Headless Humans

[voodoo85]

After a recent conversation with a friend I was wondering if a human was running when their head gets blown off, would they continue to run? and if so for how long?

[georgit79]

What a strange thing to talk about! I reckon they'd go straight down.

[chieftan]

yes, they would drop instantly.

[Annielappo]

They would drop down instantly but there head will still be concious for another 15 to 20 seconds after it has "fell off"

[pixi]

omg annielappo that is scary, imagine glancing down and seeing the pavement directly under your chin, wow that would be the longest 20 seconds of your life.  Would it be possible to talk in those 20 seconds? 

[georgit79]

so, Annielapo, how come when your throat is cut you don't stay conscious for 15 seconds then? I'm sure your theory's a load of twaddle- I'm not going to test it, though!

[Annielappo]

I think if your throat was cut youd be spending the last seconds of your life chocking to death.  It has got something to do with the fact that your brain needs to catch up with the fact that its body has been cut away from it.  I think its a shame the body doesnt stay alive for a bit longer it might just have time to sew it head back on lol!!!!

[tomd]

You would do, just there's nothing you can do - and the fact that people fall straight down in films.

There's a well documented case of an individual executed by guillotine - the executioner then picked up the head & slapped it, and it frowned. Moving your face muscles slightly is (I expect) about all you could do.

[smithsab]

as the jugular would be cut they would be down in 2-3 seconds

[92lude]

The Brain controls all the motor functions and and so disconnection from the body will cause the body to stop moving any instantly, if the brain and head is still intact then some movement which some people may assume to be some form of coniousness may be present due to the muscles still receiving signals from the brain for a few seconds. But destroy the brain and all motor function stops instantly. Not a pretty sight though!!

[Marsh]

IIt's a bit late to come into this but I've only just read the question. 
If you try to kill a chicken by chopping its head off the chicken's running reflexes still work, hence the expression "running around like a headless chicken".  I've actually seen it happen.  Obviously the hen couldn't see where it was going but ran along the side of a rockery and a wall before falling over. I was too young to be upset but my mother wasn't very happy. 
I would think that the same would apply to a human until the heart pumped so much blood out of the neck that the muscles couldn't work.  The recent owner of the body wouldn't know much about this having lost consciousness much sooner through lack of oxygen.

I can't tell about a human but I think the hen was good for at least a minute.  You could try Googling "headless chicken"