The chances of a person surviving a plane crash or falling from a skyscraper are extremely low. But imagine that both of these accidents happened to the same woman within the same day, and she ended up alive. We are talking about the event of July 28, 1945 in New York, which to this day attracts the attention of scientists, because it is still not completely clear how she survived. But the most interesting thing is that after numerous injuries and fractures, the girl fully recovered and was able to walk on her own two feet.
A B-25 Mitchell crashed into the Empire State Building in 1945. Photo source: lemur59.ru
How a plane crashed into a skyscraper in the USA
Everyone knows about the tragic events in the United States on September 11, 2001, but this was not the first time a plane crashed into a skyscraper. On July 28, 1945, the pilot of a B-25 Mitchell bomber became disoriented in thick fog and crashed into the famous Empire State Building. The pilot, disoriented by the fog and frightened, then abruptly changed the direction of the plane, causing it to crash into the north side of the Empire State Building between the 78th and 80th floors at 9:40 a.m.
The bomber was originally scheduled to land at LaGuardia Airport, but fog made it impossible to continue the flight. Therefore, the pilot requested a landing in Newark, a city located in the northeastern United States in the state of New Jersey. As a result, the route ran through Manhattan, where the disaster occurred. Presumably, the plane flew very close to another building – the Chrysler Building.
Empire State Building — the tallest building in the photo. Source: rbc.ru
Of course, the collision did not lead to the collapse of the building, but the plane crash killed 14 people, including three crew members and 11 people inside the skyscraper. In addition, dozens of people were seriously injured. One of them was Betty Lou Oliver.
The fire quickly spread throughout the building after the collision, but was extinguished within 40 minutes. By the way, this was the highest fire that firefighters have ever managed to bring under control. The building itself received quite serious damage. It is known that as a result of the collision, one of the plane's engines flew through and fell on an art studio located one block from the damaged skyscraper. The second engine fell into one of the elevator shafts.
Plane crash causes serious damage to building. Photo source: gazeta.ru
Girl who survived two crashes in one day
Betty Lou Oliver was 20 years old at the time of the disaster. The girl worked at the Empire State Building as an elevator operator. At the time of the disaster, her elevator was located on the 80th floor. The impact was so strong that she was thrown from the elevator and suffered serious injuries. Subsequently, as a result of the spread of the fire, multiple burns were added to them.
As soon as paramedics found Betty Lou Oliver, they immediately placed her in another elevator to take her down to the first floor, provide the necessary medical care and hospitalize her. As the elevator passed the 75th floor, the cable broke. Usually in such cases nothing bad happens, since additional cables are provided, as well as emergency brakes. However, due to extreme events, a confluence of circumstances occurred, as a result of which none of the security systems worked. As a result, the elevator fell down in free fall.
Betty Lou Oliver, who was pulled from the wreckage of the elevator. Photo source: aerospaceweb.org
The girl was fully conscious at the time. She recalled that she felt as if the elevator was trying to speed away. She had to hold on to the walls to stay in place.
Why the woman did not die after falling from the 72nd floor
Most likely, Betty Lou Oliver's life was saved by several factors at once. First of all, the cabin in the narrow shaft was slowed down by air pressure. Just remember a car or bicycle hand pump – how hard it is to push the plunger when the tire pressure is high. The same effect happened with the elevator.
The girl was able to walk after falling from the 75th floor. Photo source: dzen.ru
In addition, the elevator crashed into an oil buffer at the bottom of the shaft, which passed through the floor of the cabin. Some reports also say that cables that had accumulated underneath could have softened the blow. It is also important that the girl was lying down, as a result of which the blow was evenly distributed over the body. However, she did not escape unscathed. After the fall, she was found to have multiple fractures in her pelvis, back and neck. However, she remained alive and fully recovered.
Be sure to visit our Zen and Telegram channels, here you will find the most interesting news from the world of science and the latest discoveries!
It must be said that there are other cases where people survived after falling from skyscrapers and airplanes. They are very rare and individual. You can find out more about them by following the link.