A warning to BMW owners

P

Packard

Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2020
Messages
4,752
A man in New Jersey fell 9 stories (about 125 feet) from a high-rise building.  He landed on the roof of a BMW 330 and apparently was just badly bruised.  The roof of the car completely collapsed. 

Apparently, the roof of a BMW is a "crumble zone".  I would want considerably more structure above me in a car.  In a rollover that seems extremely risky.  That car needs a rollbar.  An amazing story regardless.

Interesting article: https://nypost.com/2021/10/07/new-jersey-man-survives-9-story-plunge-by-landing-on-a-bmw/

1089754502_0:0:1537:1536_1920x0_80_0_0_5cc508981cbac2648b8cf825311eb3c2.jpg
 
That was my first question.  How did this happen.? And yes, it seems fairly amazing.  The weakness of the BMW's roof is what saved him.  But as a rule, we don't buy cars with weak roofs to save people who fall from above. 

They don't say if he jumped, or if he was pushed, or if he simply stumbled and fell. 

Right now they are just saying "he fell". 

Using a bodyweight of 160 pounds (just a guess on my part) and 125-foot fall (the average storey is 14 feet) this calculator shows the impact force as equalling 65,616.8 foot/pounds.
https://keisan.casio.com/exec/system/1271595050

 
Inside the article "The man, who jumped from an open window on the ninth floor, was rushed to a hospital..." and also this "He kept saying, ‘Leave me alone, I want to die.’
 
Just happy to see he was practicing COVID safety protocols and wearing a mask when he jumped.
 
Dude, if you think this reflects badly on BMW you really have no idea of the forces involved. It is a car, not a tank. No other brand of cars would have faired better here. Except maybe Humvee, which, for all purpose and intent, is arguably some sort of tank.
 
Cheese said:
Inside the article "The man, who jumped from an open window on the ninth floor, was rushed to a hospital..." and also this "He kept saying, ‘Leave me alone, I want to die.’
Click to expand...
I read the article in the Daily News while waiting for my breakfast at the local deli.  In that article, they simply said “he fell”. 

I picked this link because it had the best photo.  I did not read this (apparently later) article.  My error. 

He pretty much screwed that a up.  And now he has to pay for the BMW, which is almost certainly totaled. 

A warm day.  Why the Parka?
 
Packard said:
I picked this link because it had the best photo. 

He pretty much screwed that a up.  And now he has to pay for the BMW, which is almost certainly totaled. 

A warm day.  Why the Parker?
Click to expand...

Ya, it's a great photo...

The photographer's take on this would be about being in the right place at the right time.  [smile]

The jumper's take on this would be about being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  [crying]

This is a day he'll never forget.  [blink]
 
It's only a car.

I hope that man gets the necessary help and not just unnecessary punishment.

 
There's actually video of the guy online after he hit, which of course I was dumb enough to watch.  Let's just say the bones in his arm were an excellent crumple zone and from the video there wasn't much solid left in the arm.  So it was a bit more than bruises but it is utterly amazing he was alive and speaking.
 
Paul_HKI said:
It's only a car.
I hope that man gets the necessary help and not just unnecessary punishment.
Click to expand...

At this juncture, I'm sure he will get his due of both.

Probably, a ton more than what he originally signed up for...as life always exposes, a simple, quick, painless solution is not necessarily a simple, quick painless solution.
 
No convertible car relies on its roof for roll overs. . That’s mental concept. It’s the windscreen frame and auto deploy bars behind the rear headrest that do that job.
 
How did you determine that this was a convertible?  I just took a second look and I don’t see it.

I finally read the article I posted (I was relying in an earlier Daily News version). I see they refer to the sunroof.
 
mrB said:
lol. I don’t even look close enough.
Click to expand...

In 1965 I rolled over a 1963 Saab 96.  Saab bragged they built in a roll bar and it did have shoulder harnesses. I walked away with one small cut despite rolling th car 3 rotations and ending up belly-up. The basic shape of the roof was still intact. The roll bar did its job. I am not certain the BMW would have faired as well, or even would have let me tell about it 56 years later.
 
Even in a non-convertible, significant rigidity comes from the A, B, and C pillars as well as the windshield and frame.  To compare this to a rollover, one would need to roll without hitting the sides of the car and somehow get the car to land flat on a boulder in the center of the roof.  Most rollovers don't happen that way and the pillars dissipate the energy while maintaining as much structural integrity as they can to help the passengers survive.

Ever see those pictures of a pickup stacked on top of a Smart car?  The roof itself isn't holding the weight...
 
Roll overs are in general a fairly safe accident to have. I have been in four of them and no one was injured in all four except the car. The first on was back in the 1960's when cars and safety were not even distant relations.
 
Holzhacker said:
My BMW doesn't have a roof. I don't think the tank bag would provide enough cushion
Click to expand...

I almost posted something similar.  I can't seem to find a roof on my BMW, and the windscreen has no frame around it. :)

'99 R1100S here, how about you?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top