So...I almost died today....

[The Stranger 0]

I work for UPS and today, when I was walking from one area to another, a fully loaded tug (the little cars that pull cargo) comes out of nowhere and clips me from behind. The bumper hit my right leg and my elbow/tricep struck the mirror, then as I am still in the " :o " mode I had to dodge the 7,000+lbs of cargo train (the driver was turning left, so it was circling towards me). Needless to say a couple of inches difference and I would have been a puddle. Luckly I had just taken a step w/ my left so there was no weight on my right leg, so instead of getting clobbered I just kind of lifted into the air and did a couple pirouettes. Not a mark on me, hardly even felt a thing.

Anyone else have some stories?

[tokes 0]

I drank myself into the hospital 2 days after christmas this year, had a BAC of .38 and if I didn't get my stomache pumped and was given the chance to absorb the alcohol left in my stomache I would have died.

Got thrown off a snowmobile while riding solo and tore up my arm pretty bad, if I didn't make it to a road and get some help I would have probably froze to death because I ripped up my jacket to make a torniquet.

Got really drunk the other winter and passed out streaking and froze myself to an ice rink, had bad hypothermia and woulda been bad if nobody found me.

Got slashed up pretty bad in a bar fight and needed a blood transfusion, not sure how close that was, but he could have cut me worse.

Fell off the roof of my house and into the dumpster for the garbage for the shingles when we were re-shingling it, broke my ankle on the edge of the dumpster and got skewered in the side by a shingle, that was kinda close I could have hit my head on the edge of the dumpster or hit an organ with the board and bled out.

Luck has been on my side pretty good so far, but I'm trying not to chance it. I'm arguing I shouldn't have to pay into my CPP fund and boot it all into life insurance because I'm never going to use my pension.........

[Edge 0]

Haven't had any major ones...knock on wood. <_<

[Roach 0]

Everyday actually. Driving in Manila is near murder.

[mrusse01 0]

I drank myself into the hospital 2 days after christmas this year, had a BAC of .38 and if I didn't get my stomache pumped and was given the chance to absorb the alcohol left in my stomache I would have died.

Got thrown off a snowmobile while riding solo and tore up my arm pretty bad, if I didn't make it to a road and get some help I would have probably froze to death because I ripped up my jacket to make a torniquet.

Got really drunk the other winter and passed out streaking and froze myself to an ice rink, had bad hypothermia and woulda been bad if nobody found me.

Got slashed up pretty bad in a bar fight and needed a blood transfusion, not sure how close that was, but he could have cut me worse.

Fell off the roof of my house and into the dumpster for the garbage for the shingles when we were re-shingling it, broke my ankle on the edge of the dumpster and got skewered in the side by a shingle, that was kinda close I could have hit my head on the edge of the dumpster or hit an organ with the board and bled out.

Luck has been on my side pretty good so far, but I'm trying not to chance it. I'm arguing I shouldn't have to pay into my CPP fund and boot it all into life insurance because I'm never going to use my pension.........

Damn. You might want to cut back on the booze.

I had a similar experience to the UPS story when I was working in a distribution warehouse. I was vacuuming dust off a large stack of boxes on the edge and just as I came around the corner of the stack a 5,000lb forklift was coming down the aisle and stopped about an inch away from running into me. The stack was too high so I couldnt see the truck coming, and the noise from the vaccuum was loud enough that I couldn't hear it coming either.

Oh and I was about 3 lbs when I was born 8 weeks early, so I guess that was probably the closest I've been to not making it!

[Nick23 0]

I play ice hockey....on the edge huh?

I havent had any incidents like, that, maybe you guys should live inside a foam insulated room with no sharpe edges, maybe a circular room?

When my brother was 2 he was dropped by an opare(sp?) who was staying at our house onto a train track with a train coming to stop. My dad lept to the rescue, so i guess that was pretty close.

[dix0r 0]

hah, does nearly choking on your own vomit count? :(

if not...then no.

[dix0r 0]

I drank myself into the hospital 2 days after christmas this year, had a BAC of .38 and if I didn't get my stomache pumped and was given the chance to absorb the alcohol left in my stomache I would have died.

Got thrown off a snowmobile while riding solo and tore up my arm pretty bad, if I didn't make it to a road and get some help I would have probably froze to death because I ripped up my jacket to make a torniquet.

Got really drunk the other winter and passed out streaking and froze myself to an ice rink, had bad hypothermia and woulda been bad if nobody found me.

Got slashed up pretty bad in a bar fight and needed a blood transfusion, not sure how close that was, but he could have cut me worse.

Fell off the roof of my house and into the dumpster for the garbage for the shingles when we were re-shingling it, broke my ankle on the edge of the dumpster and got skewered in the side by a shingle, that was kinda close I could have hit my head on the edge of the dumpster or hit an organ with the board and bled out.

