One of my most persistent fears when I'm working underneath a car is that it's going to fall on me somehow. I know that's rare, but accidents happen, like they did to Adam Simmons of Plymouth, Mass. Fortunately, his daughter was there to LIFT THE FREAKING JEEP OFF HIM WITH HER BARE HANDS.
Let's backtrack. According to CBS Boston, Simmons was working on the brakes of his daughter Rachael's Jeep Liberty. He had it up on a jack, but it gave out, causing the rotor — and the entire weight of the Jeep — to land on Simmons' leg, pinning him down and leaving him screaming in agony.
So Rachael ran outside and, acting on what she called instinct, lifted the Jeep up so that her dad could free himself.
That's right. A 22-year-old woman was able to lift a more than 3,500 pound SUV by herself. (Now, as some of you pointed out, she didn't lift the full weight of the Jeep, but probably still moved a considerable amount of weight for one person, and that's pretty impressive.)
“I just lifted so he could get free. It was just the adrenaline rushing right through my body. I don’t know if I would have been able to do it otherwise.”
Simmons is on crutches due to lacerations to his leg, and Rachael has a sore back, but both are okay.
Incidents like this are uncommon, but not unprecedented. Adrenaline-fueled acts of "hysterical strength," where people lift cars or other huge objects for brief periods, are documented but not well understood by science since they're so hard to test clinically.
In any case, Rachael is a badass for lifting a Jeep off her dad. He should probably be glad she doesn't drive anything heavier.
Photo credit Marvel Comics/CBS Boston
Hat tip to $kaycog!