Jeep driver survives after plunging off top of six-story parking garage!

[JeepDave]

At least it was a Wrangler. A lot of “Jeep” headlines turn out to be Grand Cherokees or some other sub-species and we get blamed for all kinds of bad stuff those people do...

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[Shots]

Testing his articulation?

Top comment right there.

I don’t know physics well but.......
I find it hard to believe that the Jeep would have fallen and rolled across 4 lanes of road and was stopped in its roll by the building unless there was a significant amount of speed involved in the parking garage before going over the edge...... it seems to me that if one “bumped over the edge” of the garage, the Jeep would fall nearly straight down and roll onto its top or side or something.

Actually it's not very fast to do that. This is "my thing" and it would only have had to be traveling 29 MPH to do that.
This is making a few assumptions though.
1. The GoogleEarth measureing tool showing 81.65 feet from the building edge to the McDonalds sign is accurate.
2. The Jeep didn't tumble from it's landing.
3. The height of 1 story is 10', and therefore the take-off height was 60 feet.
4. The Jeep had a level take-off (I assume there was no ramp at the top of the building)
5. The Jeep lost no speed breaching a barrier at the top of the building.

All that said. He likely wold have had to drive through a barrier of some sort which would likely increase his speed a little. Also judging by the damage to the Jeep it looks like it tumbled, meaning it initially hit the ground closer to the launch building which would reduce his speed a bit. So based off 1 photo, I'd estimate 30 ish. Which is fast for a parking garage, but not really all that fast in general.

For anyone wanting to check the math the formula is:
S = 2.73 x d / (sqrt x h)

 

[viper88]

Top comment right there.

Actually it's not very fast to do that. This is "my thing" and it would only have had to be traveling 29 MPH to do that.
This is making a few assumptions though.
1. The GoogleEarth measureing tool showing 81.65 feet from the building edge to the McDonalds sign is accurate.
2. The Jeep didn't tumble from it's landing.
2. The height of 1 story is 10', and therefore the take-off height was 60 feet.
3. The Jeep had a level take-off (I assume there was no ramp at the top of the building)
4. The Jeep lost no speed breaching a barrier at the top of the building.

All that said. He likely wold have had to drive through a barrier of some sort which would likely increase his speed a little. Also judging by the damage to the Jeep it looks like it tumbled, meaning it initially hit the ground closer to the launch building which would reduce his speed a bit. So based off 1 photo, I'd estimate 30 ish. Which is fast for a parking garage, but not that really all that fast in general.

For anyone wanting to check the math the formula is:
S = 2.73 x d / (sqrt x h)

Impressive!

The 2 other passengers actually jumped out of the Wrangler that was moving 30 mph then? Maybe it was deliberate because 2 out of 3 people had time to make a conscious decision and had time to jump out of the Wrangler before it went off the side.

 

[Shots]

Yeah, sounds a little sketchy to me too. Maybe he was at the end of the parking deck, said he was going to do it, and as he started they bailed. Meaning they bailed at a slower speed (or even while still stopped) which is why they weren't hurt.
Pretty good guess alcohol and/or drugs are involved here.

 

[viper88]

Yeah, sounds a little sketchy to me too. Maybe he was at the end of the parking deck, said he was going to do it, and as he started they bailed. Meaning they bailed at a slower speed (or even while still stopped) which is why they weren't hurt.
Pretty good guess alcohol and/or drugs are involved here.

Alcohol / drugs involved would be my first guess considering they got a warrant to test his blood. My second guess is a medical condition. Third guess is driver error like a foot stuck on the gas or parking brake malfunction on a manual?

The truth will come out soon. The driver is still alive and there are 2 other witnesses who were passengers. Thankfully no one else on the ground was injured or killed.

 

[Dkretden]

Top comment right there.

