Typical phobias of New Yorkers: how justified they are and advice on overcoming the danger

New Yorkers have a huge list of phobias that they often share on social media. For example, some are afraid of dripping water in the subway, while others are afraid that the external unit of the air conditioner may fall on them, writes New York Post.

We've compiled a few of the nightmarish scenarios that New Yorkers fear. At each point, the likelihood of an undesirable situation is assessed and tips for survival are given if the worst does happen.

Falling through the subway bars

In May, an 11-year-old boy from Bushwick fell through an open grate Metro in the Rudd Playground. He flew about 3 meters down through the vents and, fortunately, did not fall onto the rails. The child received only minor injuries.

According to statistics, someone falls through the subway bars about once every 20 months. Considering the huge passenger traffic in the New York City subway, this means that you are much more likely to be approached by a beggar zombie than to be "swallowed" by the grill.

But if you are one of the few losers, your chances of survival depend on the depth of the fall. If you land on a hard surface at a depth of more than 6 meters, you are likely to fracture. Between 9 and 13 meters, the chances of survival are questionable.

Fall of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner

Incorrectly installed window units of air conditioners fall down from time to time. The last recorded death from such a fall occurred in 1988. Then a man named Vito DeGiorgio was killed by a falling air conditioner unit.

In August firefighter, fighting a fire in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, was knocked unconscious after being hit on the head by an air conditioner unit that fell from a window. He had to spend several days in the hospital.

Other incidents with air conditioning included the case of a block falling from a sixth-floor window and injuring a woman's leg in 2014. In 2010, the man fell into a coma after being hit on the head by a falling air conditioner, but the victim eventually survived.

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This is rare, but the risks are high. An object with this weight, even falling from a height of two meters, can have disastrous consequences if it hits the victim directly in the head.

Broken elevator cables

Falling into the abyss of an elevator shaft is a nightmare, especially in the land of skyscrapers. The most recent incident occurred in May. An elevator collapsed in a four-story building in the Bronx killed one person and seriously injured another. According to TheRealDeal, between 2010 and January 2019, 22 people died in elevator accidents in New York.

If the elevator cable breaks, the free fall will depend on the shaft design. If it is a small building, it has a narrow shaft, and the air can create a “cushion” that will slow down the elevator's fall. If this happens to you, don't jump. Lie on your back on the floor of the lift to soften the impact of the impact on your body.

Falling onto subway rails

Accidentally falling onto subway tracks ranks high on New Yorkers' phobia lists. According to MTA statistics, during the first five months of 2021, subway trains hit several dozen people (the most recent official data). That being said, New York City police reported 23 “non-criminal” deaths due to falling onto the rails during this period, one less compared to the same period last year.

In 2007, 20-year-old film student Cameron Hollopeter fell on the rails with an epileptic seizure. As the train pulled into the station, Navy veteran Wesley Autry jumped down and lay on Hollopeter holding her in the groove between the rails. They both survived, and Autry was nicknamed the "superman of the subway."

If you fall onto the tracks and cannot get out before the train arrives, lie in the groove between the tracks and avoid the “third rail” (the cable that carries the electrical charge that powers the train).

Penny thrown from a skyscraper

Many believe in the legend that if you throw a penny from the 102-story Empire State Building, it will instantly kill anyone it falls on below.

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But this legend is not true. The final speed of the fall will be only 40 km per hour (falling, the coin will roll over, slowing down the speed of its fall), this is not much, and the person below will receive only scratches.

Throwing a baseball from that height would break the bones of a man at the bottom of the building. But the most dangerous item to throw from the Empire State Building is the pen, especially if it has a pocket clip, because it can go up to 270 km / h.