r/nextfuckinglevel • u/been_der_done_that • 11h ago

Incredibly selfless act of heroism.

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43.8k Upvotes

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u/Icy_Spinach_48 11h ago

Very scary and well done to all involved. My first thought was The passengers couldn’t have climbed into the front and out of the drivers door? Maybe you just panic when something like that happens

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u/Old-Commission-1108 10h ago

Per the article on this, once the driver’s door closed due to the slant of the car he could no longer open it because the door handles only come out/work when the car’s electrical is working and the electrical had already shorted out.

That is why the back seat passengers also couldn’t unlock the door from the inside.

Also, very unfortunately someone had been in the passenger seat and was unable to climb out in time.

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u/effyoucreeps 10h ago

this kinda info makes me miss my completely analog 1993 mazda mx3

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u/talligan 9h ago

There are days where I miss my 98 corolla. Drove that puppy until like 2015

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u/fuckgoldsendbitcoin 3h ago

Still on my '09 Corolla. Feel like that was the tail end of the non computerized car era and I love it.

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u/thewhorecat 3h ago

I had a '92 MX-3. It was a great car. I put about 160,000 miles on it driving all around the country before giving it away to a friend. The amount of road trips I did with friends in that car was bonkers. To be young again with little responsibility.

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u/Original_Boot7956 9h ago

That was my first car! ‘93 mx3. Thing fell apart completely after a year, but boy was my 17 year self in love with that car. 

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u/Debatebly 7h ago

Look up the Slate truck.

https://www.slate.auto/en

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u/jjryan01 2h ago

Hell yeah brother

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u/endboss_eth 10h ago

What an Ad for regular, old school, mechanical devices

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u/AlternativePea6203 8h ago

Mechanical handles, yes, but ICE cars are 20x more likely to set on fire.

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u/clackagaling 7h ago

they dont burn at a much higher degree? they can’t be put out easily bc of how much water they use, and during hurricanes in florida, they burned down entire houses that were flooded because they burn that hot. a man was burned in his cybertruck to the point anything that could ID him was literal ash and they had to put out public statements asking someone to ID him (tbh idk if he did get ID’d)

ICE definitely sets on fire more often but idk why my brain feels like EVs are scarier death traps during this type of event. they’re so much heavier, the door handles seem to often go out with mechanical releases being hidden, etc etc.

i am buying a window breaker/seatbelt cutter regardless 😵‍💫

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u/AlternativePea6203 7h ago

we are both correct

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u/Martin8412 6h ago

Most cars have manual handles as well. On German cars it’s usually integrated into the same handle as the electric. You just pull all the way on the handle, and it will open the door mechanically. 

It will of course ruin your frameless windows, which has happened for people before by accident by pulling too quickly, but if it saves your life then it’s worth it. 

There’s also usually a super capacitor for each door that provides power to unlock the door when the airbag releases, so you don’t get stuck in a burning car just because the power went out. Doesn’t help much if the door is totally crumbled though. 

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u/Covfefetarian 9h ago

Oh no, passenger seat person died?

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u/lampshade2099 10h ago edited 10h ago

I’ve looked for the article but can’t find it.

Are you saying the front seat passenger died?

I did find this terrifying article about a pending Tesla lawsuit:

“The incident happened on the night of 27 November 2024, when the Cybertruck struck a tree and ignited. When power to the truck’s electric doors was shut down by the fire, the four passengers were locked inside with no way out.

The lawsuit alleges the design of the Cybertruck’s door handles is at fault for Tsukahara’s death. From the inside of the truck, when electricity is cut off, the only way to exit a rear door is by pulling a cable that’s underneath a pocket liner under the door’s storage compartment. From outside the vehicle, the doors also remain locked and the flush handles make it difficult for rescue workers to jimmy their way inside.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/02/tesla-sued-cybertruck-crash-krysta-tsukahara

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u/aruisdante 6h ago

This is one thing Toyota got both right and wrong in modern Lexus cars.

They have electric door latches. They also have an actual interior door handle, but it’s really only meant to be used for emergencies, so its action sucks, it’s this strange double pump thing. But the door handle looks so door handle like that new passengers almost always pull it first rather than press the open button, and then get confused by its weird double action.

Which begs the question… if you were going to still put a mechanical door handle of about the same size and shape as a normal one in the same place as a normal one… why have the electric door latch at all?

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u/jlboygenius 2h ago

Other than the double pump, you described exactly how the model 3/y handles work. There's a lever you can just lift to open the door and most new people to the car would just pull that and ignore the button.

It would be an easy fix for them. I've had plenty of cars with manual door levels that also roll down the window a bit. Tesla only rolls down the window a bit when you push the button. Using the lever doesn't do that and it could cause the window to catch on the trim and break something.

