Has anyone survived laying on a grenade?

On November 21, 2010 in Marjah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Kyle Carpenter threw himself upon a grenade, thrown onto a rooftop, to save a fellow Marine, sustaining injuries to his face and right arm and losing his right eye; he survived these wounds …

Can a helmet block a grenade?

No, but in the opinion of other infantry veterans, Dunham did the right thing. Anyone who covers a grenade with their kevlar is going to be severely wounded. But his helmet likely absorbed all of the grenade’s shrapnel and allowed his fellow Marines to come out relatively unscathed.

Would jumping on a grenade work?

Yes. Grenades aren’t that powerful. And the explosive force they generate is largely to break the grenade shell up into fragments/shrapnel, which actually cause injury. Jumping on a grenade is near certain death, but also pretty certain to prevent injury (certainly serious injury) to others nearby.

How many seconds does it take for a grenade to explode?

From pulling the pin and throwing a grenade, it usually takes anywhere between two to six seconds before detonation occurs.

Can you catch a grenade when it’s exploding?

Some grenades have fuzes that cause them to explode on impact. In that case, you could potentially catch the grenade, but there’s a chance it will explode when you do. If it doesn’t, it could still explode when you put it down or move it too quickly or bump it against something.

How long does it take to pick up a grenade?

Assuming a 4 second fuse length, two of which are spent in flight, you have just two seconds to notice the grenade, react, reach down, pick it up, plant your feet, lift up, and throw it far enough that you’re clear of the blast radius. Not going to happen except in the ultra-rarest of situations.

How do you protect yourself from grenades?

By presenting a minimal cross-section to the grenade, you’re minimizing the fragments that can hit you, and by presenting your most armored front to the grenade, you’re protecting yourself from what fragments do hit you.

Can you run with a fragmentation grenade?

The generally accepted fragmentation radius for a frag grenade is 30-35 feet, and the fuse length will be between 3-5 seconds. So usually running isn’t going to be an option for you. If you can take cover, do so. If not, hit the deck and get as low as possible, as the majority of the fragmentation will go upwards.