Have you had any Close Calls with Death ?

[Gare]

I can think back on my 74 years of life that TWO times that come to
mind could have done me in.
When i was just out of High School I worked at a paper Mill In Vicksburg Michigan. I had just got off the 3-11 Shift. Five of my friends i seen up town were going out partying and asked me top go with them. I said no i had to go home and get some sleep. They went out to Schoolcraft Mi. and I guess tried to race A TRAIN TO A CROSSING. They did not make it ALL five of them were killed . It was terrible I still shake when i think how close i was to going with them.
In 1974 I( was getting into Salmon fishing on Lake Michigan. I had a fifteen foot boat with a 90 hp motor. My Son Mike and my self were up off of Big Sable point just north on Ludington Mi. We took a wave over the back and the boat was swamped. Another boat seen the goings on and came over and hooked up to my bow and pulled me into calm water and we got the boat empty and motor restarted and RAN to the harbor and i NEVER put that boat back in the water. OI have NO business being out there in that boat especially with my son. We are both lucky to still be ALIVE !!!

Have any of you had any close calls you would share with us. maybe it will even save some lives by sharing

 

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[Red-Coat]

I was with my wife and two friends, stranded along with a whole bunch of people in a café at the top of a mountain near Mayrhofen in Austria when strong winds caused the ski-lift and cable car services to be suspended. It was mid-afternoon and the talk was we were going to be there for at least eight hours and probably overnight. Chatting with a local, he said there was a trail path and “a fit person could probably get down in about two hours”. Challenge accepted! The four of us set off with a two hour target to beat.
The trail back-tracked on itself zig-zag fashion such that for every couple of hundred yards you hiked, you only actually descended by a few yards. When we got below the snow line I judged that the slope might not be too much to cope with and tentatively put one foot off the path to see if I could cut out some of the traversing by a series of short vertical descents to the next section of the trail below.
What looked like ‘terra firma’ turned out to be a deep mass of spongy, semi-frozen pine needles that gave way beneath me and down I went. My whole life flashed before me as I ploughed through a flurry of pine needles and snow, gathering speed, hitting the trail below and then bouncing off each section of it onto more pine needles, over and over again. I thought I’d never stop but ultimately I hit a wider section of the trail, slewed round and came to rest against a pine tree.
I would easily have beaten the two hour target if I hadn’t had to wait for my companions to catch up while I was sitting there in a daze, checking if I still had two of everything I was supposed to have. Thanks to padded winter gear, I only had a few bruises and some friction burns, but it could have ended so differently.

 

[newnan man]

I was married once!

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Too many times. Several times in Air force, on B-52 that had SAM shot at it over Viet Nam and on KC-135s that had an engine failure and another time a door window cracked causing depressurization, both times KC-135 was over the pacific ocean.

In 1970 I had my 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner over 110 when I felt the front end lift, scared crap out of me. I also had a front tire blow out on my 68 MG doing about 75 on interstate, didn't roll it but it was a struggle.

Couple times camping, pitched a tent in the dark in mountains of Colorado, we couldn't see anything but could hear a river in the distance as we stumbled in the dark looking for firewood with a penlight flashlight, turned out the distance to river was not behind us but rather straight down, about 20 feet behind tent was a cliff that dropped about 300 ft to Colorado river below.

Another time was camping in Washington state and was looking for firewood, on our side of river wood had been picked almost clean, across the small river was lots of wood. I found a long pole from a pine tree and was going to pole vault the river which was only about 10 foot wide at that point and was cut through stone, it didn't look deep but just before I tried to vault had someone come up and ask me what I was going to do, after telling them he told me someone had drown there a few weeks earlier as they fell in and was caught up under water in a ledge cut in the stone. I then took the 12 foot pole and shoved it in the river to check depth and pole completely disappeared, it was over 12 foot deep at that point.

Another time roommate and I decided to climb to top of a mountain outside Estes Park Co in the winter, we drove the van as far as we could up a logging road and climbed the rest of the way, we got to the top took in the view and sat down behind a rock to rest and block the wind as it was cold, sat there about 20 mins and decided to stand up and look around again, as we looked to the west we saw a wall of snow coming, a blizzard was on the way already half way across the valley, we climbed down as quick as we could and just made it to the van with silver dollar size flakes started coming down hard, hate to think what would have happen if we had waited much longer.

