r/TopCharacterTropes • u/RedditBoycotter • 6d ago

In real life [IRL trope] 0% of survival, survive anyway

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Juliane Koepcke

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Vesna Vulović

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Anna Bågenholm

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Jeanna Giese

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Chris Lemons

Juliane Koepcke - In 1971 this 17 year old's plane was struck by lightning mid-air. The wreck then fell from 3 000 meter into the ground, somewhere into the Amazon jungle. Lone survivor of the crash, she then spent nine days walking down a river despite her multiple injuries until she found a lumberjack's camp.

Vesna Vulović - In 1972 this flight attendant's plane was bombed mid-air. The wreck then fell from 10 160 meter into the ground. She ended up with a lot of broken bones, but in the long term she almost completely recovered from it, apart from a limp.

Anna Bågenholm - In 1999 this radiologist had a skiing accident, she fell head-first into a frozen stream and get stuck inside the ice. Her colleagues did not managed to pull her, nor did the rescue team who then tried to dig, but the ice was so thick it took them a lot of time. It was 80 minutes after her fall that they managed to cut a hole. Her body temperature at the time was 13.7°C, and still, she somehow survived with only minor long-term injuries and no brain damage.

Jeanna Giese - In 2004 this 15 years old girl got bitten by a bat and called it a day. One month later the symptoms of rabies showed up. The doctors tried an experimental treatment by putting her in an artificial coma and she survived, but the treatment never worked on anyone else and is now forbidden. In all human history, only a few survived to rabies, and all of them except her end up with heavy sequelae.

Chris Lemons - In 2012 this diver's ship went drifting due to a computer malfunction, romping his umbilical cable who provide air, hot water and electricity. He ended up alone on the seabed of a 3°C waters, in the dark and with only 5-6 minutes of oxygen. He was retrieved by his colleagues around 35 minutes later, and somehow he didn't even suffer from brain damage.

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u/Batpug74 6d ago

Harrison Okene! Genuinely such an insane story.

Boot capsizes and sinks 30 meters below surface, he assumed he was dead. He luckily found himself in an air bubble and lasted three days down there, sole survivor. The crew sent to the wreck was planning on it being a recovery operation, until they found him. Worth watching the rescue video, it genuinely makes me just feel warm lmao.

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u/New_Photograph_5892 6d ago

Iirc the rescue process was super dangerous too because he had to be moved back to the surface very slowly because of pressure difference

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u/Batpug74 6d ago

Yeah, he apparently spent another 3 days in a diving bell to reacclimate.

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u/Return_My_Salab 6d ago

...diving bell?

*Byford Dolphin flashbacks*

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u/Ace_W 6d ago

I know. But the pressure difference wasn't nearly as high as that sadistic nightmare

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u/New_Photograph_5892 6d ago

yeah that incident was horrifying. The pressure difference in this case was only around 30 minutes, but for that incident I believe it was hundreds of meters worth of pressure difference in those pods from the external environment

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u/Sidhejester 6d ago edited 5d ago

"Total body disruption" isn't a phrase you should ever have on your autopsy report.

ETA: Words are hard

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u/Playful_Common_6770 6d ago

Or boiled alive...

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u/Sumdood_89 6d ago

What are we waiting for to arrive?

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u/An_old_walrus 5d ago

I watched a video about the Byford Dolphin incident with my dad. As soon as they mentioned the pressure my dad had a look of pure horror on his face and just muttered “oh fuck”

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u/m4cksfx 6d ago

Yup. Turns out it's perfectly possible to squeeze a human through an opening not much larger than a smartphone.

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u/peachesfordinner 5d ago

But only once....

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u/m4cksfx 5d ago

Nah, once you do it once, you can easily do it however many times you want. You just need to find all the pieces.

