Describe a time you almost died....

[Kulindahr]

Hmm, I'm not sure if I would have died, but we narrowly escaped an accident on the way home from church. About three cars ahead of us on the interstate a truck driver lost control and literally went from the far left-hand lane all the way across the four lanes of the highway and down into the deep ditch with trees. It happened so quickly and it was fortunate that no one happened to be beside him, but only in front and behind.

It's scary enough, when you don't know what's going to end up where.

I've been in a couple of car crashes but this reminded me of the one where my roommate and I bailed out of his old Volkswagen bug, having slid on ice into a large Chevy car, just before a full-sized pickup slid into it and left it not even two feet thick. That was a four- or five-car pileup in the snow.

 

[Daximus]

At birth. I was born in my water sack. It never broke. I came out as blue as a friggin smurf. It took a team of docs to get my lungs cleared and me breathing as well as attending to my mother who was severely injured by birthing me that way. She lost a ton of blood. But all ended well and we both recovered after a few days.

Another time I was riding my bike with my brother and a friend. I almost got myself ran over by a very large truck. Scared the shit outta me and the driver. He was non to happy with me. Left some pretty I narly skid marks on the road and in my underwear.

Oh and I almost drowned in Hawaii. My styrofoam bogey board broke in half after I crashed through a huge wave. I was probably about 80 yards from shore. I screamed for help but this was in the 80's when parents didn't watch their kids like hawks. After at least 10 or 11 waves pushed me under, to the bottom a few times, I managed to drag myself up the beach where I told my story, crying my eyes out to my family. While showing disappointment that I lost my 20 dollar bogey board, all I got was the 80's equivalent of a "cool story bro".

 

[rareboy]

Drowning like most others.

But also expired momentarily from a pulmonary embolism in 1992. If I hadn't passed out, fallen and dislodged the clot....it would have been curtains.

 

[mikey3000]

Not too long ago I had pneumonia and tempatures of 105-106 farenheit, which caused me to halucinate, go off my diabetic meds, then gorge myself on fruit because I was vomiting so much and it was the only thing I could keep down. That shot my glucose leverl above 53 mmol/L or over 1000 mg/dl and I ended up in intensive care for almost a week with a trauma doctor, cariologist and my endocrinologist all on stand by. By all rights I should've died. No medics could figure out why no one took me to the hospital sooner.

 

[ScottishBiTeen]

When I was 10 or 11, I was crossing the road at a set of traffic lights. The green man came on, indicating that it was safe to cross. I had only just stepped out onto the road when I looked to my right and all I saw was a bus bearing down on me and not showing any signs of slowing down. I just completely froze on the spot, paralysed with fear, thinking my time had come. My mum, thinking quickly, pushed me out of the way with inches to spare. The bus kept on going. I was badly shaken by this near miss. I remember breaking down in tears in my mum's arms after she joined me at the other side of the road. A passing couple managed to get the bus's licence plate. The police also came up to my house to take some details. We never heard back from them regarding this incident.
Coincidentally, just a few hundred metres up from where this took place, another school-boy was hit and killed by a double-decker bus just a few years before.

The bus company that owned the vehicle that nearly ran me down went bust a few years after this happened.

 

[Ellybelly909]

A lot of dramatic and interesting stories...thanks for sharing guys.

I forgot another time I almost died...in the locker room at the YMCA, this tall, dark and handsome and ripped young man I had been mentally undressing for months was standing naked in the shower next to me....I almost died! (and went to heaven...)

 

[bankside]

Got sick flying once.

 

[Kyanimal]

Hold my beer and watch This! ...

"Slow" weekend at college, Sophomore year. Me, and a buddy, both "independents", joined a buddy, from our Freshman dorm year, at his frat house. The soda vending machines were stocked with beer (bottles). The three of us were drinking "boiler makers" (a shot, or more, of whiskey in a beer) in Dave's room. Someone got the Brilliant idea to see what would happen, if we yelled at the top of our lungs, "Fuck (Fraternity Name)"!

We could hear doors slamming open all over the frat house. Since Dave's door was locked, his "Bros" decided to penny us in, squirt lighter fluid under the door, and light it! There was no way we could get out, except for the window.

