The Only Way to Survive in a Free-Falling Elevator
在下墜電梯中存活的唯一辦法
Okay, this is a fun topic. Hey, free falling in a trapped, small metal box sounds terrifying. Duh! Even the thought of such a grim situation gives us chills. And you probably wondered what you would do if the elevator cable suddenly snapped. Is it even possible to survive such a fall? Any volunteers? Hmm, I don't see any hands.
嗯，這是個很有趣的主題。嘿，在一個沒地方逃又狹小的金屬盒子裡自由落體聽起來很嚇人。廢話!這麼可怕的情況就連想到都讓人起雞皮疙瘩。你或許想知道電梯纜繩突然斷掉的話自己會怎麼做。有可能在那樣的墜落中保住小命嗎？有沒有人自願？嗯，沒看到半隻手。
Well, today, we answer these questions and share some recommendations from scientists and engineers about what you should and definitely shouldn't do if you find yourself in a falling elevator. Okay, brace yourself.
這樣吧，今天，我們會回答這些問題，並分享一些科學家和工程師們給的建議，有關若你發現自己身處在一台墜落的電梯裡時，有哪些該做和絕對不該做的事。嗯，準備好喔。
Number one: Don't jump. There's a widespread misconception that if you jump a moment before the elevator hits the bottom, you will somehow decrease the impact on your body. Firstly, how are you planning to understand when you should jump? You can't see through metal, can you? Secondly, even if you somehow manage to jump, which is extremely difficult due to being in a free fall, the speed decrease you can hope for is about two miles per hour, or three kilometers per hour—it's definitely not enough to save your life.
第一項：不要跳。有一個廣為流傳的錯誤觀念，如果你在電梯撞擊底部的前一刻跳躍，你就能以某種方式降低對身體的衝擊力。首先，你打算怎麼知道自己哪一刻要跳起來？你又不能看穿金屬，對吧？其次，就算你不知道怎麼成功跳起來了，這超級困難，因為是在自由落體的情況下，你能期望減少的速度差不多是時速兩英里，就等於時速三公里－－這絕對不夠救你的命。
What is worse? You might hurt yourself badly if you hit the ceiling with your head. Jumping is not worth the risk at all. MythBusters tested this approach. Believe us, it didn't end well for the dummy inside the elevator.
更糟的是？如果你的頭撞到天花板的話，你可能會讓自己傷得很嚴重。根本不值得冒風險去跳。《流言終結者》就試驗過這個方法。相信我們，電梯裡的假人下場可不太好。
The next thing not to do: Don't stand up straight. Standing up straight and hoping for the best is also not the best idea. Nothing good is coming. What is coming is a weight 10 times larger than that of your own body dropping on your legs at the moment of impact. Now, with all due respect, neither you nor anyone else can survive that. So, now that we're clear of what you should never do in a falling elevator, let's get to the best course of action.
下一件不要做的事：不要直挺挺地站著。直直站著並期待會有好事發生也不是最理想的點子。沒有任何好事會發生。會來的只有比你身體重十倍的重量，在衝擊那刻落到你的雙腳上。現在，恕我直言，任何人都沒辦法在那種情況下存活。那麼，既然現在我們都清楚在下墜的電梯中絕對不該做的事了，讓我們來看看最佳的應變行動吧。
Number one: Lie flat on the floor. Your best bet would be to lie flat on your back. This position will help you distribute the force of the impact across your entire body. Yes, your small, thin bones will probably snap anyway, though it mostly depends on how high up you were when the cable snapped. But it might help you avoid more serious damage...or not. Nobody is absolutely certain. It's probably pretty hard to think clearly in such a situation, but you should also remember to cover your head with your hands. When the elevator lands, it will most likely be destroyed. So, protecting your head from debris might save your life...or not.
