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

Firstly, catching someone means they won’t hit a potentially hard surface like concrete which can break bones and tear flesh.

Secondly, catching someone you’re able to use your muscles to apply an upward force to decelerate them from falling, over several inches or even a foot or more. So the momentum instead of going to 0mph in an instant, does so over time. You catching the person displaces the kinetic energy over your own body.

Of course, this only works so well. Depending on the height of which you catch the person from and their weight, it’s possible that they are still severely injured or die, or cause injury to the catching individual. If a 18 year old girl jumps. Out of a 10 story apartment building and someone tries. To catch her, it won’t end so well.