Hit and run

[Van Canna]

This is an unbelievable video.

http://gothamist.com/2012/05/08/crazy_v ... edestr.php

If you were a pedestrian in an open field and realized a speeding car is intent on running you down, to kill you, what would you do?

[Jason Rees]

How many would recognize the intent before it was too late to act?

[Van Canna]

Good question.

I had a case in Pennsylvania years ago, where I had to investigate a fatality.

A group of teenage misfits in a car driving erratically in figure eights in an open field.

One of them gets out to pee.

The driver and rest of them [4] take off in circles, then decide to 'scare' the piss out of their buddy by aiming at him speeding from a distance.

About 50 yards away, is when the 'peer' realized he was about to be run down, so he began to 'dart' side to side…the car hit a large stone on the ground and flipped over_ throwing one of the unbelted occupants out and landing with the roof _ on top of him.

They all tried to 'lift' the car off the hapless teen…to no avail…he slowly died with his life crushed out of him.

Say a reasonably fit person recognizes the intent about 100 yards away…he is in a very large field, no place to run into or hide no trees, no large rocks to hide behind…nothing.

Car is aiming at you_ speeding_ 60/70 MPH…

Now what?

[Jason Rees]

I kept waiting and waiting and waiting for someone to answer this...

I know it sounds counter-intuitive...
But I'd like to think I could summon the cojones to run right at it and attempt to either:
A. Go side-ways right through the frigging windshield...
or
B. Jump and roll, trusting in my Aikido training to preserve life and limb and recover quickly enough to use the fact that the car has to turn around to come at me again to my advantage.

But who am I kidding?

[Van Canna]

As you say Jason, tough one to call.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsyIHKe3IkA

I have also handled two cases of police officers shooting at oncoming cars.

The problem is, as you say, to recognize the intent, and to have enough time to react...to begin with.

Next is what will work if anything...especially if you are in an open field and you are marked for death.

You may avoid the speeding car a few times, but in the end you will die tired.

[Jason Rees]

That's depressing, Van.

Lesson learned: don't traverse an open field.

[Van Canna]

Yeah...open fields are dangerous.

One possible way is to grab a good sized rock and throw it at the windshield as the car closes in on you, before you dive out of the way.

[Jason Rees]

Of course, they might try to turn quickly to avoid the rock, and you end up diving right into them. LOL.

[Van Canna]

Very true, Jason. Anything can happen at any time to any of us ever caught in a survival situation no matter what we do or think we know.

When it comes right down to it, the essence of survival in any engagement is to understand and cultivate the 'SWITCH' _ the one that takes you from civilized, law-abiding, all-around nice guy to snarling, reactive, intuitive and primal animal.

Always cultivate the theory that you need to do something unexpected by the opponent who is proceeding on assumptions.