Here is picture at top of mountain, you can see my pants are frozen, rock on my left is where we sat.



I was replacing the tail on my moms electric stove, when I was about 21, I had the cable in my lap as I took it out of the package, the plug was different shape from old plug and I wondered if it would fit, I decided to line it up with the 220 outlet just to see if it would work and for some stupid reason I pushed it in with the bare ends still exposed in my lap, good news was I was sitting in a plastic chair and wasn't grounded. I called myself many names that day.

There are more but I will just leave it here for now.

 

[Xraywolf]

Got robbed once in Detroit, guy stuck a gun in my face and demanded money.
I said yeah sure anything you need, the guy was shaking and I said calm down man, here let me get you the money, so I reached in my back pocket I had a couple 20's. This guy was so agitated and spaced out I figured he might shoot me anyhow so I decided to make a move. I handed him the 20's and said, you want my rings too ?

He looked like he was thinking and the weapon was pointed slightly away from me so before he could answer I slapped the gun out of his hand, it went off and the bullet grazed my ear, damn near making me deaf but I wasn't worried about that, I grabbed his arm, twisted him around and did a leg sweep and face planted him on a sidewalk, cracking his noggin. I picked him up by the arm and rag dolled him, and also got an arm around his neck and throttled him while giving him kidney shots to the back. Didn't take long until he went limp, so I slammed him to the ground and gave him a boot to the head just to be sure, yep he was out. This was before cell phones and in a rough neighborhood so I wasn't going to find a pay phone and wait for the cops and probably get robbed again while waiting, I took off my shirt and picked up his gun and tossed it way back in an overgrown field and left.

Sorry if this sounds flippantly violent but I have no regard for criminals and thiefs, if he never got up wouldn't bother me a bit.

 

[SD51]

Got robbed once in Detroit, guy stuck a gun in my face and demanded money.
I said yeah sure anything you need, the guy was shaking and I said calm down man, here let me get you the money, so I reached in my back pocket I had a couple 20's. This guy was so agitated and spaced out I figured he might shoot me anyhow so I decided to make a move. I handed him the 20's and said, you want my rings too ?

He looked like he was thinking and the weapon was pointed slightly away from me so before he could answer I slapped the gun out of his hand, it went off and the bullet grazed my ear, damn near making me deaf but I wasn't worried about that, I grabbed his arm, twisted him around and did a leg sweep and face planted him on a sidewalk, cracking his noggin. I picked him up by the arm and rag dolled him, and also got an arm around his neck and throttled him while giving him kidney shots to the back. Didn't take long until he went limp, so I slammed him to the ground and gave him a boot to the head just to be sure, yep he was out. This was before cell phones and in a rough neighborhood so I wasn't going to find a pay phone and wait for the cops and probably get robbed again while waiting, I took off my shirt and picked up his gun and tossed it way back in an overgrown field and left.

Sorry if this sounds flippantly violent but I have no regard for criminals and thiefs, if he never got up wouldn't bother me a bit.

He started it.... you finished it!

 

[Molewacker]

Hiking above the Sandy river, I slipped and started to slide belly down a short bank before a 20' drop onto river rock. Lucky for me there was a small ridge that stopped my slide via my "girls"
catching. Scared to even breath, my fishing buddies pulled me up. Haven't lived it down since.

 

[Xraywolf]

He started it.... you finished it!

Thats it, he threatened my life and I reacted accordingly. I actually had some brass knucks on me at the time but didn't see the use for them in that scenario.
Some people may think I was callous for walking away from a guy who was unconscious and needed help, I thought then and think now, I didn't care if he made it or not, and got exactly what he deserved.

 

[Dug]

Actually too numerous to list but probably the closest was having a sniper snap shots over my head while I was lowering the colors at the embassy in Beirut in 75. Not sure if he was a lousy shot or was just trying to spook me . I continued the flag routine as usual without showing any notice, wasn't going to give the ******* the satisfaction. Apparently the embassy Security officer took notice because after that they relocated the flag to a balcony pole versus the courtyard.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Several close calls.

