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| 2006/9/12-15 [Health/Dental, Transportation/Car] UID:44363 Activity:nil |
9/12 When authorities say someone died instantly (like in a car
accident), how fast counts as instantly? I mean I suppose 1 minute
would not be instantly, but what about 5 seconds? I mean how
quickly can someone die? I mean do people really die instantly
from the impact of a car accident? I suppose they do if their
head gets crushed, but otherwise, I gotta think it would at least
take a good fraction of a minute.
\_ http://experts.about.com/q/Biology-664/Dying-Instantly-1.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_death
Yes, the guy who said the Croc Hunter died instantly was a
television producer and in no way a medical expert. |
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| experts.about.com/q/Biology-664/Dying-Instantly-1.htm Walter Hintz Expertise Science teacher for over 50 years. I can answer questions in general biology, zoology, botany, anatomy and physiology and biochemistry. Experience I have a MSc in biology and have been a science teacher for over 50 years. At present I am a faculty member at a college and a science consultant at seven catholic schools. Walter Hintz Date: 1/26/2006 Subject: Dying Instantly Question Thank you, but do you know what part of a second in time does the blood stop in the heart, blood to organs, oxygen to brain, unconsciousness occurs. I am interested in your answer "matter of seconds" to be more clearly defined. In most states death is defined as the cessation of brain activity commonly called flatlining and it does not occur instantly. Once the heart stops the oxygen supply is cut off to the brain and unconciousness occurs in a matter of seconds and the brain cells begin to die. The term instant death can be applied when consciousness is terminated with no chance of it returning. We can safely say for example that decapitation causes instant death. I do not know if we can be as precise as you want because there are variable factors involved. If the heart fails to contract than immediately the brain receives no blood and unconsciousness will occur in about 4 seconds. This does not mean the the individual is dead at this time since the brain cells will not die so soon. There is still blood in the brain tissue and that blood still contains oxygen. We know that the the brain can be deprived of Oxygen for some minutes before the damage is irreparable. If the body temperature is very low than the time increases. For practical purpose we can say that at any given moment you may have three or four seconds to live because if your heart stops and you lose consciousness you may not be revived. |
| en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_death In journalism, instant death, death occurring instantaneously, and dying instantly describe various situations where a person dies at the scene of their cause of death. Many sudden and quick causes of death are actually processes lasting a noticeable length of time. femoral artery and also produces an open wound in the thigh is likely to cause death in less than a minute, since virtually complete loss of blood would be rapid. brain may cause loss of consciousness more quickly, the brain activity would continue at least until loss of volume left blood pressure near zero. Causes of death that involve death without noticeable delay would involve immediate disruption of brain function. Gunshot wounds to the head are often survivable with adequate treatment, and do not always cause loss of consciousness; this can include some suicide attempts where a handgun is held perpendicularly against the side of the head. It is probable that decapitation without damage to the skull entails several seconds of continuing brain function (though not necessarily of consciousness). Where a firearm is fired with several inches of its barrel inside a person's mouth and oriented straight into the mouth cavity, immediate death by destruction of the brain stem is extremely likely. Other forms of death where the brain is destroyed "faster than a thought" would include exposure to radiant energy so intense (in proximity to a nuclear explosion) that vaporization of the skull and brain would occur in a time far less than a second, and very rapid crushing of the skull, which can occur in falls (especially head first) from sufficient heights, and horizontal impacts at typical speeds of motor vehicles. |