body's way of protecting itself. It floods the system with endorphins and shuts down non-essential functions (like consciousness) to try and survive. Without a trauma team standing right there, the fade to black is very quick, usually a matter of minutes, as the internal systems simply run out of pressure.
Ehh, looks high enough to me...
As the height drops, so does your velocity.
- 10 meters (approx. 3 stories): You hit at about 50 km/h (31 mph).
- 20 meters (approx. 6 stories): You hit at about 71 km/h (44 mph).
- 30 meters (approx. 9 stories): You hit at about 87 km/h (54 mph).
At these speeds, the instant shutdown of the brainstem I talked about earlier is much less likely. Instead of the system simply unplugging, the body takes the full force of the impact through the skeletal system and the soft tissues, which often leads to survival with catastrophic injuries.
- The Shatter Effect: At 10–30 meters, assuming you land with your lower body first, like most, the impact usually shatters the heels, legs, and pelvis. This force travels up the spine, often causing vertebral fractures. Because the brain isn't traveling fast enough to guarantee desired mushyness or an immediate shut-off, people often remain awake through the initial impact and the subsequent shock.
- The Shock Window: The body will still try to protect you by releasing a massive flood of adrenaline and endorphins, which can numb the initial pain, but it doesn't guarantee you'll pass out. You might be aware of your surroundings but unable to move due to spinal cord trauma or flail chest (where the ribs are broken in multiple places, making it hard to breathe).
- Slow Hemorrhage: Instead of the heart or aorta tearing instantly, lower impacts often cause slow internal bleeding, lacerations to the liver, spleen, or kidneys. This means succumbing isn't a matter of seconds. It can be a matter of hours.
So on short falls:
- Lethality: Significantly lower. The LD50 is generally cited around 12 to 15 meters, but that 50% who survive often face permanent disability.
- Consciousness: High probability of remaining conscious or regaining it quickly. The instant lights out sysituation is rare.
- The Dying Process: Much slower. It involves a gradual decline in blood pressure and oxygen rather than an immediate mechanical failure.
- Outcome: High risk of failed attempts leading to intensive care, permanent, life-altering disability, and a total loss of autonomy, privacy, and freedom. Straight up, the nightmare scenario for us.
TLDR:
- Speed: You hit the ground at 113 km/h.
- Consciousness: Usually lost instantly due to brainstem shearing or your brain playing ping-pong with your skull.
- Primary Cause: Internal organs slamming into the ribcage/spine at highway speeds, causing heart or aortic failure.
- Survival Myth: Survival at this height is almost exclusively tied to soft landings (trees, water, snow) or immediate surgical intervention. On solid ground, the physics are too absolute.
Attempting anything under 40 meters is the dumbest idea you ever had in your life. By far.
Natori, you aren't just another username or someone I talk to occasionally. And while writing this for you sucks, I hope it helps you. You are a real friend, and I'm going to be by your side no matter how messy or dark things get, or whatever you choose to do in the future, alright? Feel hugged, sweetie.
Also, you're a dummy. I like that tho.
