Random Creepy Things You Didn't Know About Falling To Your Death (12 items)

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  (#1) You Might Fall Faster Than You Can Think

  Although our brains account for only a small percentage of our body mass, they require approximately 20 percent of our energy. While our reaction times can be quiet fast - like 250 mph - the time in which we experience pain or process trauma is much slower. Signals travel through our brains at a rate of about one meter per second.

  So depending on how short the fall is, one could hit the ground before even processing what's happening.
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  (#2) Your Chances of Survival May Be Better If You're Drunk

  Research has shown that if you are drunk, you are more likely to survive a serious injury, though scientists don't know exactly why. There is a myth that when you are intoxicated, you are better able to absorb an impact because your body is more relaxed, whereas a sober person is likely to be tense. 

  A study conducted at the University of Illinois at Chicago refers to this as the "protective effect." However, this is a working theory and hasn't been confirmed within the scientific community.
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  (#3) You Weigh More When You Hit the Ground

  The act of falling itself generally isn't what ends a person - but the sudden deceleration of our bodies can. Falling from a great height can dramatically alter our weight upon impact. So if you fell out of an airplane with no parachute, your body would be about 7,500 times its normal weight when it hit the ground. In that moment, your brain alone would weigh 10 tons.

  To put it into perspective, if someone weighing 110 pounds fell a distance of 10 feet with a deceleration at 1 foot, then the force generated from the body would actually equal about 1,210 pounds.
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  (#4) Your Cells Can Burst

  Decelerating rapidly - which is what happens if the human body falls and then makes sudden impact - can cause cells to rupture. Like cells, blood vessels can also break open, preventing the circulation of oxygen throughout the body. Without oxygen, our organs, including the brain, cease to function. 

  As one skydiver muses: "It's not the fall that gets you [...] It's the sudden stop at the bottom."
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  (#5) Your Aorta Might Disconnect From Your Heart

  A fall from a great height can disconnect the aorta - the largest blood vessel pumping blood - from the heart. The heart may then continue to beat and distribute blood into the body cavity, but this only continues for a few seconds.

  Because the cells and blood vessels have ruptured, the brain no longer receives the blood necessary to keep functioning. 
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  (#6) Your Skull Could Shatter

  Depending on how you land when you fall, your skull could crack into several pieces. This type of injury has the potential to cause life-debilitating brain and spine damage. This is why one should wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle, bicycle, or even skateboard.

  However, a helmet can't prevent serious injury if one falls from the height of a building.
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  (#7) You Could Experience Massive Internal Bleeding

  Once the blood vessels have ruptured and the heart briefly continues to pump blood, the result can be internal bleeding. With a bad fall, bleeding occurs all over the body, including in the brain. But since the pathways for the blood to travel have been damaged, the blood then pools inside the body.

  Even if there is no clear sign of external injury, our bodies may experience this life-threatening condition after severe trauma, such as through falling, a car accident, taking a hard punch, or having an object of great weight dropped on the body.
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  (#8) Things Could Get Messy

  Depending on what kind of surface breaks the impact of a fall, there could be a lot of blood spatter. Even if the person falling lands in one piece, the impact could cause external injuries. These injuries may lead to bleeding out since the blood vessels are unable to contain the blood anymore.

  An adult human has approximately 1.2 to 1.5 gallons of blood inside the body. Forensic analysts can also use the pattern of blood spatter to determine the height, force, and velocity of how someone fell.
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  (#9) Falls Cause Fatal Injuries Shockingly Often

  Humans spend a lot of time inside their homes and other places, so dangerous falls occur most often in indoor settings. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), unintentional falling causes over 30,000 deaths a year in America alone. Those numbers are higher than those resulting from car accidents. The CDC even notes most people in emergency rooms are there to address injuries caused by falls.

  Usually, those who endure fatal injuries related to a loss of balance fall in everyday settings. Wet bathroom environments are especially dangerous as are public shopping areas.
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  (#10) There May Be No Blood Spatter At All

  It's entirely possible to fall - whether a short or long distance - and have no obvious external injuries. This means no visible trauma to the body, as well as no blood spatter for forensics to analyze. A fall could result in all internal injuries, or no injuries at all if you have a soft landing. 

  A firefighter who jumps from a tall building into a safety net is unlikely to sustain injuries. However, falling from a great height and making an impact with concrete is more likely to result in life-threatening injuries. 
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  (#11) Your Standard Terminal Velocity Is Around 120 MPH, But You Could Reach 200 MPH

  The terminal velocity of a human (the fastest speed we can fall) is around 120 mph. However, this is determined by calculating the wind resistance against a flat body. If you dress yourself in an aerodynamic latex suit and dive headfirst, rather than belly flat and parallel to the ground, you might reach speeds of 200 mph. 

  If someone is free falling with legs and arms spread, the appendages are more likely to catch wind resistance, which would slow down the faller. A ball-like position will increase the terminal velocity. 
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  (#12) Falling In Water Is Just As Bad As Falling On Land

  Some people think that it's better to land in water if you're falling from a great height because water will cushion your fall. In fact, landing on water can cause just as much damage as landing on concrete. The surface of the water can act like a solid when your body impacts it. Anyone who's ever done a belly flop knows that firsthand.

  Depending on the force of impact, solids - like rocks, a shed, or even another person - can be dispersed, essentially acting like water. Similarly, water acts like a solid when met with a great force.

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