In 1976 I was a 17 year old passenger in a VW on a rainy night along a highway, and the driver started to pass a big Motor-home RV. Between the wind buffeting, inexperience, and some hyrdoplane(?) he hit the guardrail and I was ejected out the windshield. Knocked unconscious, I rolled down an embankment and landed in a little shallow creek on my back and I lay there some time before the RV driver found out the VW driver wasn't alone and started looking for me. 50/50 chance I'd have drown or been otherwise worse for wear (cracked my skull - that's my excuse). I came to in the ambulance. In the emergency ward they pulled out a 6" length of "safety" glass in one piece that slid down my shoulder blade under the skin. Felt VERY weird. Don't remember the crash but I do remember that.

A couple other good car crashes over the years and once dumped a motorcycle on gravel (1981 Suzuki GS650 moving right along). That one I slid on my back (Nylon jacket) and hit a tree hard enough to crush my Sampson helmet. Lots of aches and osteoarthritis (especially knees, hips and neck) to remind be of all the bangs and bumps.

 

[Gare]

it's really amazing how close we come to death and live to tell about it. I hope others can learn by our mistakes ND MAYBE SAVE SOME INJURIES OR EVEN DEATH. i THANK YOU ALL SO FAR FOR YOUR INPUT. YOU SERVICE PEOPLE i applaud and thank you !!! I hope more will share with us.

 

[Dug]

I was married once!

I think there are many that have found out that the most dangerous food to man is ...wedding cake.

 

[Doubter in MD]

I forgot my anniversary once. Trust me. It was the closest I've been to death. The icy stare alone almost did me in.

But seriously folks... I've never felt what i would consider a brush with death in my 60+ years. I guess I'm lucky.

 

[outlaws15]

I think in order
1) electric shock. Trying to get a kite out of a tree with aluminum pole hit the uninsulated wire.
2) car wreck
3) drug overdose
4) drug overdose
5) cave diving mishap, but training got me under control to deal with the original mistake
6) to much 101 unconscious puking. Lucky I was on my stomach and not my back.
7) motorcycle accident.
Nothing in the last 10 yrs and will be 59 in December if I'm fortunate
Just talking about the original bikers I ran with and there is only 2 of us left.

 

[Tahts-a-dats-ago]

I suspect most people have had close calls, many of which weren't really known. I know I've had a number of close calls, and twice been told (by medical professionals) that my time was very limited.

A couple of the close calls...

Back when I was in my twenties I was a route salesman for a Budweiser distributor. I was parked outside of a small bar that sat along side a highway - about 20 yards or so from an intersection. I was loading beer onto my handcart when I heard the screeching of brakes and looked up to see a tractor-trailer heading my way. I also saw the rear wheel (outside dual on his trailer) just before it hit the curb (20 yards away) and flew into the air. The wheel hit the ground about 10 feet from me, bounced up into the air again, crashed through an advertisement sign for the bar, and then smashed into the side of a car. The car was demolished (as was the sign). Had the wheel tracked just 10 feet more toward my truck there is no way I could have moved in time to avoid it - it was moving far too fast (probably 50 mph or so).

......

Fast forward a couple decades and I was a brand manager for a soft-drink company, riding with one of the distributor's salesmen. We were in a small bodega in Brooklyn (Bed-Sty) when two guys entered - both with pistols pointing toward the salesman and myself. We were told to get down on the ground, and one of the two went through our pockets then he took everything from the cash register. I was the only white guy in the area (from what I had seen) and am a big guy - so it was rather typical for the locals to think I was a cop. The two kept asking me if I was a cop - and it was clear that they did not believe my denials.

They told me to stand up and one of them stood behind me with his pistol up against the back of my head, then told me to walk to the backroom. I was absolutely convinced they were going to kill me, and kept telling myself that I had to grab him by the throat and crush his windpipe - no matter how much pain I was in.

Once we were in the backroom the other thief brought the salesman and the store owner into the backroom. At that point I was fairly certain we weren't going to be killed. One of the thieves tried to rip the phone cord - but didn't have the strength to do so. I told him I'd do it and ripped the cord apart - because I figured it would be less stress on the thieves, and that would increase our chances of getting out of the ordeal without harm. Long story shortened a bit - the thieves took their loot and left. The cops (called from a payphone on the street) didn't seem to care much at all.

