# Surviving a fall from a tall building - should the Master update his column? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [January 5, 2008, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-tall-building-should-the-master-update-his-column/432395 "2008-01-05T14:56:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-tall-building-should-the-master-update-his-column/432395/21 "2017-10-13T19:48:50Z")
> [@John\_W.Kennedy](#): > > It’s relatively thin sheet metal. It’s not something I would ever do as an experiment, but the main thing you have to do is stretch the distance you stop in, and several inches is a lot better than zero. (Actually, I vaguely remember this happening in a _Dick Tracy_ strip sometime in the late 50s or early 60s. Gould wasn’t a scientist, but, as far as I know, he made an effort to be semi-plausible in his storytelling.) Yes, I also recall a Dick Tracy strip where someone decides to jump down from a significant distance by landing on the roof of a car. Practically all the Dick Tracy I’ve read has been from one particular compilation: [Dick Tracy's Fiendish Foes | Dick Tracy Wiki | Fandom](http://dicktracy.wikia.com/wiki/Dick_Tracy%27s_Fiendish_Foes) so if one was looking for it, those strips would be the first place to lok. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-tall-building-should-the-master-update-his-column/432395/22 "2017-10-13T21:46:24Z")
> [@John\_W.Kennedy](#): > > It’s relatively thin sheet metal. It’s not something I would ever do as an experiment, but the main thing you have to do is stretch the distance you stop in, and several inches is a lot better than zero. (Actually, I vaguely remember this happening in a _Dick Tracy_ strip sometime in the late 50s or early 60s. Gould wasn’t a scientist, but, as far as I know, he made an effort to be semi-plausible in his storytelling.) When the woman jumped of the Empire State Building, hoods were more sturdy stuff than the thin metal hoods of today. I wonder which works best. I might be able to flop around on the way down, to try and hit an older car. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-tall-building-should-the-master-update-his-column/432395/23 "2017-10-14T05:21:30Z")
Don’t be like these guys: [Aim for the bushes - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YqoI84-9vA) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-tall-building-should-the-master-update-his-column/432395/24 "2017-10-14T16:13:01Z")
I don’t have a cite, but a cousin in San Francisco told me back in the '80s of a man there who had recently fallen 20 or 30 floors and lived. His survival was apparently credited to his being drunk at the time, keeping him relaxed enough for when he hit whatever it was that broke his fall. Awning, bush, forget exactly what it was. She said it was in the news. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-tall-building-should-the-master-update-his-column/432395/25 "2017-10-14T16:45:38Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I don’t have a cite, but a cousin in San Francisco told me back in the '80s of a man there who had recently fallen 20 or 30 floors and lived. His survival was apparently credited to his being drunk at the time, keeping him relaxed enough for when he hit whatever it was that broke his fall. Awning, bush, forget exactly what it was. She said it was in the news. That is supposedly the reason people survive DWI wrecks. _Always_ drink before you drive! :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-tall-building-should-the-master-update-his-column/432395/26 "2017-10-14T18:34:05Z")
Thanks, I will. Man, I learn all sorts of tips here! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-tall-building-should-the-master-update-his-column/432395.md?page=1)