SADNESS WARNING: Mother of 2 drowns in vehicle; has chance to talk to husband before being submerged - Polidicks

You can also pull the headrest out from the seat, giving you a metal rod that's pretty good for window breaking.

of course problem number two with smashing the window for that minute, the car is nice and safe and filled with air once you break that window, you're already scared enough from crashing into a lake, now you have water rushing in

Christ that is saddening. I always keep a utility knife on me, it's illegal to have in Canada because you can flick it open, but Fire Fighters carry it to break windows open on cars, because it has the kind of square to point end on the knife that can be used. RIP.

[QUOTE=Covalency;44202447]Christ that is saddening. I always keep a utility knife on me, it's illegal to have in Canada because you can flick it open, but Fire Fighters carry it to break windows open on cars, because it has the kind of square to point end on the knife that can be used. RIP.[/QUOTE] I have one too. I hope I'll never have to use it. I can't imagine how terrifying it would be to be trapped in a vehicle as it fills with water.

Man, that's sad. She probably just panicked and didn't know what to do...

Scary stuff right there, my biggest fear is being trapped and drowning. Don't know what's worse though, having to make that phone call or receiving it

What you need to do in this situations is, actually, to wait for the car to fill up with water, then you open the door/window and that's it. The problem is to stay calm.

Breaking the window before the car fills is not exactly the best idea considering the pressure will force not only all the water in, but now broken shards of glass as well. Directly at you. Those window-breaking tools are meant to be used after the car is full of water, if you can't get the door open.

[QUOTE=catbarf;44204352]Breaking the window before the car fills is not exactly the best idea considering the pressure will force not only all the water in, but now broken shards of glass as well. Directly at you. Those window-breaking tools are meant to be used after the car is full of water, if you can't get the door open.[/QUOTE] I wouldn't mind permanent scars if it means surviving. Heck even losing an eye sounds better than that.

[QUOTE=catbarf;44204352]Breaking the window before the car fills is not exactly the best idea considering the pressure will force not only all the water in, but now broken shards of glass as well. Directly at you. Those window-breaking tools are meant to be used after the car is full of water, if you can't get the door open.[/QUOTE] safety glass

[QUOTE=LordCrypto;44204615]safety glass[/QUOTE] And getting cut up a bit is a substantially better outcome than...you know...drowning. Wouldn't rolling the windows down as far as possible be better than leaving them up? I know on electrics it may cause problems, but wouldn't that allow the pressure to equal out faster? Possibly even swim out of the window even?

[QUOTE=commander204;44204598]I wouldn't mind permanent scars if it means surviving. Heck even losing an eye sounds better than that.[/QUOTE] Except that the instant the window breaks, if the car still contains air then the water is going to be rushing in under pressure, and the deeper you are the faster it comes in. You probably won't be able to escape through the window until the car fills with water anyways. [QUOTE=LordCrypto;44204615]safety glass[/QUOTE] Have you seen what safety glass does when its integrity is compromised under pressure? What do you expect it to do?

[QUOTE=General J;44201681]Isn't it once the entire car is submerged the pressure equalizes, and then the door can open?[/QUOTE] Once the entire car is filled with water, which comes after it's been submerged for some time.

Waiting for the car to fill up with water is easier said than done. Both in Mythbusters and in this video they didn't always have enough time between their last breath and being able to open the door. The best thing you can do is try to open the door immediately after hitting the water. Opening the window is another option, but it's something you have to do immediately. Once the water starts pressing up against the glass it'll be impossible to open. This is a very real problem in Florida. At least in the areas I've lived, you can't drive for 5 minutes without coming across either a pond or canal. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdqrduxK9To[/media] [editline]11th March 2014[/editline] Welcome to Florida. [t]http://i.imgur.com/QrnyuRI.png[/t]

[QUOTE=catbarf;44204352]Breaking the window before the car fills is not exactly the best idea considering the pressure will force not only all the water in, but now broken shards of glass as well. Directly at you. Those window-breaking tools are meant to be used after the car is full of water, if you can't get the door open.[/QUOTE] Uhh, so? Drowning is the worst death short or being burnt alive. I'd rather have glass shards in my flesh than be dead.

[QUOTE=Oicani Gonzales;44201309]she might have panicked :([/QUOTE] THIS is how she died. Its heart warming that she was able to talk to her husband before it happened. But she should not have died in this. She wasn't elderly, she wasn't young. The time spent talking to the husband could have been used searching for a means out. Grab the keys from the ignition, point one out between your fingers with your thumb and palm bracing the back of it. Then smash the fuck out of a side window, kick it. After water has filled the majority of the car it becomes easier to open the doors. Its fast, so take your last few breaths immediately and make your escape. If your windows are manual, this also works ^^ (Electrics, you're using the first suggestion) She straight up freaked out, talked to him in a panic (justifiably so), and lost control of an already negative situation. She didn't have to die, which is the saddest part. Now, ALL THAT being said? Those of you who fear this, should carry something like these; [url=http://www.thefirestore.com/store/product.aspx/productId/13934/resqueme-Personal-Rescue-Key-Chain-Tool/?gclid=COvCpNLGi70CFRSPfgodFWsASg]Personal Rescue Keychain[/url] Its cheap, fits on your Keys (:v:), and will [u]save your life[/u].

