Foo - What are the close to death situations that you've escaped?

I'm on my fifth life...

1. I think I'm on my third.
2. Something happen today? And do you care to share?

I think I"m well past the 9 lives usually given to cats so maybe I'm on borrowed time.

1. Marriage to my ex. Technically I am still escaping it.

I'm a bit overly cautious even with my incessant accidents. Hmmm.... no idea.

Smashed into 3 cows hanging out on the highway at night. 70 mph or so, was a passenger, no seat belts. The vehicle was a van with the engine between the seats, nothing up front but metal and glass. Never lost consciousness and didn't feel a thing. My hip was about blown out my ass. Gotta love that thing called shock.

Wait a minute, was this supposed to be on the lighter side?

When I was cycling in Victoria many years ago, I tried to turn left off a busy street (with many lanes,) there was lots of big trucks, so I couldn't see the curb lane well, when I was going through the intersection, a pickup truck barely missed my back wheel, scared the **** out of me, for years after that, I would use pedestrian crossings instead of trying to turn left on busy streets.

Also, when I was 21, I was swimming with friends in a tiny private pool at an apartment complex, no lifeguard. I'm not a great swimmer, but I can swim (have been swimming in the ocean since I was a kid for instance.) Anyway, I pushed off the bottom and....got a severe cramp in the back of my leg. The pain etc was bad enough, I "forgot" how to tread water, I was able, however, to scream/swear loudly and finally my friends figured out I wasn't just goofing around, one fished me out. Freaked the crap out of me.

@Daredevil- Please tell me some mind altering substance was involved. Or were you just campaigning for Darwin Award?

@Daredevil- Please tell me some mind altering substance was involved. Or were you just campaigning for Darwin Award?

As far as the seat belt thing you mean? I don't believe the vehicle had them nor was it the law at the time believe it or not. We were late because of car trouble and on our way to a band gig.

Something happen today? And do you care to share?

No, nothing happened today. I'm just glad that the things I went through resulted in lessons learned. Sometimes it's good to be reminded of that. :thumb:

What are the close to death situations that you've escaped? ..


Divorce

Pulminary embolism, and then a burst appendix.

It was either me or explodyPup. This place is not big enough for all of us.

4,408 near death experiences +/- 10 in case my parents are lying when I was actually hatched.

cj never called me to meet him for a beer, but if he did, I feel that we both could post in here afterwards.

World War II bombings and starvation in Belgium on and off for 4 years.
Was supposed to be on a plane during Korean conflict . . . it crashed killing 100+ folks.
Other than that, a couple serious hits by cars/truck on single bike and our tandem (two at +/- 45 mph).
Both of us are cancer survivors.
In the mean time we've enjoyed life!
Pedalon TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

cj never called me to meet him for a beer, but if he did, I feel that we both could post in here afterwards.

My trips to DFW have been delayed on several occasions. I assure you, that when it happens, there will be at least 37 epic near death experiences to post about. You don't own a goat do you?

World War II bombings and starvation in Belgium on and off for 4 years.
Was supposed to be on a plane during Korean conflict . . . it crashed killing 100+ folks.
Other than that, a couple serious hits by cars/truck on single bike and our tandem (two at +/- 45 mph).
Both of us are cancer survivors.
In the mean time we've enjoyed life!
Pedalon TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

That all you got :rolleyes:

World War II bombings and starvation in Belgium on and off for 4 years.
Was supposed to be on a plane during Korean conflict . . . it crashed killing 100+ folks.
Other than that, a couple serious hits by cars/truck on single bike and our tandem (two at +/- 45 mph).
Both of us are cancer survivors.
In the mean time we've enjoyed life!
Pedalon TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

Awesome to hear!! Glad you are with us on Bikeforums. Thank you.

Too many rock climbing falls to count. Several broken bones and joints as a result. The pain never really goes away.

Couple of near drownings, an incident where a kid on a bike was dragging a cord and it wrapped around my neck when he passed me, a jump from a train platform in Jo'burg onto a moving train, a broken rear axle on a minibus we were riding in where we dragged the fuel tank on the ground for several hundred feet, hypothermia on Kilimanjaro...huh, seems like a lot, when you list it.

