I need someone better versed in physics than I...

[cartman]

... to explain to me how this is physically possible? What are the forces required to eject a 600 pound woman through a sunroof?

hxxp://www.tampabays10.com/news/specials/popular/article.aspx?s=popular&storyid=34208

600 lbs. woman survives getting thrown through sunroof

Town N Country, Florida – A woman is in stable condition after being ejected through the sunroof of her SUV during an accident.

Thirty-seven-year-old Ruth Matthews told paramedics that another vehicle cut her off in traffic, and she took evasive action to avoid a crash. Her Isuzu Amigo rolled over and she was thrown through the sunroof and onto the roadway. Investigators say she was not wearing her seatbelt.

Paramedics initially tried to fly Matthews to Tampa General Hospital, but her weight, estimated at 600 pounds, made it impossible. Emergency crews were able to transport her to St. Joseph’s Hospital, where she is listed in stable condition.

Authorities are continuing their investigation.

[Huckleberry]

"Thrown" appears to be used here merely by habit. As it was a rollover I find it more likely that she simply fell out while the vehicle was dirty side up.

[Desmond]

lolerskatez

[cartman]

"Thrown" appears to be used here merely by habit. As it was a rollover I find it more likely that she simply fell out while the vehicle was dirty side up.

If that's the case, then it becomes an area issue. I've been in an Izuzu Amigo, and the sunroof isn't all that large.

[QuikSand]

She may be a pretty lean 600 pounds.



I got nothing.

[Huckleberry]

If that's the case, then it becomes an area issue. I've been in an Izuzu Amigo, and the sunroof isn't all that large.

Ah. Never been in one.

[KevinNU7]

Well muscle is heavier that fat so maybe she is jacked and takes up less room :)

[moriarty]

There's no way a 600 lb woman fits through the sunroof unless she's 12' tall. More likely, she dropped her Krispy Creme doughnut while driving leaned over to get it, swerved, and the 600lbs of pressure forced the door open and she fell out.

[clintl]

... to explain to me how this is physically possible? What are the forces required to eject a 600 pound woman through a sunroof?



As long as she can fit through the opening of the sun roof, this is entirely possible. The force required to eject a 600-pound object is small compared the force required to make the SUV turn over in the first place.

[cartman]

I found at an auto glass site that for a 2001 Amigo, the replacement glass size for the sunrooff is 34 inches by 16 inches. But the sunroof isn't directly over the driver's seat, it is centered in the cabin. So the angle has to be taken into account, which probably drops at least 12 inches off of the width. This is definitely a good example of using math in a real world situation to make a point to a class.

Can you imagine being the person driving behind this accident and seeing someone like that popping out the sunroof?

[moriarty]

I found at an auto glass site that for a 2001 Amigo, the replacement glass size for the sunrooff is 34 inches by 16 inches. But the sunroof isn't directly over the driver's seat, it is centered in the cabin. So the angle has to be taken into account, which probably drops at least 12 inches off of the width. This is definitely a good example of using math in a real world situation to make a point to a class.

Can you imagine being the person driving behind this accident and seeing someone like that popping out the sunroof?

All right, let's do some quick math. Let's assume her cross section is completely round and her widest point is her waist (i.e. she doesn't have an oversized booty or something). The narrowest part of the sunroof is 16", so she can't be more than 16" across.

To calculate the waistline needed to fit, we would use the circumference of a circle or PI * D. At most D can be 16", so he maximum waist size could be 50.25". Can a 600lb person have a waistline 50.25" or less?

According to this blog: hxxp://mikabike.blogspot.com/ , the 575 lb man has a waistline of 70".

Hmmm... Maybe I missed something.

[Surtt]

I assume that much fat would not be very rigid.
The 34x16 window has a circumference of 100"
So she could squish thorough.

[Franklinnoble]

I don't see how a 600 pound person could even fit behind the wheel of an Isuzu Amigo, much less get ejected from a sitting position behind the steering wheel and through a small sunroof.

[SackAttack]

Surtt, I'm pretty sure that even if she could squish through, she wouldn't be fluid enough to do so without being severely injured. This happened in a rollover according to the article, so if she's getting squished through, she's also getting landed on by the vehicle at some point before she completes her exit.

[moriarty]

I assume that much fat would not be very rigid.
The 34x16 window has a circumference of 100"
So she could squish thorough.

Well, I guess she'd be pretty flabby, but to get ejected through that opening she'd have to be moving at a decent velocity (as opposed to sqeezing through slowly) and she'd at least be pretty cut up I'd imagine.

Edit - sack beat me.

[Mac Howard]

Her weight would aid her expulsion through the sunroof not harm it. Assuming the car was moving, then the kinetic energy in her movement would be proportional to her weight (1/2mv2 if I remember correctly - m being mass). When she hit the sunroof she would do so with 4 times the impact of a 150 pound woman. So, whereas the 150 pound woman might bounce back, she would bust it open.

The problem is not how she would be ejected but how the car would get up to speed in the first place. Once up to speed she was an irresistable force probably needing half a mile to come to a stop. I can imagine her complaint to the car manufacturer now - "your ad says this car has a 0-60 mph time of 12 seconds. Why does mine take three minutes?" :)

[Fonzie]

She's really fat.

[Desmond]

She should of been walking.

[Bee]

Can you imagine being the person driving behind this accident and seeing someone like that popping out the sunroof?

"Holy crap! That car just had a baby!"