[HitmanLV]

Any doctors or scientists on this thread? I have heard that in situations like this you die before you hit the ground, blacking out from the fall, and possibly that your neck is broken from the fall, so that when you hit the ground, you are already dead.

Any truth to this, or is it a 6th grader's science project? I was wondering that on 9-11, and also hope to never actually find out.

[oceanview]

well, if that were true, wouldn't all skydivers die in the descent? i think you would likely go into shock on the way down.

[Cogadh na Sith]

I have heard that in situations like this you die before you hit the ground, blacking out from the fall, and possibly that your neck is broken from the fall, so that when you hit the ground, you are already dead.

Old Urban legend. Military High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) jumpers will jump from 25-30K feet and open below 2k feet. (sometimes lower, even).

Terminal velocity for a head-down parachutist is probably around 150 mph. Terminal velocity means that your wind resistance finally evens out your acceleration and you continue at the same velocity--no faster. Motorcycle racers routinely go that fast.

Terminal velocity for a parachutist in the usual 'relaxed frog' position is somewere around 100mph.

In short, it's not the fall, it's the really short stop at the end...

[El Gato]

I have heard that in situations like this you die before you hit the ground, blacking out from the fall,

Why would you black out from the fall, other than as a bad case of "the vapors". People jump out of perfectly good airplanes all the time, and fall for a lot longer than these people, without blacking out. Most seem to enjoy the experience in fact. Of course they have parachutes to make the eventual landing more gentle.