I came across this scary video of a ski lift gone insane in Georgia (not the American state, but the state that was formerly a part of the USSR). Watch both videos if you're curious, but they are not for kids. Apparently the ski lift got set on fast reverse. Some people jumped off. Other people couldn't and got tossed out when the seat made the turn. A few hung on and they were piled on by the seats (I only hope no one died).

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So this made me think of a more general question. In an emergency situation, how do you know when to bail? In the ski lift situation, are you going to jump too early (and face the consequences of a deep drop), jump at just the right time (minimizing injury), or get trapped under the seats? I've been thinking about Vietnam. Some people ran away between 1974 and 1975 -- before the situation got dangerous and risky. Some people were able to get out before North Vietnam took over. How did they know when to run?