It’s not easy for people to escape a submerged vehicle in still body of water, especially if the vehicle flips. Add in a raging river tumbling everything around, pushing everywhere… Even if you were able to escape the vehicle I don’t think your chances of making it to shore from the middle would be good.
I think once you are on the surface, your chances rapidly grow, even when its cold water with a lot of current. You still only have to manage to get 20-30m to the side out of the strongest current. The way to the surface in time to not suffocate might be the problem, especially out of a wildly tumbling car that smashes against rocks and stuff in the riverbed while being hurled on by a powerful current.
Did I just watch someone die?
It seems likely. That vehicle was just swallowed by a flooding river. It’s technically possible the occupants escaped, but unlikely.
I was hoping for a no, but thanks for the realistic analysis.
It’s not easy for people to escape a submerged vehicle in still body of water, especially if the vehicle flips. Add in a raging river tumbling everything around, pushing everywhere… Even if you were able to escape the vehicle I don’t think your chances of making it to shore from the middle would be good.
I think once you are on the surface, your chances rapidly grow, even when its cold water with a lot of current. You still only have to manage to get 20-30m to the side out of the strongest current. The way to the surface in time to not suffocate might be the problem, especially out of a wildly tumbling car that smashes against rocks and stuff in the riverbed while being hurled on by a powerful current.
I know :(
I wonder if they had time to think “I shouldn’t have tried to drive across the bridge.”
Probably. That did not look good
In theory, they could get out if they rolled a window down before fully submerged or kicked through the back window.
According to this the driver survived:
https://news.sky.com/story/truck-driver-takes-on-flooded-suspension-bridge-and-loses-12362557
Happened in the village of Uryum in Eastern Russia.
probable location in google maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/53°10’09.1"N+118°07’00.0"E/@53.1675162,118.1063825,2661m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m4!3m3!8m2!3d53.1691944!4d118.1166667?entry=ttu
River is the Shilka river, a branch of the Amur river.
Don’t worry, surviving in Russia is only a temporary issue. May this man one day succeed in his quest to solve this vexing problem.
Yaaaaaaay!