The funny thing is that I wasn't scared - or even stressed during the ordeal. After it was over it was different - I was a mixture of anger, stress, and the realization of what could've happened. While the ordeal was ongoing there was just acceptance and determination.

....

Twice I was told that I had mere months to live.

Once, when I was about 12 or so. I was experiencing some health issues and underwent a bunch of tests. My parents had never discussed the results with me. A couple years later my siblings and I were discussing whether we'd want to be told if we were going to die soon, and my Mother had a weird look on her face when she asked me if I really would want to know. I repeated my belief that yes, I would want to know. She then told me that the medical professionals had told her (back when I was undergoing all the tests) that I had six months or so to live (they believed I had a brain tumor, as I recall).

....

The second time was after I became really ill (Lyme disease). A bunch of tests were ran, and the results from some test(s) showed bone marrow cancer. More tests were ran and the conclusion was the same. I was told that I likely had less than a year to live, but more tests would be needed.

I actually called my family to tell them that I had less than a year to live.

After making those calls later tests came back negative (for bone marrow cancer). It still took awhile to find out that I actually had Lyme disease. For me, it was a relief to learn I had Lyme disease - not that Lyme disease is a picnic (it isn't - it sucks).

That was almost 20 years ago.

 

[ticndig]

I've been ejected from a truck at 55 mph , fell off the roof of a school as a teen and struck by lightning at age 40. I was stupid enough as a teen to walk across the frozen Potomac river as the ice cracked around me. the list goes on and on . my body hurts as a constant reminder of how wild I was in my younger days.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I came through 17 months in Vietnam and Cambodia, and I've survived combat when I thought I wouldn't.

All that was part of being in the military.

But the most "high alert" I have ever been on was in confronting a serial killer questioning who I was, and I knew who he was - could feel it. At the time he had escaped from prison. And I was lucky enough to have run into him - with some very serious conversation. I felt like I was a tiny rabbit in the presence of a Dire Wolf....

He let me walk away, and went on to kill more before he was caught.

Edit for Clarity:

I didn't know who or what he was at the time I met him. I felt the feeling I was in the presence of pure evil. It's like I was in short sleeves during a blizzard. It is afterwards I found out his true identity.

 

[Armstrong]

I've had close calls driving but no injuries. I had a brake failure approaching a red light. Luckily no cars in front and it changed to green at the perfect time. Otherwise I would have been in the intersection and maybe hit from either side.

 

[perdidogringo]

I've had few like most people. A couple immediately come to mind:

Caracas, Venezuela April of 2002- got caught in an opposition march that was attacked by a Chavista crowd. Saw pro-government military guys pointing their guns in my direction. Witnessed several dead in the street, shot dead where they stood. Eventually turned into the short-lived coup of Chavez later that day.

Panama City, Panama, 2011- robbed while in the back of taxi. Had a gun pointed at me but luckily they took all my valuables and left.

Went to middle school with a serial killer who (thankfully) is now in prison for life (should have been put to death but Illinois abandoned the death penalty).

 

[TerryC]

Got robbed once in Detroit, guy stuck a gun in my face and demanded money.
I said yeah sure anything you need, the guy was shaking and I said calm down man, here let me get you the money, so I reached in my back pocket I had a couple 20's. This guy was so agitated and spaced out I figured he might shoot me anyhow so I decided to make a move. I handed him the 20's and said, you want my rings too ?

He looked like he was thinking and the weapon was pointed slightly away from me so before he could answer I slapped the gun out of his hand, it went off and the bullet grazed my ear, damn near making me deaf but I wasn't worried about that, I grabbed his arm, twisted him around and did a leg sweep and face planted him on a sidewalk, cracking his noggin. I picked him up by the arm and rag dolled him, and also got an arm around his neck and throttled him while giving him kidney shots to the back. Didn't take long until he went limp, so I slammed him to the ground and gave him a boot to the head just to be sure, yep he was out. This was before cell phones and in a rough neighborhood so I wasn't going to find a pay phone and wait for the cops and probably get robbed again while waiting, I took off my shirt and picked up his gun and tossed it way back in an overgrown field and left.

Sorry if this sounds flippantly violent but I have no regard for criminals and thiefs, if he never got up wouldn't bother me a bit.

I wonder if he will post his close call with death! Good work. Need more attitude adjustments like that today. ╦╦C