Man 'bends car door' of burning vehicle to save driver

[muriel_volestrangler]

A man saved a driver from a burning car by bending the door with his bare hands, say police, describing his feat of "superhuman strength".

Bob Renning, 52, pulled up on a freeway in Minnesota to help another vehicle that was filling with smoke.

He told the Minneapolis Star Tribune he was not sure how he bent the door open far enough to shatter the window glass.
...
After he realised the vehicle was locked and the windows would not work, Mr Renning gripped the top of the door frame with his fingers, braced his foot against the door and pulled, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-28121446

[Helen Borg]

1. Dunno... There is no such thing as superhuman strengh.

By definition, no human can show superhuman strength. Probably, the door was rather flimsy to begin with.

[Orrex]

2. Or Mr. Renning's not human...

[Helen Borg]

3. Righto!

[SkyDaddy7]

12. EXACTLY!! Or maybe it was...

A miracle from GAWD!?!?!

[ananda]

7. Actually, human in crisis are known to do extraordinary things.

Another example is that actress from the sixties who
lifted a car off a person after an accident she was
near.

[randome]

21. Not quite as 'extraordinary' as urban legends like to paint it.

When you bend down and then lift up, you are utilizing leg muscles, back muscles, arm muscles and abdominals. If you're in relatively good shape, you can lift heavy objects without it being an emergency.

Adrenaline helps, of course, but it's not quite an example of 'superhuman' strength that some want to believe.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]You have to play the game to find out why you're playing the game. -Existenz[/center][/font][hr]

[DirkGently]

9. And those grapes were probably sour, too!

[Jenoch]

53. "Probably, the door was rather flimsy to begin with."

Not even close. People can do things under stress which they would not be able to do otherwise. Besides that, it's not like he tore a four in thick telephone book in half.

[tblue37]

78. As someone else pointed out, adrenaline is factor. Part of the effect of adrenaline is that

when it floods the system, it blocks the pain response. The human body is capable of much more than we usually do with it, but if we were to push it to its real limits, especially if we did o at length, we would seriously injure ourselves. Fortunately, the pain response tells us when we are pushing the body far enough to damage it, so we back off.

The man was probably fairly large and strong to begin with, and he probably managed to angle himself just right to leverage the pull. In that an emergency, he ignored (did not even notice) any warnings his body sent that he might be straining muscles and tendons or damaging his skin as he pulled.

I bet he was sore after the act--once he finally calmed down enough to feel it.

One of the premises of zombie fiction is that zombies don't actually have super strength, but since they feel no pain or fear, they seem to have such strength, because they can push their bodies to the limit without ever having to lessen the force they apply.

[Jenoch]

80. This incident happened about five miles from my house.

The guy who bent the window frame, Bob Renner, does not appear to be anything but average in size. You're right, it was adrenaline and I am guessing, once he got the window frame partially bent, he probably put his entire weight on it and that's when it bent to 45°. It is still a remarkable thing for him to have done.

I am among those on DU who find it annoying when so many DUers feel the need to minimize the actions of someone who saves another person from certain death.

[frylock]

82. i'm guessing that this guy is feeling it today

[ReverendDeuce]

4. This is called leverage... Super-human strenght, pfft...

Who wrote this article and how are they allowed to be journalists?

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Leverage is limited

Are you saying the journalists should have been telling the police they're full of shit and "it's just leverage"?

[DirkGently]

8. Amazing. Don't know what the

arch skepticism in the responses is supposed to be about.

The man bent a steel car door frame down almost perpendicular to the body of the car.

While it was on fire.

"Superhuman" barely qualifies as hyperbole in this case.

Cool post.

[Orrex]

10. One of DU's favorite pasttimes is telling everyone why someone isn't a hero

I've posted snarkily about this phenomenon in the past, and it remains true.

When presented with a story of someone's remarkable performance under fire, the first order of business is to trivialize and diminish that performance.

[SkyDaddy7]

13. NO ONE HERE said,

the man was "not a hero" just call into question terms like "super human strength" which have literally no meaning at all..."Super Human" by what measure? There are probably 10s of thousands of men around the world strong enough to bend that car door with one hand & leverage so what do we classify them as? Who knows if they are brave enough to use their strength to rescue someone from a burning car that is a completely different story!!

The same goes for "It was a miracle from god!"...Whatever.

None of these things have meaning in the world of reality...Would like to see the reporting by the police & the journalist take on a more MATURE feel. It is the 21st century & all.