第一：平躺在地面。你最有可能成功的辦法是躺下來。這個姿勢會幫你將衝擊力道分散到全身。沒錯，你細小的骨頭不管怎樣可能還是會骨折，雖然這主要還是要看纜繩斷掉時你在多高的地方。不過這可能可以幫你避開更嚴重的傷害...或者也可能不會。沒人說得準。在那樣的情況下可能很難好好思考，但你應該還要記得用手遮掩頭部。當電梯著地時，它很可能被摧毀。因此，護住頭部不被碎片波及可能會救了你的命...也可能不會。
The problem with lying flat is, well, your brain. Like in a car accident, a sudden speed drop from, say, 60 miles per hour, or 96 kilometers per hour, to zero can and will cause a severe brain concussion. Another issue is that when falling, you are weightless, so you'll have to hold yourself in order not to start flying. Yes, there are many downsides to this approach. But even considering all of them, experts agree that it's the only realistic way to save your life...or not.
平躺的問題是，嗯，你的大腦。和車禍一樣，速度突然從，比方說，時速六十英里，也就是時速九十六公里降到零，那能夠而且也會造成嚴重的腦震盪。另一個問題是，墜落時，你處在失重狀態，所以你得穩住自己好讓自己不會飛起來。對，這個辦法有很多不利因素。但即使將這所有不利因素都考慮進去，專家們同意這是唯一一個能救你的實際方法...也可能不是。
You ever hear of Betty Lou Oliver? She worked as an elevator operator for the Empire State Building in New York City. She holds the world's record for surviving the longest elevator fall in history. She traveled 79 floors in a falling elevator and stayed alive. What saved her was a thousand feet of cable that landed before the elevator did and smoothed out the fall. What's even more shocking? Earlier that day, a plane crashed right into the floor Betty worked on! She survived that accident although 14 of her colleagues didn't. We don't believe there are that many people who are so lucky. Of course, there are rumors that Betty went right out and bought a lottery ticket after that.
你聽過 Betty Lou Oliver 這個人嗎？她在紐約帝國大廈當電梯小姐。她是在史上電梯下墜距離最長的事故中倖存的世界紀錄保持者。她在下墜的電梯裡行經七十九層樓並活了下來。拯救她的是比電梯先著地並減少墜落力道的數千呎纜繩。更驚人的呢？當天稍早，有一架飛機直接撞進 Betty 工作的樓層!她在那場意外中倖存，雖然她的十四位同事都沒能活下來。我們不相信有那麼多人運氣那麼好。當然，有謠言說 Betty 在那之後就直接去買了一張樂透彩。
On the bright side, no pun intended, elevator accidents happen extremely rarely. More people die when they step in empty shafts—oops—or get stuck in between the elevator doors. So, watch your step and don't hurry. You can always catch the next one. Also, some elevator shafts have special buffers that, in case of emergency, are supposed to make the landing smooth. Actually, the only surefire, 100 percent way to survive in a free-falling elevator is... take the stairs.
往好處想，我沒故意要雙關喔，電梯事故極少發生。更多人是在踏進空的電梯井時死掉的－－唉啊－－或是被夾在電梯門間。所以，注意腳步，不要急。你永遠可以搭下一班電梯。另外，有一些電梯井設有特殊緩衝器，那在緊急情況下應該能讓著地變緩和。事實上，唯一一個萬無一失、百分之百可以在下墜電梯中活下來的方法是...走樓梯。
Don't forget to share with your friends to keep them safe. Like this video to let us know that you enjoyed it and click "Subscribe" to join us on the bright side of life.
別忘了分享給你的朋友，讓他們不會發生危險。幫這部影片按個讚，讓我們知道你很喜歡，還有按下「訂閱」和我們一起過美好生活。
- 「盡量好處想」- Hope For The Best
Standing up straight and hoping for the best is also not the best idea.
直直站著並期待會有好事發生也不是最理想的點子。 - 「恕我直言」- With All Due Respect
Now, with all due respect, neither you nor anyone else can survive that.
現在，恕我直言，任何人都沒辦法在那種情況下存活。 - 「最好的辦法」- Best Bet
Your best bet would be to lie flat on your back.
你最有可能成功的辦法是躺下來。
