Near Lake Waikaremoana, on New Zealand's North Island, last month, a cable snaps and 4 hikers plunge 26 feet and into a river:
"When we get halfway across we hear a muffled sound and before having time to do anything I was thrown into the emptiness, accepting the likelihood I would die."
October 9, 2015
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25 comments:
What a crappy bridge! There was no redundancy in the cabling?
The bridge twisted in such a way as essentially catapult them to the side & into the water. They were lucky it was only 26 feet & there were no rocks below.
What I found interesting was how quickly the guy filming ends up in the water after the bridge snaps. One instant on the bridge; the next, in the drink.
What I found interesting is that no one screams. It's all so silent. Only the gurgling of the water.
... on m'a jeté dans le vide...
Grand Canyon Skywalk: http://www.papillon.com/west-rim-information/grand-canyon-skywalk?gclid=CJqqzt3ltcgCFYdrfgodQWwD6Q
Exactly why I won't ride the tram at State Fair. Or SummerFest. There's no river below there either.
I always go over cable brides one person at a time. This is why.
It sounds like they failed to break their stride in marching over the bridge--often the fatal mistake.
Original Mike said...
I always go over cable brides one person at a time. This is why.
Blogger jimbino said...
It sounds like they failed to break their stride in marching over the bridge--often the fatal mistake.
Oh great, more victim-blaming...
Dix personnes, but they didn't say how heavy.
Gravity is fast. 26 feet down takes 1.27 seconds.
"Ann Althouse said...
What I found interesting is that no one screams. It's all so silent. Only the gurgling of the water."
No time. The bridge broke at :44. The hit the water at :46. Less than two seconds.
"No time. The bridge broke at :44. The hit the water at :46. Less than two seconds."
I feel that I'd be screaming in less than a second. But I'm not going to test that.
As a kid, I was never afraid of heights. As an adult, I never lean on railings.
I blame high school physics.
I blame New Zealand's crumbling infrastructure.
I'm going to extrapolate that each backpack (sac à dos) equals one person, for purposes of cable bridge crossings...
@Prof. Althouse,
I feel that I'd be screaming in less than a second. But I'm not going to test that.
Actually, if you're falling into water, it's a good idea to keep your mouth closed & your air in your lungs rather than leaving your body propelling out a scream.
I doubt their lack of screams was intentional, but it was all to the good.
I always go over cable brides one person at a time. This is why.
Yes. Especially with full packs. You don't *all* equipment into the drink.
They were frog marching which is never a good idea on a suspension bridge. One at a time.
"You don't *all* equipment into the drink."
Could easily save your life in a cold environment.
"Ann Althouse said...
"No time. The bridge broke at :44. The hit the water at :46. Less than two seconds."
I feel that I'd be screaming in less than a second. But I'm not going to test that."
No way. Your brain has to process what's going on and then you have to inhale to scream. Before that you are in the water. The fact that you didn't here screams is really the proof. These weren't brave people. They were just people.
The two main cables look substantial enough, and the bridge as a whole looked in pretty good repair. I'm really curious what failed - I bet it was a shackle at one end, or a cable support. Those elements can easily have hidden cracks and corrosion damage, and usually have little or no redundancy, unlike a wire-rope cable. Designing a bridge without a single point-of-failure is not a job for amateurs (although note that the bridge itself did not end up in the river after the initial twist that threw in the hikers, and even seemed to be more or less upright.)
Lucky folks, all things considered.
Petroski's "To Engineer is Human" is an interesting intro to the topic of failures.
Looks like a ride at Action Park.
Looks like The Bridge of San Luis Rey except that everyone survives. Why?
if 2 seconds isn't enough time to scream, I wonder if it's enough time to feel fear, or are you still processing it at the time that you hit the drink? Some people went in even before the camera. Maybe they were just having the ride of their lives. It could have been exhilarating. If you paid for an all day pass at the water park and you jumped in the water instead of falling, you might fall considerably farther.
I wonder if they'll sue. I'd like to think not. They were certainly lucky to have a nice deep streambed below them. Being French, it was of course a farce instead of a tragedy.
Science!
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