Luck has been on my side pretty good so far, but I'm trying not to chance it. I'm arguing I shouldn't have to pay into my CPP fund and boot it all into life insurance because I'm never going to use my pension.........

hah, my boss was just telling me about his grandpa falling down and getting frozen into a puddle. pretty hilarious, in a terrible sort of way.

[HotBacon 0]

Acute appendicitis. I felt a pain in my gut for a week. I thought it was gas so I ignored it until the last day when I could barely walk. I called my mom to phone in an early dismissal (because I refused to go to the nurse for gas). She made me walk home (about a mile), then when I got home about an hour later she realized something was wrong. We went to the doc, who did x-rays/sonograms/etc., then sent me to the ER...6 hours later I was in surgery (doc was on the golf course). After the surgery they said the appendix was burst but they couldn't see it on X-rays/sonograms because it was buried in my intestines. They couldn't believe I lasted as long as I did.

Three days later, when I still hadn't passed gas or pissed, they had to go back in to "clean up" again...taking a few inches of intestine w/ them. A month later I got out of the hospital w/ some sweet scars.

[Hobbes_86 0]

I drank myself into the hospital 2 days after christmas this year, had a BAC of .38 and if I didn't get my stomache pumped and was given the chance to absorb the alcohol left in my stomache I would have died.

Got thrown off a snowmobile while riding solo and tore up my arm pretty bad, if I didn't make it to a road and get some help I would have probably froze to death because I ripped up my jacket to make a torniquet.

Got really drunk the other winter and passed out streaking and froze myself to an ice rink, had bad hypothermia and woulda been bad if nobody found me.

Got slashed up pretty bad in a bar fight and needed a blood transfusion, not sure how close that was, but he could have cut me worse.

Fell off the roof of my house and into the dumpster for the garbage for the shingles when we were re-shingling it, broke my ankle on the edge of the dumpster and got skewered in the side by a shingle, that was kinda close I could have hit my head on the edge of the dumpster or hit an organ with the board and bled out.

Luck has been on my side pretty good so far, but I'm trying not to chance it. I'm arguing I shouldn't have to pay into my CPP fund and boot it all into life insurance because I'm never going to use my pension.........

Dude I want to party with you!!

Not a near death experience but a crazy stupid drinking story nonetheless.

A skating buddy of mine was having a girl's night out so we got totally blitzed at her apartment complex and I decided to go swimming in 30-40 degree weather...oh yeah and almost impaled myself climbing the wrought iron fence.

[Ti-girl 0]

Well mine aren't as serious, but still scarring none the less.

When I wrestled in high school, I got dropped on my head and broke the top vertebrea of my neck. Spent a month in a neck brace.

The next tournament I ended up getting my windpipe crushed and had to be taken to the hospital. Needless to say, end of my career!

I had a severe asthma attack when training and ended up passing out, can't remember much of it, but I do remember having a really bad headache and shaking.

Had a four pronged fishing hood stuck in the back of my neck...that was fun...

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

I have 2

First, (and bear in mind, I am from Ireland, so a lower drinking age, and also, I am from a smallish area up north, so pretty much, if you can walk, you can get served in the bars)

When I finished secondary (high) school, we tied on a big one, and I drank 2 litres of southern comfort, a pint of which was through a beer bong (the beer bong was half southy half red lemonade).

I had to get my stomach pumped, and apparently was close to going at that stage, woke up in hospital with a tube down my throat and one up my nose, one for breathing, one to keep my throat open.

Not pretty

The second one was surfing, again, back home. We went out, it was big, about 12-14 foot sets, on a long left hand break, really great wave, one of the only secret spots left in Donegal. It breaks on a sandbar about half a mile out, but you can use the currents to minimalize your paddling out, and because its a sandbar, you can go out and round the break, so don't have to go through the waves, sweet.

Anyway, I took off on a monster, the third wave of a big set, my cousin had already taken the first wave, so he was looking at me take off. He said he knew I was donald ducked from the start.

I took off late, really late, but I made the drop, the wave is heavy, but not hollow...usually. Anyway, I got to the bottom, and cutback up the face of the wave, when it literally jacked up and sucked right up into this really hollow barrel, which is completely unnatural for a sandbar break, unless its really really low tide

Caught me completely off guard board sucked up from under me, I went tit over arse and got my leg caught in the sandbar, my knee bent about 90 degrees to the side and I was held down for the cycle. I just managed to get to the surface, grab a mouthful of air when I was hit by the next wave in the set, and this on got my board, still attached to my leash and leg, and took it over the falls, which I followed, I was under again for the cycle, and almost blacked out, I honestly thought that this would be it for me, but I got up, and there was a lull between sets, so my brother and 2 cousins basically put me on my board, and took me back in. I kept my wetsuit on as I knew my knee was busted, and the compression of the suit kept swelling to a minimum.