most cars do have a something similar to a centre punch - the headrest prongs which hold them in place, slide out the headrest and bingo

I have a short breaker bar in my glove box I use for changing tyres, it would probably be my go to thing if this happened to me, I highly doubt the window would hold up against it. [IMG]http://www.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/image_14232.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE=Keys;44206051]THIS is how she died. Its heart warming that she was able to talk to her husband before it happened. But she should not have died in this...[/QUOTE] You're right except you have to remember that in some people that fight or flight thing turns to flight, which in this case fight is doing everything you can to get out, while flight is sitting there calling for help. She was not a fighter. This is not uncommon. I think last year there a case in Maine where two women drowned after they drove into water and called 911. What the fuck is 911 supposed to do for you if you've driven into water? Get on dry land THEN worry about calling 911. Some people though will revert to calling for help as the answer to everything.

Had a friend who crashed his truck into a pond and got out safe. He did like most people do in this situation at first though, he freaked out and kicked the windshield and side windows for a few moments before he grabbed a ball peen hammer from the toolbox he had next to him and smashed the driver's window. He was lucky working in a machine shop that he happened to have a few tools around to break the window with but most people aren't that lucky. And staying calm until your car fills completely isn't always the best option. What has been suggested to me by a friend who is a volunteer firefighter is if all fails and you don't have anything to break a window with then your next best bet is to find a way to make the vehicle fill up faster. This sounds stupid but the biggest problem is when you take the wait it out approach a lot of times what happens in the car is pretty well sealed and this causes the pressure inside the vehicle to change slower. If you can find any way to make your car more of a collender then you have a better chance. This isn't always an option but on older vehicles with quarter glass vents in the side windows or maybe a truck with a sliding back window(if you can force it open) you should try and get them open. Any cab vents that vent to the outside should be open. Beyond that it is a waiting game to let the cab fill, so your next job is to try and relax so you don't use so much oxygen. Try to orient yourself in a way where you can maintain the air pocket inside the car and take as many breaths as possible before the air pocket goes away. After that move to the nearest door and wait a few moments before trying to force it open. If you created enough paths for the pressure to equalize it will hopefully allow you to open a door before you run out of air. It really gives you the best chance if you have no other option.

How come nobody is noting the second car they found at the bottom? That shit is eerie.

This is terrible, no words for it. I know a lot of people are probably thinking "Didn't you watch Mythbusters, just hold your breath until the pressure equalises, open your door and swim out!". But the funny thing is, it wasn't until about 5 minutes after reading the article that I even THOUGHT about pressure equalisation... In a panic situation, just run off the road, sinking into a pond and desperately trying to get help, it's going to be incredibly easy to forget all about that. Even worse is most people just don't know about pressure equalisation in sinking vehicles. What a tragic story :(

emergency escape procedures should be taught nationally in drivers ed. not enough people frequent the internet enough to come across information like this.

Absolutely everyone should have one of these in their car; [t]http://store.baladeo.com/phototheque/PLR702/PLR702_0.png[/t] We keep one in all of our cars, you just never know. [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC4-ZQoRxAA"]www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC4-ZQoRxAA[/URL]

[QUOTE=psychojake;44201347]The pressure's got to be equalized before you can open the doors. So, really, the best thing she could have done was roll down the window as she was sinking.[/QUOTE] My mom's been talking about this recently, so my foolproof plan would be to: a) realize I'm flying off a cliff b) Unbuckle seatbelt, unlock doors all at once c) open the door and jump out All before I hit the water, so there's no chance of being trapped! :v: In all seriousness though, those window breakers are really useful. Should get one.

you can all bet your tight virgin assholes that i'd be beating that window till my hands were bloody if i ever got stuck underwater somehow.

God, I hate hearing about shit like this. I thought the mother was intending to commit a murder suicide, but no. A perfectly happy family destroyed in an instant.

[QUOTE=Tmaxx;44209261]you can all bet your tight virgin assholes that i'd be beating that window till my hands were bloody if i ever got stuck underwater somehow.[/QUOTE] Tempered glass can resist shittons of blunt force, you need a small, concentrated peak to break it whole. A baseball bat wouldn't get you out of a window that is reinforced by water pressure. Your tire iron probably won't either.

[QUOTE=Tmaxx;44209261]you can all bet your tight virgin assholes that i'd be beating that window till my hands were bloody if i ever got stuck underwater somehow.[/QUOTE] i've seen door windows take a brick and the brick just bounced off, you'll just drown with broken knuckles having a window breaker in the car would be a much better idea [editline]12th March 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=catbarf;44204352]Breaking the window before the car fills is not exactly the best idea considering the pressure will force not only all the water in, but now broken shards of glass as well. Directly at you. Those window-breaking tools are meant to be used after the car is full of water, if you can't get the door open.[/QUOTE] when you break a side window, because it's heat treated glass it shatters into tiny pieces so really the only damage you should worry about is your eyes, and you could just close them for a moment as you break the window

Reminds me of the time my family first responded to an accident where the car tumbled down a hill into the creek. It was at a state park. We never would've realized they were down there but some horseback riders heard the crash and were frantically waving at us. There were two old ladies inside and they were cut up and panicking but they were alright. Luckily the water was only shin deep, and the car landed right side up, but I hate to think what might've happened if either of those conditions hadn't been met.