[WinkyDink]

15. Lighten up, Francis. It's a common expression, used to mean "way above the norm." DUUUUUUH.

[Orrex]

18. ^^That

Imagine another event unfolding like this:

Bystander: Mary! You have to get to the hospital! Someone just beat your husand to a pulp!

Doctor: Actually, Mary's husband suffered a cracked skull, six broken facial bones, major lacerations of the cheeks, lips, and forehead, nine broken teeth, and a collapsed trachea. The most important thing right now is that the witnesses avoid hyperbolic language.

[eqfan592]

34. Yes, because the situation between a doctor and a family member of a critically inured patient..

..is identical to that of a news report putting together a story well after the fact. smh...

[Orrex]

41. Not what I said, of course, but ok

I engaged in hyperbole to make a point. Namely, that exaggeration is part of the human storytelling experience. If this were a story in which objective reporting is of paramount importance, such as in the case of the Hobby Lobby decision, I would agree with you. Instead, I see this is a relatively harmless exaggeration, though YMMV.

news report putting together a story well after the fact.

Well, it was taken from the account by police, so it's not unreasonable for the news report to feature the cop's comment. Should they have provided a disclaimer advising sensitive viewers that the events were not, in fact, superhuman?

I can see it now: "In today's news, a man performed a mundane action entirely within the bounds of established human ability. Tune in at 11:00 to hear the story of this unremarkable accomplishment."

[eqfan592]

43. Yes, because that's the only other possible way to phrase a news headline.

The implication that the only other possible option for news reporting is the tripe at the end of your post is a fallacious argument. I'm sure that news reporters are capable of making news interesting without relying on implications of possible super-natural behavior or events.

But of course, I'm sure you're going to say that you were just using "more hyperbole" as if that somehow excuses making a fallacious argument in the course of a discussion.

[Orrex]

44. Have you called the news agency yet? Or are you just belly-aching?

Why complain to people who see that your complaint is trivial and who can't do anything about it anyway?

Given your obvious devotion to objective, unembellished journalism, I'm sure that your passion will sway them from their hyperbolic course.

God speed to you. God speed.

[eqfan592]

45. Wow, struck a nerve, did I?

You clearly don't like your lack of reasoning skills highlighted in such a way. Good day.

[Orrex]

46. LOL. Um, no.

What you see as lack of reasoning skills, I see as an effective call-out of your self-important smugness.

Sorry to break it to you, but it'll take something more impressive than your mutterings to strike a nerve in me.

[eqfan592]

47. And yet here you continue to post. n/t

[Orrex]

48. As do you. Guess I struck a nerve.

[DirkGently]

56. Militant empiricism: Refuge of the half-smart.

Not denigrating these particular posters -- maybe they're reaching for good humor and just missing a bit. One of them in particular seems to be trying to have some fun at least.

But overall, have you noticed that people rigidly committed to enforcing "logic" on everyone tend to be those with the most tenuous grip on it in the first place?

"Objectivists" illustrate this perfectly. Starting with the name.

First I've heard of poo-pooing colorful speech under the rubric of "That's NOT LITERALLY TRUE!!!" though.

[SkyDaddy7]

31. NO, it is a common belief...

that people turn into a the HULK when in a stressful situation due to constant reports by police & journalist who simply repeat repeat repeat what the government tells them...That people get "super human strength" in stressful situations. They make TV shows about such BS!! Stop excuse making.

[Orrex]

42. You should call Morgan Freeman and complain about that "10% of the brain" thing, then.

I can see how upset you are about society's downfall.

[SkyDaddy7]

61. Yeah, he should know better!!

[eqfan592]

35. No, it's a common expression often used to promote the idea of the paranormal.

"He used super human strength! How could this be? Must have been god/spirits/aliens/etc."

It is aiding in the perpetuation of a misconception, and frankly, that's something we need to make sure is happening is little as possible, given how ignorant so many people are in our nation as it is.

[rustydog]

66. Thank you! Holy Sheittttt Batman WTF?

Damn, superhuman, sub human, inhuman...lets argue semantics over a courageous act.

You poo poo-ers, get yer video cameras out, go to your car and PROVE what you say is true: That it is a simple thing. ANY person can pry open a locked car door simply by wedging your fingers into the top of the door frame and pulling until the molded metal bends, causing enough stress to shatter the tempered glass...post your video and prove us wrong in our admiration of a hero who exhibited courage whilst using superhuman strength to save a stranger from probable death....

Then go have a nice day.