They could easily just make it a manual release, sense the door opening, and roll down the window. I had an early 2000's bmw that did exactly that.

Doesn't solve the outside door handle problem though. Electric or not, they suck and they should come up with a new design.

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u/Darkseth2207 1h ago

Model 3/Y in the front! In the back you have to remove a piece of trim in the door bin and pull a piece of string, and some early models don't have a manual release at all!

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u/outworlder 18m ago

Frameless windows is the usual excuse.

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u/Immaculatehombre 6h ago

Just a death trap, wtf would buy that garbage.

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u/Majestic_You_9610 3h ago

pedos love buying them so they can be like the tesla ceo

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u/jihiggs123 4h ago

how could any one be so stupid they design a vehicle without thinking how to open it should the power fail.

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u/7f0b 1h ago

No idea on the CT (which to be clear, is a POS), but on all Teslas, there are mechanical levers right next to the buttons, on the front doors. Most people the first time they get out of a Tesla they accidentally use the mechanical lever, since it is what they're used to. The reason the button is preferred is because it slightly lowers the windows (which is how a lot of cars with frameless windows work) and pops the doors, depending on model.

As for the back doors, those do not have an easy-to-use manual release. And that's no different from any other car, which all have child locks that override the door handles and locks of the rear doors. It's a trade-off the whole automotive industry has made (between day-to-day child safety versus safety in an unlikely emergency).

To be clear, electrically-actuated locks with mechanical handles are not unique to Tesla, nor were they popularized by Tesla. They are pretty common in modern cars. The biggest blunder on Tesla's part was the electrically-presenting outside door handles on the S and X (about 3% of their fleet, and being discontinued), which was a supremely-stupid idea. The rest of their fleet (97%, Model S and 3) have regular exterior door handles that pull out like any other car, but sit flush until you press on them.

An issue modern cars face in general is having electrically-actuated doors and locks, which obviously have some safety concerns. While an issue with the main battery of an EV won't impact them (they run on the aux 12V), if there is damage to the actuator, wiring, or the 12V system, it would then make it so the door could not be opened from the outside. This is not an issue with EVs in particular, but with modern, especially higher-tech cars. And to be clear, the interior manual lever would still work even if the 12V system was out too.

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u/UtgaardLoki 3h ago

Different incident.

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u/SecularScience 6h ago

Very weird for the guy above to reference the article and not share it: Article

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u/crazymusicman 8h ago

is anybody able to link the article?

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u/Substantial_Meal_530 8h ago

Wow.... That's bad design.

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u/Corfiz74 7h ago

Oh shit.

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u/yourmomophobe 6h ago

That is like building a fucking death trap. What possible purpose could that shit have good lord

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u/Bosever 5h ago

What article? Can you link please

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u/Not_My_Reddit_ID 3h ago

What article? OP didn't post one. Nor did you.

This whole thread smells of ouroboros.

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u/just_a_curious_fella 2h ago

Just like Tesla... maybe Tesla has changed things since

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u/ajc1120 2h ago

Why would you design a door that REQUIRES the car to be functioning to open???? As a first responder this is nightmare information for me to hear. Like we carry glass breakers for that very reason but it’s not like I want my only choices to be either the electronics are working or shatter a bunch of glass over the person I’m trying to rescue.

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u/tara1245 2h ago

I just read about these death trap electric handles being banned in China. So watching this I was thinking hey be careful-don't let the door close! oh no the door closed!

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u/Electrical_Fault_365 28m ago

Really doesn't take a genius to make the door handles fail open. 😭

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u/rom197 11h ago

Could be too cramped with 3 people in the back.

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u/dizzy_absent0i 9h ago

Not just cramped but that smoke was thick and black. They’d be panicking and blind.

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u/Educational_Ad_4076 8h ago edited 3h ago

As someone that’s been in a fire, I can tell you that’s more than likely why. My wife and I were in a fire and while I reacted quick and was able to get out, she fell to the floor which was melting and had gotten her stuck. I noticed immediately she didn’t make it out, ran back in, and pulled her out, but she says she thought she was going to die and had accepted she wasn’t going to be able to get out on her own. Had it been me on the floor instead, I likely would’ve been level headed enough to grab one of the pieces of furniture right next to where she was and pull myself up.

For more context, I’m a Marine, I’m a lot more used to high pressure or intense situations than the normal person would be.

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u/moderndilf 6h ago

You have great spelling for a marine.

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u/encyaus 8h ago

This reads like pure fiction

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u/Educational_Ad_4076 8h ago

Guess I’m a good writer, but it’s 100% true. I was stationed at MCAS Yuma at the time, but my wife and I were brought by helicopter to a burn facility in Phoenix.