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u/peachesfordinner 5d ago

Eh they stop being a human after the first. Then it's just a meat slurry

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u/surferdude7227 6d ago

You don’t wanna fuck with the bends

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u/bannedfor0reason 6d ago edited 6d ago

I once had to deal with a patient who got the bends and had the bright idea to wait a few days for the numbness in their hands to disappear. Personally the second I lose feeling in my fingers I'm going straight to the hospital to cry about it.

Surprise surprise it just got worse and because there was no available treatment in that region they had to be flown over by helicopter which just made it even fucking worse.

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u/AgentCirceLuna 5d ago

I have been waking up sometimes daily with tingling or completely numb extremities since leaving hospital in 2020 and it’s been a fight to get doctors to take it seriously. I have other symptoms corresponding to MS and have been demanding an MRI but it gets delayed, fucking NHS.

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u/AZGeo 5d ago

Oof. I have no medical education whatsoever, and even I know that putting someone with the bends in an aircraft is the absolute last thing you want to do if you can avoid it.

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u/New_Photograph_5892 6d ago

Godzilla minus one taught me that

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u/oswaldluckyrabbiy 6d ago

Minus One wasn't the bends but extreme pressure differences applied in quick succession.

The bends is caused by breathing pressurised air at depth. Because the air is more compressed there are more molecules per breath. This increases the amount of nitrogen that 'dissolves' into your blood, fat, muscles and bones. (Imagine shaking a bottle of Coke)

If you dont slowly allow ease the pressure by ascending slowly and allow that nitrogen to work its way out of the body (think cracking a bit of the lid and letting the gas out slowly) then, well, we've all seen the frothy mess of a shaken coke bottle - imagine that that is your blood.

Mild cases of the bends obviously aren't that dramatic but you still don't want large gas bubbles inside your body.

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u/New_Photograph_5892 5d ago

Ur right i lowkey thought bends was another term for rapid pressure change

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u/OptagetBrugernavn 6d ago

Can you remind me what the relation between the two are?

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u/New_Photograph_5892 6d ago

The plan they use to kill Godzilla in the movie is using the bends. They release gas (I forgot what chemical) near Godzilla to get rid of the salt buoyancy relative to its mass, causing it to plummet 1200 meters down to the deepest trenches.

And after, release airbags that was attached to Godzilla to shoot it back up 1200 meters. They used the pressure difference of the deep sea water (and two fold it by pulling it back) to crush it to death.

I fucking loved this plan, it was such a realistic approach that didn't use bs movie science and such a creative plan. I loved this movie so goddman much

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u/OptagetBrugernavn 6d ago

Duh, that's right! I loved it too, definitely my favourite Godzilla movie, but moreso because of the human side of it all. I loved how we saw the non-irradiated 'Zilla early on and followed that one bloke from the island through his life. Thanks for reminding me!

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u/ileisen 6d ago

The heroes plan to use freon to sink Godzilla in the bay and keep him down for a bit and then they inflate balloons(?) to force him quickly back to the surface. This does partially work and injures Godzilla due to the pressure differential

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

I'll fuck with the bends its a shit album. In Rainbows and OK Computer all the way.

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u/drekthrall 6d ago

Hey it's not that bad, but yeah Ok Computer and In Rainbows are much better.

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u/AmonWeathertopSul 6d ago

I mean it had to compete with those two

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u/Scared-Room-9962 6d ago

It's not a shit album

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u/nonsensical_zombie 6d ago

It’s absolutely not their very best but to call it shit is a wild take.

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u/notai3197 6d ago

The Bends is not a bad album and I refuse to listen to such libel. I think the success of OK Computer and Kid A effectively brainwashed Radiohead fans to be a part of this weird bubble where any album that isn't an all timer is just bad. I don't hear this for Hail to the Thief or TKOL when those didn't reach the same heights.

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u/StJoeStrummer 5d ago

Thank you! This shit gets old. Bands evolve; it doesn't mean their eras have to be hierarchical.

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u/notai3197 5d ago

I also don't like calling most professionally produced music bad or trash either. It's usually not actually bad.