Happy 4th

[Orrex]

17. The three direct replies to the OP immediately sought to diminish the event

My comment in reply #10 was entirely accurate.

[muriel_volestrangler]

20. Please put your complaint in writing to the Minnesota State Patrol

stating that you want their trooper to moderate his language in future, because you think he's immature.

Next, write to James Walsh and Libor Jany to tell them that their duty as reporters is not just to report what a state trooper said, but to criticise it as well, to damp down any expectations they might cause of true super-humans walking among us.

Then you can write to the BBC to tell them the same.

Is that how you usually spend your day?

[KittyWampus]

38. I think they should also write to the guy who bent the door and the woman he saved.

[lame54]

22. It's a quote from the police...

they were on the scene and that's how impressed they were

why should he leave out the quote

[DirkGently]

27. Of course, no one is a "hero," really.

A "hero" is a half-human, half-god, like Hercules. Or a sandwich.

Are you saying this man was a sandwich?

If we're going to stop using language that isn't absolute, empirical fact, we'll need to cut out literary speech, poetic license, and metaphor as well as hyperbole.

Right?

[1StrongBlackMan]

14. LOL ...

One of DU's favorite pasttimes is telling everyone why someone isn't a hero

When not saying, "All he/they (President Obama/Harry Reid/the Democratic Party) needs to do is ..."

[randome]

24. Not so much 'skepticism' as 'science'.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]You have to play the game to find out why you're playing the game. -Existenz[/center][/font][hr]

[DirkGently]

25. Sigh. As noted, it's in quotes.

Even if someone wanted to be so ridiculous as to condemn the use of a common hyperbole, good journalism includes quotes.

Does "science" now not only disallow all forms of hyperbolic or metaphoric speech, but also require journalists to censor human speech to avoid the same?












This is hilarious.

[clarice]

30. Agreed !!!!!! Some people just don't like heroes.It makes them uncomfortable. Great post. nt

[Helen Borg]

40. How do we know it was steel?

And how think it was? And how difficult it was to bend? I once dented a car with my fist
My point is merely logical: humans cannot carry out superhuman actions by definition, because superhuman means beyond human.
Godzilla can carry out superhuman actions. Joe cannot.

[DirkGently]

52. Yeah. That's the ticket. Coulda been one of those cream cheese cars.

They're everywhere nowdays.

[phil89]

77. I think people look at these things

With skepticism and rational thought because the stories sound absurd. Lack of skepticism leads to magical thinking and gullibility. Adrenaline and leverage are not akin to superhuman strength, which is impossible by definition. If a human does something it cannot be superhuman.

[DirkGently]

81. Obtuse nitpicking is not rational or logical though.

No one is actually confused as to whether the rescuer might perhaps be a robot, or from Krypton.

It's not a sign of intelligence or good reasoning to conclude that people need to be corrected regarding a well-understood use of mild hyperbole.

People use other hyperbolic terms all the time. People of average intelligence and knowledge have absorbed the fact that humans use figures of speech, metaphor, hyperbole, etc.

For example, few things are literally "incredible" or "fantastic" or "the greatest." No one is actually "a hero."

People understand that. It's incredibly weird and presumptious to assume they don't, and actually suggests a very poor understanding of language and culture on the part of the would-be Logic Warriors.

[wcollar]

6. Sounds simple but

You try running up to a burning car, jam your finger tips into the narrow gap in the metal and bend the window frame down. THEN you can talk smack.

[John1956PA]

11. +100

Great post.

[NJCher]

29. bingo

Cher

[eqfan592]

36. No, not "bingo."

The reply does nothing to counter the original argument in any way, shape, or form. The argument wasn't about the heroic nature of the event, but of the idea of "superhuman strength."

[LanternWaste]

55. Biblical literalists would agree with you. Those aware of creative license may scoff, though...

Biblical literalists would agree with you. Those aware of creative license may scoff, though...

[rustydog]

73. No, it is about an idiotic, semantics bitch-fest

Superhuman strength is a phrase that has been used to describe physical activity that would probably be near-impossible if a life-threatening event wasn't the cause of the response.

You can use paragraphs to describe the activity or one can use two words that say it all. But then those who have to bitch still need to diminish the dialogue and pull a feel-good post into the gutter...congrats!

[eqfan592]

75. You'll note I did not originate the argument.

I simply pointed out that the post here failed to address the original issue brought up.