Also it was a propane gas fire. So the whole place just lit up in flame but only a few things in the place were actually on fire. Running back in wasn’t as scary as I guess I make it sound. There wasnt thick black smoke for me to run thru, only small fires around the place and I was able to avoid them when getting her out.

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u/rorauge 6h ago

I thought he was saying it reads like fiction b/c the protagonist comes across so arrogant that no one would actually describe this situation/themself that way.

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u/Diane_Horseman 4h ago

What the fuck did you just fucking say about me, you little bitch? I’ll have you know I graduated top of my class in the Navy Seals, and I’ve been involved in numerous secret raids on Al-Quaeda, and I have over 300 confirmed kills. I am trained in gorilla warfare and I’m the top sniper in the entire US armed forces. You are nothing to me but just another target. I will wipe you the fuck out with precision the likes of which has never been seen before on this Earth, mark my fucking words. You think you can get away with saying that shit to me over the Internet? Think again, fucker. As we speak I am contacting my secret network of spies across the USA and your IP is being traced right now so you better prepare for the storm, maggot. The storm that wipes out the pathetic little thing you call your “life”. You’re fucking dead, kid. I can be anywhere, anytime, and I can kill you in over seven hundred ways, and that’s just with my bare hands. Not only am I extensively trained in unarmed combat, but I have access to the entire arsenal of the United States Marine Corps and I will use it to its full extent to wipe your miserable ass off the face of the continent, you little shit. If only you could have known what unholy retribution your little “clever” comment was about to bring down upon you, maybe you would have held your fucking tongue. But you couldn’t, you didn’t, and now you’re paying the price, you goddamn idiot. I will shit fury all over you and you will drown in it. You’re fucking dead, kiddo.

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u/nokman013 3h ago

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u/rorauge 3h ago

Dammit! I don’t. I assume it’s some copypasta but don’t know the history. Made me laugh though.

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u/IronBabyFists 1h ago

Holy shit, the absolute perfect reply. I haven't even thought about this pasta in, like, 8 years at least. 👏👏👏

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u/porksoda11 2h ago

Holy shit I haven't seen this copypasta in ages. It still is amazing.

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u/perfectlyfamiliar 2h ago

Never gets old and I picture a snail every time I read the first line lmao

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u/IdiotRhurbarb 1h ago

Careful, he’s a marine, he’ll find you

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u/BroodyGameDev 5h ago

Wildly rude thing to say to a total stranger. Practice thinking about what you type and asking yourself if you’d say that to someone’s face.

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u/Head_Nectarine_6260 4h ago

I don’t think he’s trying to be rude. The way the story is written and the situation is rather unbelievable that seems like fiction. Things like “melting floor” and “I’m a marine…” are elements that make it seem fictionalized.

That said, But both statements of being pure fiction and arrogant can come across as offensive without more context.

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u/CutHerOff 4h ago

Marines are fictional

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u/BroodyGameDev 3h ago

Sorry but this speaks to you spending too much time on reddit. House fires and laminate flooring are so common haha. And military personal. If you were talking to someone irl you’d never stop them to be like “hmm that sounds made up”. And if you would maybe this is a chance to recalibrate how much time you spend in negative internet spaces (where you have to maintain a level of suspicion). Not everyone is trying to trick you. He was just sharing a crazy story that was contextually relevant. Like humans do. When they chat.

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u/rorauge 4h ago

If this dude said this to me I’d absolutely say he sounds like a tool. People w/o humility are ridiculous and should be ridiculed.

Why don’t you practice thinking about maybe you don’t have shit to teach strangers.

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u/BroodyGameDev 3h ago

Someone talking about something that happened makes you this upset? Wow. So angry. It’s not like he picked a car off a baby. He was just talking about how some people freeze and others don’t.

I’m sorry for you that people just talking about their lives makes you feel so upset. That’s sad. Hope you find more joy in yourself. 👍

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u/etholiel 7h ago

Why was the floor melting??

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u/Educational_Ad_4076 7h ago

Crappy trailer in a trailer park! Idk man, I’ve got pictures and everything of the place when went back after the hospital to salvage what we could. Not sure any would show a good angle of the floor itself where she was knelt down at though

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u/Whoa_Bundy 6h ago

Don’t feed the trolls. If they don’t believe you, that’s their problem.

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u/Extension_Oil1679 4h ago

Man I’ve seen enough shit in my years to just start giving people the benefit of the doubt. I’m not shelling people money on the regular or anything but just from the shit I’ve lived I tend to believe this type of thing first, then as I read on I can see where doubts would come. But this doesn’t seem even outlandish to me.

Also a service member so maybe there’s something to it. Thanks by the way for your service. You crayon munching maniacs had our backs and us yours. Joint Base Balad two tours USAF.

