The Daily Edge uses cookies. By continuing to browse this site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Click here to find out more »
Dublin: 14 °C Tuesday 21 May, 2013

Man saves cousin by lifting car off him

Scientific effect of so-called “hysterical strength” caused by surge of adrenaline still not fully proven – but New Zealand case provokes interest.

Image: JD Hancock via Flickr/Creative Commons

HEROIC FEATS OF strength are not always limited to the Olympics arena – a New Zealander managed to lift a 1.5-tonne car off his cousin so that he could escape further injury.

The New Zealand Herald reported that Mosh Tawera managed to lift up the back of an old Mercedes to release his cousin Josh Hepi. The car had started moving down a steep driveway when Hepi reached into it to get something out and it then flipped over, trapping him underneath. The incident happened just outside the house where the young men live.

Hepi was under observation in hospital yesterday but appears to be on the mend.

Scientists have long investigated the theory that fear, and the ensuing adrenaline rush it precipitates, can allow people to pull off superhuman feats of strength for a brief period. Sometimes referred to as “hysterical strength”, it is not a medically accepted phenomenon. However, the energy boost caused by a surge of adrenaline is recognised – in 1988, a scientific study found that rats given a shot of adrenaline showed increased efficiency in the performance of their heart muscle.

Read next:

Comments (13 Comments)

  • I have read loads of stories about stuff like this. once while being chased by a gang of lads, I jumped over a gate in a park.cleared it without even touching it. even to this day I wonder how on earth I did it! Olympic gold!

    Reply
  • Adrenaline is a wonderful thing!

    Reply
  • John 30/05/12 #

    Was he Maori? I hung around with a guy who is and he was ridiculously strong, so not surprised i.e. I’d doubt this guy looked like Mr Bean.

    Reply
  • I know that there are a lot of differences between us and chimpanzees, as far as the way we look. But their muscle structure is almost identical. Yet, they are 7 times stronger than the average man. That is because they do not have the I can’t do this mentality like people do, thus allowing them to tear whole trees out of the ground with ease. But people on the other hand are smarter and more evolved. We have no reason to be able to lift 2,000 lbs on a daily basis, because our daily lives simply do not call for it. Accept in a dire emergency. Which happens once a lifetime, if that. But if you look at some of the ancient weapons of the vikings, and even the more recent midevil knights, you will notice that the weight of these weapons is unbelievable. A viking axe was found, and it weighed 200lbs. There isnt a man alive today that could swing a 200lb axe all day long. They have found suits of armor weighing around 140 to 150 lbs. So there is no doubt that humans back then were stronger than today. The only reason we are weaker is because we have no reason not to be. We are more technologically evolved. We have machines do our work for us. But back then we were the machines.

    Reply
    • David, not to be a stickler here but there was never a man alive that could swing a 14 stone axe all day.

      “Axes designed for warfare ranged in weight from just over 0.5 kg to 3 kg (1 to 6 pounds), and in length from just over 30 cm to upwards of 1.5 m (1 to 5 feet), as in the case of the Danish axe or the sparth axe.”

      As for the suits of armour weighing 150lbs, yes on mounted heavy cavalry but the horse took the weight and the wearer of the suit has to be hoisted up on to his horse with winches and hoists. Armour that heavy could not be used effectively in foot combat and would just require the wearer to be knocked over and then stabbed through a chink in the armour.

      Reply
    • @ david. ha ha..ur absolutely right there..i googled the weight of an axe and got the exact same answer you came up with…it sounded more convincing for my argument if a exaggerated the figures a bit(lot) ..id say Sean o Brien could give a 14 stone axa a go tho!!!!!!

      Reply
    • The reason chimpanzees are stronger than us is because their musculoskeletal structure is very very different to ours.

      They are adapted to tree living, we are adapted to bipedalism and grassy savannahs. They are adapted to walking on all fours. Their hips are externally rotated.

      In terms of strength, because they are adapted to swing from branches, they have longer arms than us, which means a longer lever and more muscle. They have much larger chest muscles than us.

      Sorry to be a stickler but your assertions are demonstrably false.

      Reply
    • ye sorry to jump on the “lets wreck daves day” bandwagon but in medieval times humans were much smaller beings with the average height being the size of a 6th year student. Giants of men were in the region of 5,10-6ft.
      As kids we went on tours and tried on all the suits of armour and the helms and shoulder armour would not fit, because we have grown over the centuries. Although there are always exceptions to the rule id be hesitant to doubt that most of our ancestors could swing a 14 stone axe all day when david haye or anyone of our superhuman size men today could achieve.

      Reply
  • Maori people have the biggest bone densities in the world – the bigger and thicker your bones are means you can support much bigger muscles … ever see new zealand rugby players that are maori !? they are huge and much stronger then the rest of the field – i learnt this from a sports science teacher a few years ago … dont know if it has any relevance to this though cus im not sure if the guy was of maori descent or not !

    Reply
  • jrbmc 30/05/12 #

    Lol !Oh no Q all the Dr David Banners in waiting .Loads of Incredible Hulks running around this time next year !!!!

    Reply
  • Clunk 30/05/12 #

    The Incredible Hulk would have been a better pic for the story then Superman. umm not a geek
    Remember Bill Bixby?

    Reply
  • “That man deserves a DB”… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTvVbWWLGpc

    Reply
  • David 30/05/12 #

    Just sounds like normal strength to me. All he had to do was flip it back over.

    Reply

Add New Comment