From the front of the house, Dave was on the second floor. However, since there was a sunken patio in the back, his window was three stories up above a cement slab.

Having watched too many movies, we decided to tie all the bunk bed sheets together, and send the lightest/smallest one of us, ME, out the window to go for help. (Have I mentioned I have a "thing" about heights?)

The "boiler makers" had already had their effect, and according to the stories (after), we lowered the sheet "rope", I sat on the window sill, jumped out, and flipped around to grab the sheets. (Though I have my doubts about those particulars.)

I do recall repelling down the side of the building, and hearing those sheets RIP, as I went down. They were also about 5' short, and I had to drop to my feet, and hands, like a cat, on the cement.

As I turned to go up the back steps to ground level, I heard breaking glass all around me. Seemed a bunch of the "Bros" had figured out what was going on, and were headed down hill, around the corner of the building, to cut off my escape route. Dave, and Ed, were throwing beer bottles to slow them down. It worked, and I got away.

I headed for the nearest phone, and called the frat, lowering my voice, claiming to be Dave's dad. I was told he was at the library, but they'd get a message to him, and he'd call me back. HA!

We'd agreed before hand, that if I was successful, we'd meet at our old Freshman dorm, about two blocks East, on the lake. Maybe 15min. after my call, Dave and Ed showed up.

The "Bros" had used a fire hatchet to get the pennies out of Dave's door jamb, and as soon as they were freed, apparently Ed had run downstairs, and through a (closed), glass, front door, with Dave close on his heels.

We decided to head about eight, to ten, blocks South, to Ed's "independent" dorm, arm in arm, shoulder to shoulder, holding each other up, since we were "drunk as skunks". However, when we got to Ed's room, on the third floor, of what used to be the University President's "mansion", his roommate was "entertaining" a female type person, and wasn't all that thrilled to see us.

SO ... back down the stairs, out the back door, across the alley, to my place, a former duplex. At this point, Ed, who stands 6'3", was having even more trouble walking, and, apparently, Dave and I inadvertently dragged him over a rotary lawn mower that someone had left in my back yard.

We dragged him up my back stairs, through the kitchen, and into the living room, where a party happened to be going on. For some reason, there was a single mattress in the closet under the stairs. We dragged that out, plopped Ed on it, and he went into his "trademark" cooing like a pigeon (Another LONG story!), while flailing his arms, and legs, in the air. Everyone seemed to get a big kick out of that.

After Dave, and I, had another drink (Lord knows what it was.), he, me, and a couple other guys, proceed to drag Ed, on the mattress, up three flights of stairs to my (triple) room, in the front of the house.

Ed spent the night, on that mattress, on our floor. Dave, and I, shared my lower, single, bunk, in our underwear. I still remember feeling Dave's boner, snuggled into my ass, as he spooned me.

Sorry for that LONG story, butt I couldn't just stop at the time I almost/could have died, (supposedly) jumping out a three story window, pivoting in mid air, and having my sheet "rope" Ripping, as I somehow managed to hold on to it, while scaling down a building, and then having glass shattering all around me.

Hey! Hold my drink and watch This!

Just more reasons to ... No Matter What ...

Keep Smilin'!!
Chaz

 

[Kyanimal]

When I was 10 or 11, ***
Coincidentally, just a few hundred metres up from where this took place, another school-boy was hit and killed by a double-decker bus just a few years before.

Lived in Ireland, for a month, when my Dad exchanged churches with an Irish minister. We first landed in Glasgow, rented a car, and drove to Edinburgh. At one point, and oncoming lorry was a bit over the line. Used to driving on the Right, Dad's immediate instinct was to swerve to the Right, directly in front of the lorry! Thank "Goodness" that only lasted for a millisecond before he corrected to the Left!

Not long after, while alone, and walking in the town that was our new/temporary home town, I was crossing the street. Looked Left (as usual at Home), no traffic, stepped off the curb, and was nearly run down by an oncoming car to my Right!

Stepped back, in total Fear, just in time! That car's driver, who had come to a screeching halt, right in front of me, was NOT pleased!

All turned out O.K., though! (Depending on who you talk to.)

Just more reasons to ... No Matter What ...

Keep Smilin'!!
Chaz