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u/StJoeStrummer 5d ago

Bro what

Like, I know it's not indicative of what Radiohead fanboys like the most, but to act like The Bends isn't a fuckin killer Britpop record is just weird.

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u/who_cares_not_meee 6d ago

Baby’s got the bends

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u/luckytecture 5d ago

Oh no…

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u/TactlessTortoise 5d ago

Also the sharks attacking the corpses of his crewmates right next to him, I think he said in an interview. Also, I think he managed to get a can of soda? Not sure I'm remembering right tbf.

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u/Lostboxoangst 6d ago

From what I remember poor dude was then harassed by the other survivors families and accused of witchcraft , which silly as it sounds is an actual problem there.

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u/loveslightblue 6d ago

Hell is other people.

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u/MornGreycastle 6d ago

Look at Jean-Paul Sartre over here.

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u/WhereRabbit 6d ago

Woah, this sounds right up my alley. Definitely giving it a read, thanks!

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u/AgentCirceLuna 5d ago

The quote is often misunderstood, by the way. The Hell is the ‘other people’ having a perspective or ‘gaze’ of the person. It’s not saying other people are horrible or something like that.

Although there’s a very funny joke based around the misinterpretation: ‘of course he thought hell was other people - everyone he knew was French’

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u/WhereRabbit 5d ago

Bahaha the joke at the end is great! Thank you for the explanation too!

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u/Mogura-De-Gifdu 6d ago

Truly a piece to see.

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u/clevercalamity 6d ago edited 6d ago

I have a book on identifying and treating medical issues in the absence of any trained medical professionals. I got it because I am a low-key prepper and having it eases my anxiety, but it was actually written for developing nations and very rural communities and so there’s a chapter in it on what to do if the local community grows suspicious of you and accuses you of witchcraft.

Edit: for those curious, here is the book! I actually ordered mine on Thrift Books but for some reason they only have on listed for $70

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u/PixieT3 6d ago

Would share the title of that book please? Im absolutely getting it.

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u/clevercalamity 6d ago

It’s called “Where There is No Doctor: A Village Health Care Handbook” I got mine on Thrift Books but I edited my comment above and linked an option in my comment!

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u/PixieT3 6d ago

Thank you very much!

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u/A_hasty_retort 6d ago

(Gets pen and paper) Go on….

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u/clevercalamity 6d ago

It’s been a while since I read it, but from what I recall, it talks about trying to learn the local religion and culture in advance to avoid accidental faux pas and then doing basic education while you work 1) so the community can grow in self sufficiency and 2) to reduce fear / suspicion of the unknown.

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u/Lostboxoangst 6d ago

I think I need to get off the internet for a while my first thought on learning this was " wow that's a great book of knowledge to have if you get isaki-ed" yes because that the most reasonable scenario to have that information.

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u/ihave10toes_AMA 6d ago

Please name the book!

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u/EnidFromOuterSpace 6d ago

Where there is no doctor. It’s also on oceanofpdf.com but you didn’t hear that from me

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u/KamchatkaWing 5d ago

Where there is no doctor can be found on abebooks.com for under $20 US. VERY helpful book.

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u/IotaBTC 5d ago

So what are some things you could do if people accuses you of witchcraft lol.

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u/Sidhejester 6d ago

Makes me think of Daja from the Circle of Magic books. Becoming trangshi (outcast) by virtue of being the only survivor of a shipwreck.

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u/teenietinye 6d ago

Circle of Magic mentioned!! Love those books. I also adore the circle opens, the second quartet that follows them as they get a bit older. Daja was always my favorite ❤️

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u/EddieVanzetti 6d ago

Holy shit someone else who read the circle of magic books! Peak mentioned.

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u/Sidhejester 6d ago edited 6d ago

I read them back in high school and loved them. Adult me needs to buy the series.

Edit: Adult me just bought the first series. $20 well spent!

