I was often wondering is what you see in the movies reality when a car runs over a hydrant? I heard one man say no, that his car got stopped in transit. Then I seen in my old neighborhood the mess left behind when a car struck a fire plug as if the movies were correct. I did not see the incident nor witnessed the geyser that Hollywood loves to create in car chases gone sour.
Depending on the gross vehicle weight, car and driver will rise up to thirty feet on the column of water, remaining suspended there until someone shuts off the hydrant.
Most drivers will at this point remove their hat and lash it against the steering wheel with a grunt of frustration.
It is important to turn the hydrant off gradually, or the car will slam to the ground with a cloud of smoke billowing up. Sad trombone and circling, chirping birds are likely to follow.
