Wednesday, June 9, 2010

"My car has plunged into a river!": What do you do in this worst-case scenario?

Via MattarMedia - Today we continue our Survival Series. If you missed Monday's blog post, we recommend checking it out now.

Today's scenario:

You swerve to avoid a dog in the road and lose control of your vehicle. Before you know what's happening, you have gone off the road and your car has plunged into a river. What is the first thing you should do (if possible):
1. Text for help.
2. Open your car window.
3. Try to kick out the windshield.
4. Change into your bathing suit.
Yes, we all want to look good at the beach, but this isn't the time to get "dolled up". How about #3, you ask? A car windshield is made of several layers of glass and would take too much effort to try to break.

So, now that we have eliminated #4 and #3 as options, the best choice (when possible) is #2. Your car window should be your primary escape route and if you are able to open your window and get out of the vehicle before it submerges completely, do so. At some point, your electric windows and doors will short out and you will lose the "window" of opportunity to open them.

If you are unable to open your window or your car has completely submerged under water, things get a bit trickier. The water pressure outside of the car will be extremely high and opening the door will be next to impossible. What you need to do is wait for the water pressure inside and outside of the vehicle to equalize, which means letting the interior of the car (almost) fill up with water. When the water reaches about neck level, you should be able to open your car door - or use something sharp to break a side window - and swim out.

When you escape from the vehicle, it's important to note the direction that the bubbles are going in. You can be surprisingly disoriented under the water and your car may have turned or flipped while sinking. The last thing you want to do is swim in the wrong direction.

Come back on Friday as we wrap up our Survival Series.

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Posted by William Mattar Law Firm at 4:46 PM
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