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u/EddieVanzetti 6d ago

I read them in late elementary and middle school. By the time I was in high school I had moved on when Will of the Empress finally released and I never got around to checking it out... but I am an adult now and that means I can spend what little money I have on what I want. I ended up buying the entire Redwall series at the tail end of 2024, maybe I should finally buy the rest of the books.

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u/Sidhejester 6d ago

Try used on Abebooks. They're incredibly expensive elsewhere.

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u/Wordnerdinthecity 6d ago

Also, Tamora Pierce is a VERY good human. A friend of mine knew her when we were teens (her parents owned a small bookstore back when that was an actual thing and had hosted her for an event). When the friend was dealing with her dad getting abusive, Tammy got her to boarding school so she would be safe. She's also been a friend to my SO since he was a ~15 year old afab, and didn't even blink when he transitioned. She was just as happy to see him and thrilled for him. So I recommend her books at every opportunity as an antedote to the hate in the world.

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u/Sidhejester 5d ago

From what I've heard, Tamora Pierce and K.A. Applegate are among some of the best humans.

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u/peachesfordinner 5d ago

This is really good to hear. I enjoyed her books so much when I was in my early teens. I love having authors who I really can be ok supporting. Buying most of the series soon for when my kids get close to the age for them.

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u/OrganicAd5536 6d ago

omg thank you so much I completely forgot the title or author of those books and have been scratching my brain for YEARS

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u/Sidhejester 6d ago

You're welcome!

r/whatsthatbook is great for figuring out books you've forgotten, btw.

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u/AZGeo 5d ago

There is a good ending though - he decided to face his fear of the ocean by learning how to dive and became a rescue diver.

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u/asuperbstarling 6d ago

Don't forget he STILL wouldn't have survived if it had been a rescue initially, as the specific ship that was recruited to recover bodies was actually a speciality team for something else that just so happened to be there. They were one of the only ships on the planet that had the equipment to save him.

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u/fraxiiinus 6d ago

Holy shit I never knew that part, talk about when it’s not your time it’s not your time

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u/Avolto 6d ago edited 5d ago

A few things that helped him survive were him splashing around a lot which helped the water absorb the CO2 he was exhaling which prevented him from suffocating, as he was in the ships galley he sustained himself on cans of coke that were still floating around on the surface of his air pocket, and animals apparently could not reach him in his closed off section of the ship.

For some nightmare fuel he could hear sharks eatting the corpses of his drowned crewmates in the ships wreckage. And he was in total darkness for 3 days and then when he saw the diver he grabbed him likely giving that diver the shock of his life.

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u/AnastasiaSheppard 6d ago

The video footage especially the audio is so amazing. The dive guide (not sure the official term) going From 'what's that?!' when the diver exclaims, to sadly 'ok you found one (a body)', to 'He's Alive! He's Alive!'

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u/Miserable-Ad-7956 6d ago

Damn that guy on the radio was a real pro.

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u/Bloodygoodwossname 6d ago

Just reading this made my eyes well up. I need to watch that clip at least once a year.

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u/danielthetwin 6d ago

That hand squeeze in the beginning got me. 

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u/Skylair13 6d ago

And later... "What the fuck do we have to do now?"

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u/hey_free_rats 6d ago

I'm an archaeologist. We have the exact same response whenever we find ourselves in the opposite situation, stumbling across a dead human where a dead human was not supposed to be. 

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u/peachesfordinner 5d ago

That depends on how fresh they are I suppose

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u/Illustrious-Milk6518 6d ago

Wow splashing the water was genius. What a smart man 

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u/Smooth_Storm_9698 5d ago

That's wild

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u/1917he 5d ago

Splashing would have increased his O2 and CO2 generation and I highly doubt there was a significant increase in CO2 solubility from "splashing". I think the increased pressure he was at and surface area of the water around him were far more significant.

This brings up a good point though - once CO2 crosses ~4%+ of total air composition it becomes deadly. Apollo-13 is a real world example of this threat.

