The plane seemed to come down tail down so I guess that end would have absorbed the shock more. 11A is front left by the way.

I meant the section of the plane was between front and center, behind business class.

Someone on the r/aviation thread speculated 11A would be right above the gear assembly and is hardened.

I cannot comment on this specific point, but /r/aviation in general is terrible after an accident.

11A was next to the emergency exit. There was a comment on Reddit suggesting he actually bailed just before impact.

That doesn't make sense. 100+mph into terrain is going to go way worse for you out of a seat than in it.

You ~cannot~ don't want to "bail just before impact"

A plane at takeoff is pressurized, and that pressure holds the doors closed, as well as the physical locks. You cannot open it.

Don't believe random reddit comments. Average people know less than nothing about planes.

Speaking of random people knowing less than nothing: I believed that at takeoff and landing, planes were slightly overpressurized to increase airframe rigidity. I think I got that impression from a very old pilot, so either it used to be true or it was never true and I'm just wrong.

This person probably did not bail out of the plane in order to survive, but maybe you COULD open the doors at takeoff and landing, not that you want to.

Additional edit: I've actually flown a few times while running the barometer on my phone for funzies. I might be able to find a log of data to confirm or deny my mistaken belief! It's fun to do because you can see the pressurization increase signalling that the pilots are preparing for descent even before they tell you!

The pressure inside is not more than atmospheric pressure at the ground. In fact I think they only maintain the pressure of around 1000m or so. There would be absolutely no point pressurising the cabin higher than atmospheric pressure at sea level and if they did you'd feel it before the plane took off.