Oh, I dunno... maybe standing guard in Germany the day after the Libya strike in 86 -- whole country's military went on combat alert, and we stood guard posts WITH EMPTY WEAPONS! What were we gonna do, throw the rifle at the car with the UZI out the window?

My trips to DFW have been delayed on several occasions. I assure you, that when it happens, there will be at least 37 epic near death experiences to post about. You don't own a goat do you?

no, I rent.

I used to like to take acid and jump off a local dam that was pretty high up into water the water, which was pretty far down. The dam was much wider at it's base so it made an optical illusion like you couldn't jump out far enough to clear it but I always did. Sort of makes me feel like someone is walking over my grave when I think of it now.

I got a nasty paper cut last week.

My 2nd marriage.

I once saw a kayak floating in a creek, by itself, very very late one night. So, I ran into my apt and got a flashlight, a fishing pole with a big lure, and put on a pair of hip waders. I went down to the creek, and tried to drop the lure into the passenger hole and reel it in. No such luck. I noticed that it was spinning around in small circles, and the small circles were making a big circle, so I just waited it out, standing in a creek with hip waders on with a fishing pole and a flashlight at 3 in the morning. Finally I grabbed the prize!

In my great wisdom I decided that, instead of hauling it out for inspection and portage across the bridge, I'd just straddle it and use my hands to paddle across the mighty Olentangy. I put the light and pole into the vessel, straddled it and slid it on under me, sat, lifted my feet and began to hand paddle away. About half way across I noticed that my family jewels suddenly got icy cold and wet. I instantly realized the good ship was sinking fast and taking it's captain down with it.

In a second I was going under wearing hip waders, and my life flashed by. It really does happen.

The next thing I knew, I was standing on the bottom of a nasty creek that the University Health Service had just told students not to swim in due to the high eColi levels. So basically I was standing on the bottom of a sewer with a kayak between my legs.

I figured I better get out, perhaps by walking out. So I slipped the kayak out and POP! one end snapped to the surface... It had an intact flotation bladder in one end.

Change of plans: I'm floating out, not walking out.

I pull up against the kayak end hoping it will hoist me and just as suddenly as I went down I am floating along a filthy creek with my arms around a cracked kayak and my mouth just barely above the watery muck, wondering just which God was it that decided to spare my life so I could tell this tale over and over again the rest of my life. I floated along about 100 yards, under a bridge and out the other side until finally my feet hit ground. Again. The fishing pole and flashlight were gone. Maybe Neptune thought they were fair trade for my soul?

I dragged myself and my prized death trap up the bank, over the bridge, and to my apartment, where I set it against the side of the building. I went in, hopped in the shower, disrobed, leaving my clothes and waders in a pile in the tube. I washed and went to bed.

The next AM my roomy said he woke up and wondered what's that smell? He went into the bathroom and gagged. He saw the clothes in the shower and realized I must have fallen into the creek. Outside he saw the kayak and instantly knew what happened. I left the kayak there when we moved out. It remained there about a year.

I just moved in with <3 2 Ride... and her kids... :twitchy: :P

I had three ceilings collapse on me while fighting fires, had a three story wall collapse and miss me by cm's, and then the fall that put me out for good, I'd say 5 "close to death" situations for me. but like Madd Maxx I now keep Mr. dead in my back pocket. :thumb:

when you escape death for the first time in your life, it is a life changing experiance. i just figured it out.

wow...haven't thought about this is years...probably on my 3rd maybe 4th...always car accidents.

Flying threw a windshield at the age of 15, broken nose, cheek, stitches in the forehead, elbow, and wrist no concussion though..lucky.


Riding my skateboard at 10pm 2 blocks from my house making a beer run...and what do you know...two young thugs pull a double barrel sawed-off shot gun on me and demand my money. I was in awe...I could not believe this was happening...so I froze and the thug with the gun....swung the barrel at my head hitting my neck...I then at that time knew they were not real killers so I ran...and made it home safe with my beer, skateboard, and the 3 bucks I had in my pocket!