Actually it's not very fast to do that. This is "my thing" and it would only have had to be traveling 29 MPH to do that.
This is making a few assumptions though.
1. The GoogleEarth measureing tool showing 81.65 feet from the building edge to the McDonalds sign is accurate.
2. The Jeep didn't tumble from it's landing.
3. The height of 1 story is 10', and therefore the take-off height was 60 feet.
4. The Jeep had a level take-off (I assume there was no ramp at the top of the building)
5. The Jeep lost no speed breaching a barrier at the top of the building.

All that said. He likely wold have had to drive through a barrier of some sort which would likely increase his speed a little. Also judging by the damage to the Jeep it looks like it tumbled, meaning it initially hit the ground closer to the launch building which would reduce his speed a bit. So based off 1 photo, I'd estimate 30 ish. Which is fast for a parking garage, but not that really all that fast in general.

For anyone wanting to check the math the formula is:
S = 2.73 x d / (sqrt x h)

I would indeed consider 30mph in a parking garage significant speed. Again you know stuff like this and I don’t. But I can see that 30mph stating speed plus a 60’ fall would easily cause the result in the pictures.

 

[four low]

Regardless of why he did this, the fact that he survived shows how well the "crash worthiness " did its job. Glad the other 2 bailed, and lived. Guessing Testosterone, and alcohol, the most potent fuel for destruction there is

 

[JO DYRT]

What I find funny is this is normal for California driving, that is why the Article link is for the New York Post. LA news does not see this as news, everyone is in Kobeville.

 

[Shots]

Alcohol / drugs involved would be my first guess considering they got a warrant to test his blood. My second guess is a medical condition. Third guess is driver error like a foot stuck on the gas or parking brake malfunction on a manual?

The truth will come out soon. The driver is still alive and there are 2 other witnesses who were passengers. Thankfully no one else on the ground was injured or killed.

Yeah they should be able to figure out what happened pretty easy. I don't always take a blood warrant to mean they suspect alcohol/drugs though. Some agencies do it to rule it out even if it's not suspected. But given the age it does seem to be an easy assumption to make.

I would indeed consider 30mph in a parking garage significant speed. Again you know stuff like this and I don’t. But I can see that 30mph stating speed plus a 60’ fall would easily cause the result in the pictures.

You're absolutely right that 30 is significant for a parking lot, I agree with you completely. And yes the damage is consistent with what happened.
My only point was that people see it traveled across 4+ lanes while airborne and most people assume it had to be traveling very fast in general. Yes it's fast for where it was, but not what people would generally consider fast in most cases (such as on the road).

 

[Shots]

Regardless of why he did this, the fact that he survived shows how well the "crash worthiness " did its job. Glad the other 2 bailed, and lived. Guessing Testosterone, and alcohol, the most potent fuel for destruction there is

Agreed. The passenger compartment held up very well, and the vehicle deformed as it should to absorb impact beautifully. This should show all the nay-sayers that these really are reasonably safe vehicles.

 

[Shots]

For clarification, the reason I believe it tumbled is because damage suggests it. The front, roll bar and rear are damaged. Additionally, the "nose" of the Jeep is facing skyward. Most vehicles have the engine in the front, making it the heavier portion, so they tend to go nose first into the ground. With the nose up, it would suggest the Jeep hit the ground before where we see it, and then cartwheeled to where it's against the building nose up. This would also explain how the top and rear were also damage.
Again, all speculation based on a single photo, but that's how I got there.

 

[sanman357]

There has to be a surveillance video somewhere.

 

[WhatExit?]

Per JP1 on the Gladiator forum, this guy thought he was Randy Quaid...

Link: https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/jeeps-are-not-made-for-this.28273/#post-457164

 

[Dkretden]

I’m thinking that he could have used a better set of sliders.........

 

[Luvmejeeps]

There has to be a surveillance video somewhere.

I see at least 2 cameras in the Google Street view in the pics shown above. One on top of the parking garage,and one on the light at the intersection. I'm sure law enforcement has viewed them. I'm sure everyone wants to see it.

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