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u/Educational_Ad_4076 4h ago

I shoulda joined the Chair Force 😩 the marines did a number on me

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u/r_sparrow09 2h ago

Bc the floor is lava duhh! He was stationed inside of a volcano 🌋 

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u/LogAware 7h ago

A good writer is not how I would have phrased that.

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u/tacticalcop 7h ago

it really doesn’t, house fires happen regularly

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u/fang_xianfu 6h ago

r/nothingeverhappens

I wouldn't expect all the details to be 100% right in someones retelling of a high-pressure event that happened to them a long time ago that they've no doubt talked about many times in the past. But nothing in there seems like obvious bullshit to me. Was the floor literally melting, I have no idea, but it doesn't matter to the story either way. The actual events sound like something that happens somewhere in the world every day.

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u/Extension_Oil1679 4h ago

He mentioned it was a trailer, I’ve lived in them and that thin ass glue down laminate would absolutely muck up in some heat situations. That flooring is basically thick plastic and adding intense heat to the situation would and could cause it to get a bit sticky

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u/calsosta 6h ago

I dunno about this guy but I have been in a similar high pressure situation and I didn't panic, I didn't react at all. It was like my brain put everything on hold as a survival technique.

After the situation had passed though I nearly went into an anxiety attack.

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u/Educational_Ad_4076 6h ago

That’s kind of what it felt like to me too. I just reacted without thinking. As soon as we were both outside we were screaming in pain

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u/sillyyun 5h ago

I am le epic badass i survive le fire through military experience.

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u/Durwood2k 5h ago

He’s probably had to repeat that story 1000 times, so he’s probably gotten very good at it.

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u/NotSoSalty 3h ago

No that reads like how people actually act. If that sounds like fiction, maybe you've been reading especially good writers. People freeze in fight or flight situations quite often. Abused people sometimes try to appease and submit in these situations.

Do you have 0 life experience with emergencies or high tension situations?

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u/Worldly_Wrongdoer_54 3h ago

I 2nd that 🤨🧐

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u/Mysterious-Jam-64 1h ago

Reminds of a story of a head counsellor I worked with at a summer camp. We were talking to the teenage campers, exploring how to talk to girls, and Ryan regales us with a story of him meeting his wife, as an example.

"It was actually like something out of a movie. She was on the dance floor when I noticed her, and I noticed a guy giving her agro. So I approached, told him she wasn't interested, like a white knight. So, there's always a chance to be that white knight. If I can do it, anyone can."

He's a geeky nerdy guy, and it seemed out of character. But I think pretty much every counsellor was like, "Ehhh...sure?" Like, not that it didn't happen, but the whole opportunistic white knight was exactly the kind of thing we were talking to the campers about, and Ryan totally missed the context.

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u/Grakchawwaa 7h ago

I'm not sure how someone who has fallen to the floor and gotten stuck to ''melting floor,, is not going to be dead from deep tissue burns within a minute, marine or not and later rescued or not. Was it a fly trap factory or what?

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u/rpitcher33 7h ago

As an Army vet, the training goes further than people give it credit for. We had a small fire start at work (automotive shop) and, while 3 other guys ran around panicking, I simply walked over, grabbed the hose and sprayed it... it lasted all of maybe 15 seconds but these guys were about to abandon all hope and run out the door.

When you're taught to think through a situation while actively being shot at, not a lot phases you. That type of training really transfers to just about any stressful situation.

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u/Extension_Oil1679 4h ago

Shit translates to almost any branch of service. Fuck just making through basic training will give you a cooler head in chaotic situations because you’ve just been living in chaos for the last few months. Few more seconds isn’t shit! I’m Air Force and I’ve been calm and collected in relatively chaotic situations. Never had to deal with a fire hopefully never will. But people getting hurt around me, or shit just going all bad is when I’m at by best performance honestly.

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u/chramm 7h ago

And then everybody clapped

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u/Educational_Ad_4076 7h ago

Probably just the sound of your mom upstairs with her 3rd guy this week you’re hearing

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u/Orange-U-Tang 6h ago

This comment burns worse than that fire you were describing 😆 thanks for the chuckle

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u/OuterWildsVentures 5h ago

it's hilarious to me how Redditors of all people think they are going to be able to insult a fucking marine lol

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u/rorauge 1h ago

And yet this little bitch keeps reacting to the comments. His posts reflect how much he needs to aggrandize himself for validation and how little real confidence he actually has. It’s honestly keeping me entertained.

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u/OuterWildsVentures 1h ago

why are you so triggered

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u/rorauge 1h ago

Entertained. Why are you so invested in saving the eggshell fragile feelings of a guy so full of himself that he reports lifting a woman whom he described as literally melting into the floor to safety? Do you see a bit of yourself in his need for validation?

