Woman Lifts Car, Saves Dad After BMW’s Jack Slips

A woman lifted a car and saved her dad, a skill not commonly taught in first aid classes.

The woman who lifted a car to save her dad was just an average 22-year-old recent grad, not an Olympic weightlifter or strongwoman. We’ve all heard of stories like the “woman lifts car, saves dad” tale, but it is interesting to see them documented.

“Hysterical strength” stemming from an adrenaline rush is often rumored, but not fully recognized in medical literature — still tales that defy the laws of physics, such as the “woman lifts car, saves dad” story persist, lending credence to the idea of superhuman strength in times of distress.

The college grad, Lauren Kornacki (whose degree, fortuitously, is in physics), came upon her dad Alec in a situation that is horrifying to contemplate. You see, Mr. Kornacki had been working in the garage on his BMW when the jack slipped, crushing him beneath the unimaginably heavy vehicle.

So Lauren Kornacki did what any other 22-year-old woman would do in such a circumstance — she lifted the car off her dad to save him. And it worked. She recounts a harrowing tale of thinking-on-your-feet when she found her dad, saying:

“There was no tire… I just lifted up kind of right here and just kind of threw it, shoved my body as hard as I could then I came back and dragged him out and started CPR. It flashed like, I’m going to lose my dad. His eyes were open, he wasn’t responding to me. I knew I had to get his heart beating again and I had to get him breathing.”

Also fortuitously, Lauren had just completed a CPR class at work — which did not help her lift the car to save her dad, but did help her administer first aid until paramedics arrived. Lauren’s mom Liz says:

“She got his heart beating again and got him breathing again. So, she’s it. He gave her life and then he gave her life. I am in awe of her. I am in awe of her. She is the day. She saved the day. I can’t even tell you how proud I am of her.”

Alec Kornacki is now recovering in ICU, but he undoubtedly owes his recovery to his daughter’s unbelievable feat.