Went to the hospital, and turns out was a meniscus tear, delightful.

So, those are my 2 stories

[Maka 0]

Doing 130 on the freeway. And then I saw a curve.

Airborne volvo doing 130 + 17 year old at the wheel + Cars on Curve =

Not my finest moment. But fortunately I didn't crash. Just got the living shit scared out of me.

[hockeymom 2]

Well my mis-spent youth was devoted to working with horses. We ended up with a pretty sizable breeding operation and sold and showed horses internationally. I rode about 10-15 horses a day – from starting (breaking) the young ones through to working finished horses. I’ve been kicked, bit, stepped on, torn-up, drug and thrown-off in just about every conceivable fashion. Man, it was heaven!

Some of my most spectacular wrecks are the funniest…but they didn’t involve near-death. The most seriously life threatening wreck came from a silly 2 yr old filly and my slow reaction time. I was working her in the pen and she went through a bit of a nonsense bucking phase and one of the dogs ran up so she reared up. (when they stand up on their hind legs). Usually this isn’t a problem because they don’t like to lose their balance, but she just flung herself up and over backwards. Now, what I was supposed to do was simply step off as she went over and let her fall in the dust beside me. Nope, I rode it all the way down and got the western saddle horn in my gut with her 1,000 lb body on top of me. Then she kicked me in the head and stomped on me in her scramble to get back up. I couldn’t move; laid there in the dirt for over 2 hours with blood in my mouth and pain that left me gasping and kept passing out. Someone eventually wondered why I was working the filly so long and checked it out. Had a ruptured stomach, internal bleeding, fused vertibrae and killer concussion and was in the hospital for 2 weeks.

Now more of my life is spent in hockey arenas rather than riding arenas…sure miss it!

[tokes 0]

Damn. You might want to cut back on the booze.

Yeah, after the getting knifed in a bar fight incident I said fuck it and gave up the real heavy drinking. Once I pass about 15 drinks I get real angry/fighty, and start being a total asshole to everyone around me. My girlfriend was starting to get pissed, most of my friends started to not like going to bars/clubs with me, etc. It was costing me a shit ton of money too, so with the money I've saved by basically not drinking in the past 5 months I'm helping pay for a 5.5 week trip to europe and a C5 Corvette next year, 2 things I never could have afforded if I kept getting hammed every weekend.

[KYHockey3 0]

well,about a year ago my friend from elemtary school was riding his bike to another friends house.

he cut out into the street and a car hit him.

he was in coma for atleast a month, he is luck that he lived. he still limps but has gotten a little back to normal, ghe still plays soccer, tennis and acts like nothing happened!!

a few weeks ago a kid who i went to elementary school with was walking with headpones on and stepped out into the street. his pal that was with him yelled STOP!! but andy didnt hear him. he died.

i only know 1 kid with a near death experience. the others have died....its sad.

[M-Cohen 0]

I used to BMX and one day went off a jump and tried to do a backflip. I suceeded in completing half of the backflip, landed on my back and knocked the wind out of me. Ontop of almost snapping my spine the peg (with the open side facing down) missed my skull by about 3 inches. And it was going fast enough that it would have squeezed some brain into the tube.

[Langenbrunner15 0]

I have 2

First, (and bear in mind, I am from Ireland, so a lower drinking age, and also, I am from a smallish area up north, so pretty much, if you can walk, you can get served in the bars)

When I finished secondary (high) school, we tied on a big one, and I drank 2 litres of southern comfort, a pint of which was through a beer bong (the beer bong was half southy half red lemonade).

I had to get my stomach pumped, and apparently was close to going at that stage, woke up in hospital with a tube down my throat and one up my nose, one for breathing, one to keep my throat open.

Not pretty

The second one was surfing, again, back home. We went out, it was big, about 12-14 foot sets, on a long left hand break, really great wave, one of the only secret spots left in Donegal. It breaks on a sandbar about half a mile out, but you can use the currents to minimalize your paddling out, and because its a sandbar, you can go out and round the break, so don't have to go through the waves, sweet.

Anyway, I took off on a monster, the third wave of a big set, my cousin had already taken the first wave, so he was looking at me take off. He said he knew I was donald ducked from the start.

I took off late, really late, but I made the drop, the wave is heavy, but not hollow...usually. Anyway, I got to the bottom, and cutback up the face of the wave, when it literally jacked up and sucked right up into this really hollow barrel, which is completely unnatural for a sandbar break, unless its really really low tide

Caught me completely off guard board sucked up from under me, I went tit over arse and got my leg caught in the sandbar, my knee bent about 90 degrees to the side and I was held down for the cycle. I just managed to get to the surface, grab a mouthful of air when I was hit by the next wave in the set, and this on got my board, still attached to my leash and leg, and took it over the falls, which I followed, I was under again for the cycle, and almost blacked out, I honestly thought that this would be it for me, but I got up, and there was a lull between sets, so my brother and 2 cousins basically put me on my board, and took me back in. I kept my wetsuit on as I knew my knee was busted, and the compression of the suit kept swelling to a minimum.