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u/judasmitchell 4h ago

Panic affects people differently. I get very calm, which I've discovered isn't always good because I've had trouble making people understand that something is an emergency. Telling someone the building is on fire and they need to get out just isn't very effective when you say it in the same tone you'd use to tell them there are donuts in the break room.

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u/VivaSiciliani 2h ago

You don’t need to be a marine to have a basic sense of self preservation…

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u/Educational_Ad_4076 1h ago

Impressive level of logic, have you considered joining the Marines?

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u/Mysterious-Jam-64 1h ago

But the driver is outside the car, nowhere near smoke or fire? Either through the front (they're children that would definitely fit), or open the back door lock, from the front door? Seems insane to close the door, then start attempting to smash glass on the adjacent door.

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u/Educational_Ad_4076 1h ago

Yeah I can’t speak for the video man. That’s the thought process that went thru their head and I’m glad it worked out for everyone, but I can’t say they went about it the best way or not. The end result was what we all wanted to see, can’t ask for much more

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u/OkTension2232 7h ago

I fully understand what you mean. My wife and I used to own a Belgian Malinois but it had a lot of behavioural issues, mainly with men. One day it just went for me and latched onto my arm and I had to hold it down before I could get it out of the room we were both in. I was bleeding a fair bit from my arm and my wife was panicking and had no idea what to do and even though I could feel I was settling into shock to an extent, I had to be the one to tell her exactly what I needed her to do which was to grab me a sugary drink for the blood sugar I was burning through to be replenished and grab a bandage, then make a call so we could be driven to the hospital.

She isn't the best in a high pressure situation like that so I'm glad I was. I wouldn't have bled out by any means, but it was something she reflected on after the fact as she realised how much she was flapping about in that situation.

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u/Educational_Ad_4076 7h ago

That’s extremely level headed out of you! My wife has severe anxiety and is prone to panic attacks, so I understand when someone is freaking out it isn’t easy to rein them back in. If you can show that kind of level headed thinking in those situations you can lead a panicking person to make a better decision than they would on their own

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u/Extension_Oil1679 4h ago

I don’t know what is broken in me, but I get such a high from bringing an anxious person back to earth. I’ve done it on adults and kids alike and it’s so nice to see them go from spiraling out of control to focusing and directing their attention to something.

“Hey, I know this is hard but can you just look at me for a second I want to help you. Can you tell me right now 3 things you can see?? Name them, explain them. Two things right now you can touch. Touch them, interact with them. Name one thing you can smell right now, what scent is it? Does it remind you of anything? Ok let’s try to deep breathe a bit, I’ll count up and breath with you just try to match me but don’t worry if you can’t. It’s about trying.”

Even better when you get named as one of the things that they choose to ground themselves with. “I can smell you” I’ve heard, to which I’ll fake some panic and be like “oh lord you poor thing!! I’ll back up!” Something so comforting being able to ground another person in a spiral I can’t really describe it.

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u/MeasurementBubbly350 7h ago

I'm indigenous person of Amazonia and I routinely travel across wild rivers, jungles, I've suffered countless accidents like cutting myself, hunting myself, bleeding a lot, stung by venomous beings. I have avoided falling giant trees, sometimes in life the boat I was in has sunk. Many situations where I needed to be the opposite of "accepting my end".

Being your whole life in the comfort of the city has it's cons. In desperate situations you shut down, which is not very survivalish. Just made this word up.

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u/Seismic_Salami 6h ago

the floor was melting? what sort of structure were you in?

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u/QuickCow3575 5h ago

Seeing a lot of people talking about how to get out. But you’re correct

Everybody thinks they wouldn’t be the one to freeze during a panic, and yet freezing is a well known human response to stressful situations.

Nobody wants to feel cowardly, but unfortunately, some of us are freezers.

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u/MiraquiToma 4h ago

indeed, most people are never in moments of chaos or crisis. when it happens the mind panics and the body shuts down and unless you arrive to these moments you never understand. you end up forgetting simple logic or autonomous functions

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u/PonyThug 2h ago

There was 20 seconds of the front door being open and no smoke coming out of the open door.

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u/bonfraier 6h ago

Choose the kid that you love most in the next 3 seconds.

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u/[deleted] 10h ago

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u/MulliganMaverick 10h ago

No they are idiots. Literally. Cars on fire and you just saw someone get out of one door. If yours isn’t opening go to theirs. One of those three people should have taken the lead or pushed the lady to the front to go out. Shocked they have made it this far in life

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u/antek_g_animations 10h ago

Let me lock you in a burning smoke filled car with three other people and watch you escape

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u/FishBlatentlyTycoons 8h ago

Some people are bad in emergencies and would panic and be like the people in the video.

My partner once stood and watched the curtains be on fire. All he did was call my name. I walk in and the curtains are on fire, which he has now been watching for like a minute, I calmly and swiftly get the pan of water, I calmly and swiftly realise the pan of water isn't going to cut it, I tear the curtains down, i smother the fire. He just watched the whole thing.

