Should you lay on your back in a falling elevator?

[T]he best way to survive in a falling elevator is to lie down on your back. Sitting is bad but better than standing, because buttocks are nature’s safety foam. As for jumping up in the air just before the elevator hits bottom, it only delays the inevitable. Plus, then you might be squatting when you hit.

What does jumping in an elevator do?

Once the elevator is falling more than half as fast as the speed you get by jumping from rest, jumping reduces your energy, and will soften the fall. If you tried jumping just as soon as the elevator started to fall, you’d actually end up falling from a greater height, and hit harder.

Do elevators ever drop?

First of all, elevators never plummet down their shafts. For the past century, elevators have had a backup break that automatically engages when an elevator starts to fall. If all the cables snapped (highly unlikely), the elevator would only fall a few feet before the safety breaks would activate.

Can you lie flat on Your Back in an elevator?

In order to lie down flat, you would have to find some way to pull yourself down and then hold yourself there without bouncing off the floor. Even taking all these factors into account, lying flat on your back, if you can manage it, is still probably your best bet for surviving a falling elevator.

What’s the best way to survive a falling elevator?

Even taking all these factors into account, lying flat on your back, if you can manage it, is still probably your best bet for surviving a falling elevator. Realistically, you’re just trying to survive, and the supine approach gives the best odds. It might also be the statistically best option for reducing injuries over a shorter drop.

What happens to your body when you fall from an elevator?

Well, sorry, you’re most likely dead as well. When the elevator hits the bottom of the shaft, your body will seem much heavier, depending on the length of your ride to the bottom. That’s because gravity makes the elevator accelerate during a fall.

What is the world record for falling in an elevator?

Betty Lou Oliver, who holds the Guinness World Record for Longest Fall Survived in an Elevator, lived through falling 75 stories (more than 1,000 feet) in an Empire State Building elevator in 1945. Had she been lying on the floor, she probably would have been killed.