I was visited by x136 and fortunately did not meet his victim profile.

More spooky than near death (as far as I know) but I was going to go to the bank during lunch last week but opted to run an errand elsewhere. Well that bank got robbed and the robbers got in a high speed chase with the cops that ended with a Bonnie & Clyde style shootout. Glad I didn't go to the bank that day.

I just moved in with <3 2 Ride... and her kids... :twitchy: :P

I have a feeling you are about to experience an actual near death event.

A bad car accident where I was almost T-boned on the driver side door. Was going a little bit fast on the on ramp to the highway, lost control of the car and did a 180 ended up facing the wrong way on the lanes. Luckily the roads were clear at the time and I had time to right the car and go the correct way.

Rode a bike down a steep hill which there was black ice towards the bottom (that I didn't know about). If I didn't have a helmet on I would have more than likely died.

Was riding home, across town in Rochester, NY. Was nearing the Genesee River, which splits the city. I was rapidly gaining on a city bus that had pulled over at the previous bus stop (despite there being nobody at the stop, and apparently nobody on the bus). It was coming up on the last stop before the bridge over the river (about 30 feet below), and I anticipated it would stop for a similar duration at this stop, so I began to pass it on the right. As I drew even with the rear door, the bus started forward again - and it was drifting over to the right. I was left with approximately on inch between my tire and the railing, and one inch between my handlebar and the bus.

The river was running high, and it was a cold day. Somehow, I managed to slow and extract myself without harm, but I thought for sure I was going to die.

I have a feeling you are about to experience an actual near death event.
heh

my worst was a truck doing its best to kill me a few blocks away from Central Park on my way to work one morning...


...followed closely by one of the world's worst farts ever, left for me and my equally unsuspecting wife as we entered the elevator in our building one day.....several slow moving floors' worth of stagnant insidious suffocation!:eek:

When I was 10 or so, we went to visit family in Fort Walton Beach around Christmas. Temperatures were very cold so I was dressed in jeans and a heavy winter coat. I had gone out to their boat house which was completed enclosed and was walking around the boat which was sitting in the water. As I stepped onto the boat, I slipped and fell between the boat and the dock into about 8 feet of water. With all that clothing on, swimming wasn't working. Even getting to the surface wasn't working. Going to Plan B, I figured if I just walked uphill, I'd find air. So I just started trudging while trying not to completely lose a grip. That worked.

... That worked.

Good news, but a superfluous revelation. :D

Good news, but a superfluous revelation. :D

True statement. Brought to you by the Department of Redundancy Department.

Use to hop trains a bunch as a kid. Remember one time the train picked up speed so we thought we better jump for it, just about to jump off and my buddy grabbed me as signal switch went wizzing by. That woulda hurt.

My white trek tried to kill me (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widow_maker). I have diminished cardiac output now, but I'm fortunate not to have gone into arrest. Statistically, it was basically a coin toss.

im pretty sure i am still on my first life. i am hoping i have at least one backup, too... just in case. :)

Raising Daughters

Won't go into details... but I fell on the foor, passed out, and I guess stopped I breathing.

Let's see here...

Survived Scarlet Fever twice, both occasions I stopped breathing. That's two lives.
Waking up in a hospital due to a failed road gap jump. Another life there.
Surviving the colleges' dining hall. 1 life there. Cream of Hamburger soup =:twitchy::twitchy::twitchy::twitchy::twitchy:

4 lives used up.

Great topic.

1) Almost drowned twice, and
2) Ran my head through the rear windshield (the one that's harder to shatter) and apparently missed a critical artery by inches.

I know I had another close encounter with death, but I don't remember it. Maybe it was that good?

It was back in 1996 pickup stix. Hillary and I were still in college. It involved a Ben-O-Phone, used bong water and two twelve volt car batteries. Our theory was sound and we were determined to figure out a simpler way of understanding cold fusion. However, the Toledo Fire Department was called and we were soon out of LSD and LRH books.

Couch

I was in Rwanda and Zaire in '94.