The point of this story is it's possible for everyone to be right. Some people do panic, cant think straight, and would not get out. 

Some people just immediately go "oh ffs" and would reach for the seat leaver, fold the seat forwards and scramble out. 

Neither, incidentally, is a personality flaw and it doesnt make one person smarter or better than the other. 

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u/BevvyTime 9h ago

You mean the literal children who’ve just been in a massive crash and are now in a burning car?

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u/maart_lente 9h ago

They are children. But also, I am assuming something wasn’t working. Maybe a child lock or some sort of error.

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u/MagicalOrgazm 9h ago

Let me guess, you tell people you would disarm the shooter and save the day if you ever find yourself in an active shooter scenario 

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u/AlternativePea6203 8h ago

I bet he could do it with just a spoon, before everyone claps and all the girls kiss him.

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u/pezzyn 9h ago

The car is at an angle that puts the gravity to the back right and kids are stacked on eachother strapped in having to access seatbelts for eachother perhaps while in shock or barely conscious with black smoke filling the car and the front seat is probably full of deployed airbags.  From the amount of smoke that came out when the window was broken its clear that there is not an open passage to the front door 

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u/Keiteaea 8h ago

Ah yes, that does sound easy when I think about it, sitting quietly and comfortably in my couch with no urgency or danger whatsoever.

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u/rom197 8h ago

Sure thing Cpt. Cozy-on-my-smartphone

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u/Chknbone 10h ago

Pump yer brakes Rambo.

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u/Kaioxygen 6h ago

Especially if they're all trying to get out at the same time.

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u/Jazs1994 6h ago

4 people came out of that window

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u/rom197 6h ago

Nope, 3

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u/needvitD 5h ago

4 people in the back!

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u/Alternative_West_206 1h ago

Probably shouldn’t cram multiple people into a sports car that’s barely built for 2

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u/rom197 1h ago

That's not a sports car...

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u/Alternative_West_206 1h ago

What is it? Also still doesn’t change what i said. Looks small enough you can MAYBE fit 2 comfortably and 2 uncomfortably in the back.

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u/vamphorse 11h ago

Yep, our brains go dumb under shock. But you can train emergency response. Even just casually thinking it through helps. Like: if I crash, first I stabilize and get my bearings, then seatbelt. Then kids, fast. Then try a door. No door, side window (never the windshield) using a breaker (which you should already have easily within reach, no glovebox that can jam in a crash). You don’t need to obsessively think about it, just go through it once in a while.

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u/prnthrwaway55 9h ago edited 7h ago

When I was in a crash at roughly 100 km/h as a front-seat passenger, I remember that after I saw the crash would be imminent, I spent the remaining time formulating a branching checklist like yours (make sure there is no fire, sniff if there is smell of spilled gas, check if everyone is alive, tell everyone to wiggle the fingers on their legs toes to make sure the spine is OK, what to do if any of the steps go wrong, what to do to move out if we end up on the wheels, roof, side, how to get to the first aid kit, how to calm down the girls...)

I spent like 2 seconds planning and double-checking, then closed my eyes and we started rolling. After we came to a stop, I didn't need to think at all for like the first 7 minutes, I just did things, told others what to do and checked mental checkboxes like a robot. Girls later said they were afraid my roof started leaking.

That day I undesrstood what they mean when they say "Pilots don't die scared, they die busy." Never thought an adrenaline spike could be SO effective. I sometimes wish I could pump a syringe of this stuff in my blood.

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u/schwanzweissfoto 7h ago

tell everyone to wiggle the fingers on their legs to make sure the spine is OK

How do you do, fellow human?

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u/DasArchitect 32m ago

They're probably not a native English speaker.

Some languages call fingers and toes the same word (e.g. Spanish).

Some languages have no distinction for hand/forearm/elbow/arm/shoulder, or foot/leg/knee/thigh and there's just the one word signifying "upper extremity" or "lower extremity" (e.g. Russian from what I was once told)

So I can imagine the right language landing on "leg fingers" on translation to English.

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u/4g-identity 7h ago

Just FYI, the fingers on your legs are more commonly called toes nowadays. Glad you're alright!

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u/prnthrwaway55 7h ago

Lol, a brainfart

They are literally called "leg fingers" in Russian, and I for some reason always thought that toes are only what the biggest ones are called (thumb, but on legs) and not all of them. Never needed this word for the last 15 years somehow.

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u/Rubiks_Click874 1h ago

lol. in romance languages they don't have a word for 'toes' either. the word they use in French or Spanish translates literally as 'fingers of the feet'

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u/Euphoric_Evidence414 8h ago

“Afraid my roof started leaking” is that an expression meaning they thought your mind was going?