I did voice agreement with the first poster that the phrase is also commonly used to imply something supernatural taking place, but as for who is trying to "pull a feel-good post into the gutter" you and some others should look in the mirror. Your reaction to a simple explanation of how nothing supernatural was required for this event is very telling.

[NBachers]

76. Bingo is a game. Did the poster line up a sequence of markers in the correct order? I think not.

[edhopper]

16. He only bent the window frame

not the door body.
[img][/img]

Heroic, yes, worthy of all the praise he gets, yes.

Superhuman, not really.

[DirkGently]

26. Pffft. Probably mild steel too, not even Tungsten.

People bend steel with their bare hands all the time, amirite?

[Helen Borg]

69. Bare hands, perhaps not. With gloves, perhaps...

[NJCher]

33. in the farthest stretches of my imagination

I cannot fathom doing that with my bare hands.

I wouldn't even be able to get a good enough grip to start, not to mention the scary working conditions. Think about what you'd have to do to get enough of a crumple in the metal to bend it. A car door is structured to adhere to the vehicle itself. It's made so there are no gaps. That alone is difficult, and the metal bending part is another story.

Note this:

He told the Minneapolis Star Tribune he was not sure how he bent the door open far enough to shatter the window glass.


"Adrenaline," yes, that's part of it, but how do you explain the clarity of mind and ability to get that grip under such a circumstance?

Wow, wow, wow. I just baffled.



Cher

[Gormy Cuss]

64. Some people in stress act out by intensely focusing on a single goal.

If that explains his situation he had no conscious awareness of a plan -- it was a purely instinctive response to do something.
Then there are people who have trained to enhance that sort of response and react in stress by using their training but that doesn't sound like it's what happened here.

[Nitram]

19. One word...

Adrenaline

[B Calm]

23. I could use him to help me cut and split firewood. . .

[MineralMan]

28. That guy did a great thing.

For everyone else, I recommend having a window breaking tool in your vehicles. Those windows are tempered glass, and will crumble into dull chunks if the window is struck with a sharp, hard tool. These tools are available everywhere that auto accessories are sold, and include a cutter for seat belts and a window breaking pointed hammer feature.

With one of those tools, you can quickly break any car's side or rear window and then open the door, or drag someone out through the window. Not everyone would be able to bend the window frame as this man did, but everyone can break a car window if they have one of those tools at hand.



Get one today!

[JohninPA]

37. Good tool

Just remember to use it at one of the top corners of the window. You would be surprised how hard it can be to break a window when striking the center. I have a carbide nib on the back of my pocket knife. All I do to break a window is place the nib at an upper corner of a window and gradually increase pressure. Using this technique pops a window easily.

Not sure if links are allowed, forgive me if I am breaking a rule.

http://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Assist-Orange-Handle-Rescue/dp/B0012G6KI2/ref=pd_sim_sg_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0561SB2DWABP22EVAT2N

This is what I use. I keep one in my turnout gear when working fire, my EMT gear when on the ambo, and one in my Jeep always. Great tool. I have broken many windows and cut many seatbelts safely with this little guy.

[Jenoch]

57. I had the exact same idea MM.

I was talking to my father about this extraordinary event (oh no, are the word cops coming after me too?) and said that it would be a good idea to have one of these in the glove compartment or the center console. Frankly, my center console is so full of crap, it might be hard to locate the tool under stress.

The other thought that came to mind is that the automakers screwed up on this scenario. If the electrical system malfunctions, and even starts on fire, the default should be for the doors to become UNLOCKED, and not locked. I'm not an electrical engineer, so I don't know how to make that happen, but I think it would be possible.

[ecstatic]

67. Just looked one up. They're surprisingly cheap

You can get 2 of them for less than $6 on Amazon.

[JohninPA]

32. I wasn't impressed...

At first.

As a volunteer EMT/firefighter in my rural community I have bent doors all the way back on their hinges on many occasions, it's not that hard with the right leverage.

However, this person bent the frame back against itself. That is very impressive and I can't imagine how he did it. The photo changed my perspective.

[NuclearDem]

39. Of course it was superhuman strength.

Yet another problem in life solved with bending.

[Roland99]

49. Too bad his name wasn't Clark....

and wearing black, thick-framed glasses...

[Vattel]

50. If he was so powerful, why didn't he just blow out the fire with a superhuman puff?

I really doubt that this man is a superhero in the same league as Superman or even Spiderman. He may be as powerful as the Atom, but who isn't? And if it's true that he has challenged Wonderwoman to a fight, he will get his ass kicked, just sayin'.