Went to the hospital, and turns out was a meniscus tear, delightful.

So, those are my 2 stories

Surfing in Ireland? I went to Ireland and didn't even see a beach...

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

Surfing in Ireland? I went to Ireland and didn't even see a beach...

I am from donegal, we have hosted both the European and World surfing championships.

My friend Richie owns the surfshop in Bundoran, and when the pros come over, they stay with him.

We took Shane Beschen and Chris Molloy to this spot I am talking about, and Beschen said its the best wave he has surfed outside mavericks, J-bay and the hawaiian waves.

He said it was better than Indo, because indo gets so sucky and the rides are shorter. The waves in g-land are probably the best in the world, but he said he prefers the longer rides when he is just freesurfing, not competitive surfing.

Also, if ever someone spoke like they are stoned off their nut all the time, its him.

I have the same first name as his brother, and he kept laughing his ass off at it as if there could be another person, particularly an Irish person with the same name

http://www.surfersvillage.com/img/news/IrishWVS.jpg

[Langenbrunner15 0]

Mind sharing where donegal is near? Like a major city or where in Ireland?

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

Mind sharing where donegal is near? Like a major city or where in Ireland?

Donegal is the northernmost county in Ireland. Its part of the Republic, and its in Ulster, Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan are 3 counties in Ulster that are part of the Republic of Ireland, Derry, antrim, down, armagh, fermanagh and tyrone are the other 6 counties that make up northern Ireland, under british rule.

Its about as far away from dublin as anywhere. I am from letterkenny, a town about 20 minutes from the border with northern ireland. Close to derry city, and about an hour and a half from belfast

Here is a map with donegal highlighted

http://www.special-ireland.com/maps/map-donegal.jpg

most people usually avoid the north because of the troubles, but there is some great stuff to see up there

[Icedog03 0]

I hydroplaned into a jerseywall on a ramp with traffic coming at me (moving around 40-50mph) while I kept spinning back and forth across two lanes.

[Thockey17 1]

Surfing in Ireland? I went to Ireland and didn't even see a beach...

Ireland can get pretty heavy given the right coniditions.

Another surfing story here.....Puerto Escondido, Mexico. Easily 12+ feet and throwing wide...head first straight into dry sand and tossed numerous times by oncoming sets. Woke up back in my room with a mean headache and a nice gash in the back of my arm and my board snapped directly in half. 'Til this day, i have been afraid of the power of mother nature.

[Jim A 4]

hmm.

grandmother's placed was robbed at gunpoint when I was 6, knew it wasn't good when the barrel touched my head

twice got out of the water in Florida doing some research only to see a bull shark pass through within 10 seconds..

[Trippingblue 1]

Crossing the street as a pedestrian in Puebla, Mexico. There's a reason there are so many churches there...

I was connecting some dimmers@ 3-phase, 240 Volt to the mains at a theatre I was working at. My assistant for that day was some college freshman doing tech credits for his Acting major. I ask him to hand me the white (neutral) which I knew for a fact wasn't live. Without turning around I receive this MASSIVE pain in my right hand and I know I'm being electrocuted. Asshat panics and runs off to get my boss who literally had to break my arm in order to break the flow. He handed me a live HOT lead, somehow confusing RED with WHITE. If I hadn't been grounded I would fried to death from the inside out.

I was lying in the dirt amidst some bushes once again wiring power to a dimmer. I knew this particular circuit was on a timer, and thought I had plenty of time before it was hot. I'm working and I look over and see lights coming on. In series. I have time to think, "oh, fuck!" before the current passes into my hands (I had one lead in each hand at the time). Luckily I had the presence of mind to realise that my elbows were grounding me and standing up would have sent 480 Volts across my chest and into my heart! I army-crawled forward with my elbows still in the dirt till I could yank the lead free and unplug it with the remaining muscle control I had. I was fine after a few hours but I still get tingles sometimes!

I was working in a Manlift and the controls in the basket stopped responding. I was 40' in the air and didn't have control. My boss decides to run the controls manually from the ground. He switches to manual mode, and I begin to move. It's dark, and he can't see that he's tipping the basket forward to the point that I nearly fall out. I scream, "HEYHEYHEYHEYHEY!", he looks up, shouts, "sorry" and lowers me back down...I nearly killed him...after he nearly killed me!

I once two-wheeled a forklift

Been on some scary boat rides when people ran the bow in the the sharp rocks

Nearly fell 60 feet from the top of a bungee tower...without the bungee.

Wow, seems like every day at work is life-threatening...BUT I LOVE IT!

--nick--