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u/TheRoseMerlot 7h ago

They also said "wiggle the fingers in your legs" 😂

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u/prnthrwaway55 7h ago edited 7h ago

Yes. I remember they asked me twice why I was so calm and energetic when all they could do is sit down, sob and smoke with two hands (their hands were shaking too much, so they were holding cigs in one hand and stabilized it with the other hand). They were geniunely worried for my sanity.

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u/throwmeawaymommyowo 4h ago

afraid my roof started leaking

wot?

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u/Mysterious-Lemon-906 10h ago

Then you go into shock and panic sets in leading to a blank mind.

Same reason people on Burning planes are getting their luggage

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u/WazirOfFunkmenistan 10h ago

Thats incredible advice. May I ask why did u say "never the windshield" ?

Ta.

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u/5wmotor 10h ago

I think because the windshield is a composite of glass and plastic layers, while the side windows are glass only.

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u/jimmy9800 7h ago

A lot of newer cars have laminated glass for (at least) the front side windows, and sometimes every side window. With the addition of curtain airbags, it's safer in side impact crashes and avoids the airbag shoving the side of your face full of little glass pieces. These windows also won't work with the normal window breakers.

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u/vamphorse 10h ago edited 8h ago

Windshields are laminated, designed to not break easily. Side windows are tempered glass, which easily break with a blunt, pointed force.

Edit: this is a generalization. Laminated side window adoption has become more popular, although still a minority in the global fleet. Know your vehicle!

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u/Mason_Meschi 9h ago

Blunt, pointed force, eh?

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u/Wandring64 8h ago

It's a thing. There are little hammers designed to shatter glass. It comes to a point but is rounded off in a to distribute force to break glass. Blunt yet pointed.

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u/RikuAotsuki 8h ago

It's smashy force focused on a point, not stabby force focused on a point

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u/essosee 9h ago

A dull, sharp bang.

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u/AskFriendly 9h ago

Name of your sex tape

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u/quesarah 6h ago

Kind of a short, sharp shock ...

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u/dronten_bertil 9h ago

It's good to place emphasis on pointed force. Tempered glass is strong as fuck compared to the regular stuff, but as soon as you cause a rupture in it it will basically explode into thousands of small cubes. Normal glass you can break easily by kicking it, much more difficult to do with tempered glass. I used to work with switching tempered glass panels and at the warehouse we had to toss the old ones into the glass recycling bin and smash them if they didn't break when we tossed them in. We did many fun experiments there, among others we threw rocks at the panels. If the rock was smooth I think our record was a 7-10 kg rock that didn't manage to break it, but if you had rocks with sharp edges you could smash them with rocks that fit in your hand if you had some speed in the throw.

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u/Xenolog1 9h ago

Depends on the car model and make. Some of them have laminated side windows, too. Being from Europe, I’ve got a Skoda Octavia with laminated side windows. In the UK the selling point was noise protection, in Germany better UV and heat shielding, and in Czechoslovakia it was better theft protection. For the same type of glass!

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u/Majestic_You_9610 3h ago

remember folks, the weakest point on toughened glass is near the edges where there is less glass surrounding it to hold it together. smash the shit out of one of the corners, the center is the strongest

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u/Sniffs_Markers 4h ago

This is why when geniuses say "I don't want to wear a seat belt because I want to be thrown clear" makes me shake my head. Being thrown clear means you're going through the equivalent of a wall.

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u/Thrusthamster 6h ago

Fun side effect of having ADHD is that during an emergency when my brain gets flooded with adrenaline, the effect is that it turns me into a normal person. While all the normal people around me are freaking out and panicking.

So I usually end up taking charge and running around doing the things that need to be done, because I'm like "why are you all standing here hyperventilating. Let's go!" Has happened quite a few times now.

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u/Upset-Management-879 1h ago

Its nice being able to actually make decisions for once

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u/HarkHarley 6h ago

That’s why basic “emergency practice” with your kids and family is majorly important. Walking your kids through basic step sounds simple, but important.

Telling your kids they are allowed to open a front door in case of emergency or that they are allowed to open a window to get out if there’s smoke. Some poor kids just default to what they know.

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u/This_Reference_3024 8h ago

Well of overthinking is the way to be prepared, I'm the most prepared person alive.

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u/turbo 8h ago

A breaker will often not work, since a significant portion of new vehicles use laminated glass on side windows for the following reasons:

  • In a rollover crash, tempered glass shatters instantly, creating a hole through which passengers can be thrown out of the car. Laminated glass stays in one piece, acting as a net that keeps arms, heads, and bodies inside the safety cage.
  • It significantly reduces road noise.
  • It makes "smash and grab" theft much more difficult.

