Falling Man

Moreno's landing also played a critical role in his survival. The scaffolding frame and the platform hit a wall, landed on a pile of twisted cables, and then bounced several feet away. While not exactly soft, the wall and cables provided a better cushion for landing than would flat concrete.

No one saw Moreno hit the ground. But his extremities absorbed most of the impact. He broke both legs and his right arm. In all, he broke 10 bones. But he managed to avoid direct hits to his pelvis, spinal column and head.

Experts who study falls say that the best way to land is feet first with the balls of the feet hitting first. But that's never a guarantee. Marin County Coroner Ken Holmes recalls several feet-first landings that violently jammed the hip bones into the chest cavity and destroyed internal organs. Kevin Hines, a survivor of a 2000 suicide attempt at the Golden Gate Bridge, remembers being in a sitting position when he hit the water.

As soon as his hands let go of the rail, Hines's mind snapped and he decided he wanted to live. "I started out swan diving with hands behind," he said. "I told myself, 'Throw your head back!' Whatever I did, it worked. I jerked my head back. My body seemed slow, but the fall seemed fast. I landed with my knees flexed a little, landed on the balls of my feet." Hines landed as if he were about to sit in a chair. Doctors said he would have smashed his spine or internal organs with even a slight change in body position.

Some experts suggest rolling on impact, to distribute the impact of the fall across the ground rather than concentrate in into one point on the ground. But rolling poses a danger that the different parts of the body will act on each other violently.

Moreno had two other factors in his favor. He was strong enough to handle the shock of a fall. And somehow, he remained somewhat loose--which could have been a huge help. If Moreno's body had tensed, the fall's force could have shot directly up his spine--concentrating, rather than dispersing, the force of the fall. The spine would have been more vulnerable to snapping, which would have cut off oxygen to the brain.