Snapping necks

If someone didn't know the technique required to snap a neck, they could just squeeze at the big veins in the neck, I've heard that that is the most deadly thing you can do to a person in the neck region short of breaking it. Windpipe is less lethal, apparently.

Of course, the other guy's not gonna stand there and allow someone to block off the blood flow to his brain if he can help it.

I can crack my neck. If I were to snap one, however, I'd end up in the pokey! If you get any first hand info. on this one, I'm going to run and hide under my covers.

I think you can have your Amazon doing anything she wants.
However, if she can handle the mess and has an affinity for edged weapons, slitting the throat is going to work out more believably, I think.
A friend's hubby broke his neck this week flipping his bike. Walked around crabby for two days, freaked out the ER when he went in today. Now he's in a halo. This was C6, mind...perhaps you lethal lady breaks a c-spine higher...

No matter how simple they make it look in movies, it takes the combination of strong triceps to ensure you have a firm grip on a slick surface (the head), and very strong biceps to apply the lateral force equivilent to pulling a door away from a person holding it with two hands. Now if the person is drunk, on relaxing drugs, or unconcious, the task as a lot easier.

I agree a choke hold, or driving the nose bone into the brain are a lot faster and easier.

I investigated a motorcycle accident where the rider hit a mailbox that was mounted on a 3-inch pipe. He hit the pipe on the right side of his neck about 2 inches under his ear. It snapped his vertebrae at the same place it gets snapped if you are hanged. He was killed instantly.

This took a considerable amount of force, 180 pounds (him) moving at about 30 MPH, hitting an immoveable object. A killer needs to know the exact spot to apply pressure and be able to apply counter pressure with sufficient force to snap a joint that is built NOT to be broken.

Cutting the throat is easier, but you have to insure you get the carotid artery. Even then the guy might make enough noise to ruin your day. I think Seals are trained to drive the knife down, They clasp their right hand over the opponent's mouth, then strike with their combat knife over the left shoulder, and driving the knife into the heart. This stops the heart, killing him instantly. Your woman would have to be tall and fairly strong to do this.

google 'snapping a neck' 7 million answers :}

Just have your character rip the head clean off. That way you won't have to worry about anybody saying "Hey! You can't really kill somebody like that!"

And keep in mind that if you slit somebody's throat, it will take time for them to bleed out before they're actually dead.

Dpaterso wrote:

Maybe we can make a distinction between "snapping necks" and "dislocating the skull from the top of the spinal column with a single powerful wrenching movement"?

Click to expand...

A bit OT, but it's Saturday night. D'ya know - I have spent half this week impaling a severed head in my WIP, and making the description as gruesome as poss. Now, I come into this thread where we're all giving each other advice on how to snap necks.

We have a wonderful job, we writers... Where else could we get away with posts like this?

I have a friend currently in a coma because, during a car accident about two weeks ago his skull was dislocated from the top of his spinal column. Swelling had to come down before they could do anything. Then they did some surgery. But, he's still out.

D? Be assured, no offense/discomfort was taken by your post. Just thought it was relevant to the thread, as in, skull separated doesn't necessarily mean dead.