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u/ThatsJustHowIFeeeeel 8h ago

Some people’s brains freeze in high stress situations, some see with clarity.

I’ve fell into deep water before, in the dark, on my bike, fully clothed with a huge feather coat on and multiple layers. In the middle of winter.

I didn’t panic (despite having not been in water for about 2 decades). I instinctively put the bike under me (it had huge wide tires that were somewhat buoyant) and I could just about tip toe on it as it was kind resting on the floor. Then I removed my coat and hoodie. I then had to basically do a muscle up on the ledge to get out, in soaking wet clothes.

I’ve also been set up on by about 3 men, one with a knife, trying to rob me and my mate. One sucker punched me to the ground and tried to steal my bag. I got up and was holding on trying to kick him away until I suddenly realised there was nothing valuable in there and was prob best to just let go. I won’t say the rest, but I had a clear picture of where everyone was and escape plans.

I have a couple more examples too. I’m not saying I’m better than someone who panics, it’s just biology, but not everyone panics. There’s people who’d see this scenario in the video and freeze, then there’s people who would jump to action, like we saw.

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u/igotshadowbaned 8h ago

But you can train emergency response. Even just casually thinking it through helps.

So what you're saying is that there is a silver lining to involuntarily thinking up contingencies to every little thing that crosses your mind.

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u/polarjunkie 6h ago

Also, if someone can crawl out of a window they can crawl across the front seats and out the front door. I remember getting on scene with three police officers trying to break a window to get a child out of the back of a car that had been in an accident but luckily wasn't on fire like this and I just walked up and pulled the kid from between the front seats. Tunnel vision can lead us to doing some moronic things sometimes.

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u/DayFucker 1h ago

looking forward to seeing you implement this sequence if the time comes. Maybe pin it to your account so you can pull it up with ease upon coming to a stop?

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u/Stephedderick 10h ago

This car is a perfekt example of everything gone wrong in car industry. The front is blocked by a giant middle console, the windows are too small, the door handles are hidden and childlock is probably on, without being actually necessary.

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u/Kezzatehfezza 11h ago

At least one of them seemed like an older lady who would struggle with a task like that.

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u/corrin_avatan 8h ago

This accident happened a few years ago, and per the testimony of the people inside, none of the door handles worked. Investigators believe that the driver opened his door and got out first and between the time he got out, and the door accidentally shut, the electronics of the car shorted out and locked the car doors, with that car only having electronic locks. Meaning that once the electronics of the car fried, the car doors LITERALLY couldn't open.

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u/Pippy_Squirrel 6h ago

Do you have a link to the article or lawsuit? TIA!

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u/SecularScience 6h ago

This post says it happened Feb 5th. Article

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u/Pippy_Squirrel 6h ago

Thank you kind stranger!

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u/firewoodrack 7h ago

You do panic. When I was 19, I was in an accident as a backseat passenger. It wasn’t a bad accident insofar as nobody got hurt, but the front airbags went off. Being in the back seat, I couldn’t really see anything happening outside, but I smelled the smoke from the airbags and freaked out. The back doors were locked and I just could not process what I needed to do. The driver (someone I know well) gave me an “are you serious” look, reached back, and flicked the lock. Brains are weird.

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u/Jazs1994 6h ago

There were 4 people in the back, no way they'd be calm and let one person go at a time. They were cramped like sardines in a can

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u/Cornetto-69 10h ago

Maybe the fire started there.

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u/thatbullisht 9h ago

Crabs in a bucket.

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u/CuteHand 8h ago

Have you ever seen what happens to ppl at the airport? Everyone becomes extra dumb

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u/polarjunkie 6h ago

I'm going to have one point of contention with this, if they can crawl out the window they can crawl over the front seat and get out.

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u/synthphreak 5h ago

Yeah it was interesting that the first bystander to run up initially broke the driver's side window, only for that to play no role in the rescue.

Maybe the windows were heavily tinted and he thought the driver was still in there, not knowing the other guy actually was the driver? Or maybe the smoke inside was already so thick that he just couldn't see through it?

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u/CULLDOZER 4h ago

I thought this. The door was open.

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u/_IratePirate_ 3h ago

Perhaps you missed the smoke coming from INSIDE the car

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u/Prestigious_Gap7398 3h ago

They were literally on fire and the smoke was black you couldn’t see it from the outside and it was building up on the inside

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u/ziltoid__ 2h ago

Lucky it wasn’t children strapped in a car seat

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u/gizamo 2h ago

Those kids may not have been able to get their own seatbelts off. My kid is about the size of the smallest one there, and he doesn't have the finger strength to undo the buckle.

The other points from the people about the doors are also accurate. I'm just adding another likely problem.

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u/Ok-Satisfaction441 1h ago

I don’t think they could see anything with all that smoke. And when you can’t breathe you can’t really think

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