Why does catching someone or something falling in most cases negate or reduce the injury/damage applied to it? Shouldn’t it be almost just as damaging, just a few feet further up?

Question

Why does catching someone or something falling in most cases negate or reduce the injury/damage applied to it? Shouldn’t it be almost just as damaging, just a few feet further up?

In: 2

Answer 1

What you see in the movies is wrong.

When Superman catches that person who fell out of a plane a second before impact, that person is now dead.

As many others have pointed out, catching increases the time during which deceleration occurs thus reducing maximum experienced g-force (thanks air bags). This will work to a point. Try catching a 200 lb man jumping from a 4 story building–you’ll probably both be crushed.