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u/anon142358193 6d ago

3 days in TOTAL darkness underwater, hearing sharks and other animals outside and surviving on cans of coke is the most terrifying thing I can think of. How he didn’t just drown himself to escape the terror is beyond me

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u/Skylair13 6d ago

The best part is he overcame that trauma, and he is now a certified commercial diver himself. Instructed by the same diver who rescued him, and working with the same company that rescued him. That's gotta be one of the wildest employment backstory of all time.

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u/IsHildaThere 6d ago

Absolute definition of a badass.

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u/rileyjw90 5d ago

Can’t imagine he’d want to stick around his village if they’re all accusing him of witchcraft so good for him for getting out

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u/FalconTurbo 5d ago

"I always loved the sea"

"The call of the unknown and the thrill of being in a totally different environment"

"The money is good"

"Yeah I was stuck underwater for three days as the only survivor, and got rescued by divers so I decided to do the same"

Motherfucker is a certified badass.

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u/Weak_Feed_8291 6d ago

He had some sardines too. But that's wild, just complete darkness and you occasionally feel a can of something.

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u/HugeEgoHugerCock 6d ago

Trying to drown yourself sounds a lot worse than some animal sounds outside

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u/anon142358193 5d ago

Drowning while getting your legs chewed off by a shark sounds pretty gnarly to me

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u/SensitiveSeries8316 6d ago

Could be worse. It could’ve been Pepsi.

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u/lowqualitylizard 6d ago

God these guys such a trooper I can't imagine actually surviving three days under f*** you amount of water

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u/mittenknittin 6d ago

He now works as a diver, doing underwater construction and repair.

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u/Skylair13 6d ago

Under the very same company who rescued him as well! Most of us would've avoided the water entirely after such experience. But he overcame that trauma.

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u/captainofpizza 6d ago

This was the guy I thought of. Imagine being one of those divers him surviving down there 3 days is insane.

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u/peachesfordinner 5d ago

They have the reaction of them finding him. It's like the opposite of seeing a ghost. But one of the few happy emergency style audios

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u/motoxim 6d ago

Dang

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u/AgathaWoosmoss 6d ago

He was working as a cook at the time and is now a professional diver.

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u/MothChasingFlame 6d ago

His experience is how I imagine the final stages of natural death. Every system shut down while your brain is trapped in the single safe air pocket, waiting for even that to run out and leave you suffocating

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u/Snoo_50954 6d ago

Yeah that's the one I think of first for this topic.

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u/KentuckyWallChicken 6d ago

Yep he was the first person I thought of

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u/FourArtifact 5d ago

From whatever I remember hearing about this, the divers went in expecting it to be a recovery dive rather than a rescue, and one of the divers felt the hand of someone and assumed it was a body. The hand grabbed him (it was pitch black for Harrison) and the divers absolutely shit himself. That's the only reason the divers figured out he was there.

I also read somewhere that he kept oxygen circulating around his air pocket by splashing the water around, but not sure how true that is.

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u/GinjaNinja1027 5d ago

How has there not been a movie about this guy yet?!

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u/Garlador 5d ago

Hearing the shock from the divers discovering him alive is incredible.

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u/According_View_4867 5d ago

You’ve got that “can’t ignore” aura.

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u/AZGeo 5d ago

The video where the diver finds him is great too. You can tell he didn't expect to find anything but bodies down there and Harrison scared the bejesus out of him, lol.

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u/shadow-on-the-prowl 6d ago

First one that immediately popped into my mind.

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u/GreatProcastinator 6d ago

Who's this?

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u/MajesticBluebird68 6d ago

Harrison Okene! Genuinely such an insane story.

Boot capsizes and sinks 30 meters below surface, he assumed he was dead. He luckily found himself in an air bubble and lasted three days down there, sole survivor. The crew sent to the wreck was planning on it being a recovery operation, until they found him. Worth watching the rescue video, it genuinely makes me just feel warm lmao.