Vocabulary

 

 
 
 

Video

 

 
 
 
 

Transcript

 
Lebanon, Oregon April 1 2013. While clearing the grounds of his property, Jeff Smith loops a chain around a tree stump and attaches the other end to his tractor.

BUT when he throws the 3,000 pound (1,361 kg) vehicle into reverse — disaster strikes.

Jeff Smith, Father: “My boots were fairly muddy and my foot slipped off the clutch. The whole tractor just tipped flat back over on me. The steering wheel ended up bearing into my chest — right about where my heart is — and pin me in between the tractor and the ground.”

And beneath three thousand pounds of steel, Jeff screams out in agony.

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

 
His anguish cries draw the attention of his teenage daughters, Hannah and Haley.

But with the nearest town 20 minutes away, there’s no time to wait for help to arrive.

Hannah Smith, Daughter: “While my dad was under the tractor, he was he couldn’t breathe; his oxygen was really low. He kept going in and out of consciousness; he was pale his lips were kind of blue.

Me and my sister knew at that point that we were the only ones, and the only chance that my dad had.”

Haylee Smith, Daughter: “I was just like so frozen and just so shocked. When I go and I look at my dad, he’s just like could not talk — and his blood vessels and his eyes, you could see them popping one by one. And it was just horrible.

I had no idea what to do.

So my sister says, ‘Come help me lift it!’”

As their father gasps for breath, the two sisters frantically grabbed the front of the massive tractor, set their heels into the ground, and lift.

Haylee Smith, Daughter: “When we tried to lift it, it did not move.

I was just done and Hannah’s just screamed, ‘We have to do it again! We have to do it again!

And I just remember putting my hands up and I was just like, ‘How?!?

And she just said ‘Count!’

And so we counted . . . and I just remember thinking like, ‘God help me! Give me the strength to do this . . .

And she said, ‘One two three!’ We lifted it.”

Together, the two teenage girls managed to hoist the tractor one foot off the ground . . . allowing their father enough room to wiggle out and escape.

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

 
Jeff Smith, Father: “My girls lifted a 3,000 pound (1,361 kg) tractor off me and save my life. So i mean if my girls had not have shown that kind of mysterious strength of being able to lift that off my chest, I don’t think i would have lasted another five minutes.

What boggles my mind to this day, which is almost 10 years later, is that they were able to do it — it’s just to be able to lift that much weight and save my life is incredible. It’s insane to think that that was even a possibility.”

How did two teenagers each weighing no more than 125 pounds (57 kg) find the strength to lift a massive tractor?

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

 
Scientists believe the source of their superhuman strength may have actually been a surge of adrenaline.
Anthony Luke, M.D. Director of Human Performance Center US San Francisco: “There are many stories that you hear about of people doing superhuman feats of strength. And this usually is driven by adrenaline.

Adrenaline’s that hormone that can tap into resources of strength that you might have when you need it in that split second, to drive your whole body to push to the limits, and do whatever is necessary.

You see it in battle . . . you hear about it in an emergency. Adrenaline can make the body do amazing things.

Scientists have been studying the remarkable effects of adrenaline since it was first discovered in 1901.

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

 
Darrin McMahon, Ph.D. Professor of History, Dartmouth College: “Jokichi Takamine was a Japanese chemist who spent most of his career in the United States and he’s the first person to identify purify and eventually trademark adrenaline.

And he was able to isolate the naturally occurring hormone adrenaline in sheep and oxen and to withdraw it and to purify it.

Scott Eden, Journalist, “Unlocking the Mystery of Superman Strength: “Jokichi Takamine described the whole idea of the adrenaline rush as harnessing of reservoirs of power, and a violent sort of explosion of energy that occurs in people who are in crisis situations.”

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

 
Did a rush of adrenaline allow Hannah and Hayley Smith to lift a 3,000 pound (1,361 kg) tractor? It’s a fascinating possibility. And suggests that we all have untapped strength that can be unlocked at a moment’s notice.

Jeff Smith, Father: “I feel like that their love granted them enough power to be able to do what they had to do. But when it comes down to it I think everybody’s got a little bit of that kind of superhuman ability in them — it’s just a matter of tapping into it and finding the right situation where it drives them to do it you

*     *     *     *     *     *     *

 

Questions

Heart. This event took place in downtown Los Angeles. True or false?

Brain. Was Jeff Smith involved in a car accident at an intersection?

Spinal Cord. First responders — firemen, ambulances, paramedics — arrived on the scene and rescued Jeff. Is this right or wrong?

Lungs. Were Hannah and Haylee confident they could save their father? Did Jeff’s daughters know they could save their father? What happened?

Stomach. Was what Hannah and Haylee did normal? Is this unprecedented? Was it the first of it kind? Was it a totally unique phenomenon?

Intestine. What do scientists say? How do scientists explain what had happened? Is this a new, recent idea?

Liver, Pancreas. Jeff Smith gave a biochemical explanation of how his daughters lifted 1,361 kilograms. Is this correct or incorrect?
 
 
 
Kidney. I have heard of similar feats of strength during an emergency. Yes or no?

Muscle. Have you heard of the “Incredible Hulk”? What do you know about the Incredible Hulk?

Bones, Skeleton, Skull. Have you acquired super strength, super speed or super ability in times of emergencies, pressure or deadlines?

Marrow. My friends and I wish we have super strength, super speed or super abilities.

Tendon, Ligaments. What might happen in the future?

Skin. What could or should people, scientists and governments do?