[Helen Borg]

70. How about Green Lantern?

[Orrex]

51. Breaking development!

The Minneapolis Star Tribune has learned that driver Michael Johannes climbed back into his blazing vehicle upon learning that Bob Renning might be inaccurately described as having performed a superhuman feat.

"I know that it means I'll burn to death or die of smoke inhalation," said Johannes, "but it's a small price to pay in the fight against exaggeration in journalism."

Johannes' friends and family lamented his decision but indicate that they understand and respect his choice.

"Mike really hates slightly over-stated news headlines," observed a friend who wished to remain anonymous. "In fact, he hates exaggerated headlines more than genocide."

Reached for comment, Bob Renning expressed regret but acknowledged the importance of unembellished reporting. "If I'd known that I would cause such an uproar, I would have bent the door frame only to the degree expected of typical human ability. I'll know better for next time, you can bet on it."

[Contrary1]

68. The best response to the ridiculous sub-thread award goes to you.

[Helen Borg]

71. ROFL!!!

[liberalmuse]

54. OMG!

So it wasn't super human strength? Why does it matter? I think most of us can agree what he did was pretty damn awesome. A whole thread derailed over two words? Really? I decided to limit my time around a family member who does the same thing. You have to watch everything you say around this person or you'll be picked apart over silly stuff. It's soul crushing after awhile.

[DirkGently]

60. How do you not mock them to death?

Figuratively, of course!

You're probably right to just disengage, but people like that invariably 1) don't have everything nailed down the way they think they do, and 2) lack a sense of humor, so it would be hard not to either laugh or, very VERY seriously, give it back to them until they crack.

[dipsydoodle]

58. Actually

I remember doing that myself on a Fotd Escort when I locked the keys inside. Its pot luck whether or not the window breaks
I was lucky.

[muriel_volestrangler]

59. I remember a policeman breaking into my mum's Escort with a loop of stiff parcel tape

(not sticky stuff, just the stuff you tie a loop or two around the parcel with). She'd locked herself out in a car park, and the policeman just saw some lying on the ground, fed it through the (closed) window (around the read edge, as far as I recall), snagged the internal button, and they were in, without a mark on the car. Which is presumably why they stopped making the internal buttons with bulges on them.

[DirkGently]

63. Did that a couple of times with a wire coathanger.

A friend's 1978 Impala if I recall.

It also used to be possible to slip said coathanger, or, say, a flat piece of bundling steel with a notch in it, between the glass and the outer door, and pull directly on the mechanical cable that controlled the lock.

I don't think either of those would work on a modern car, not to mention the tragic dearth of wire coathangers these days.

[dipsydoodle]

74. The trick with earlier cars with central locking

was to use a tennis ball cut in half. You just needed to put a cut half over the keyhole and punch it to spring the lock.

I was out fishing one night and a friend locked his keys in the boot of his Volvo. The RAC guy called up a schematic of the model type , asked us to turn our backs , and he opened the boot with a key just in a minute or so.

[Uncle Joe]

65. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, muriel_volestrangler.

[ecstatic]

72. Maybe a silly question but

it wasn't really addressed in the article. Why couldn't the man in the car unlock the door? Power locks can be locked/unlocked manually, right?

[haele]

79. People panic when shocked. It's surprising how much you suddenly can't do when your brain locks.

Just because you think you won't panic and can "just pull the lock and open the door" in cases of emergency, there are a lot of people who go into shock mode (i.e. brain decides it can't handle any more and the body goes into auto-mode while it resets itself) and can't even unbuckle a seat belt or turn the ignition key off in an accident, even though they are not physically harmed.
BTW, the muscular system on the average human being is amazingly strong; the limitations on it are determined by how much energy the nerves can send to it and how strong the skeletal structure supporting them is. Bones in the foot and hand can be broken when there is hyper-extension of muscles during active sports, and the strong femoral and pelvic bones can be fractured and the joint areas broken off when the big glutial or thigh muscles suddenly contract. The gentleman who was able to open the car door by peeling away at the top of the door frame could conceivably do that with sufficient focus and determination, once he could get his fingers in the area between the door and the car frame, just as I, a little old lady, could create enough leverage with my fingers to create a gap I can get a coat-hanger in to open a car door when I've locked my keys in the car.
IMO, the hero part of the story was that the guy did not panic and rushed in to help.
That he was able to subconsciously figure out what needed to be done to get someone out of the burning car indicates he was in control of his "fight or flight" reactions, and that he was basically a good guy.

Haele