the closest you have ever been to death?
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Hawk Teflon
Veteran
I used to skate. A lot. Well, one day my friend and I decided to bomb some hills in his neighborhood. I'd never seen these hills, but for some reason, I decided to put fresh bearings (ABEC 9 from ABEC 3) on by board, AND loosened the trucks a little for some sharper turns. I went into a hill way too fast, the board got squirrelly, and I flew off. Fortunately, my face caught my fall. I slid about 20 feet across the pavement. I lost a LOT of blood that day. I was in the hospital for the remainder of the day. I learned a lot that day. Most interestingly, I learned that you can scrape a nipple off. Off. Gone. My left one ceased to exist. A month later, it grew back.
Another time was a car accident. We were traveling down I-35 when some cars started swerving in front of us creating smoke from the tires. There was backed up traffic stopped on the road that we couldn't see. We were traveling about 70 MPH in a small car and hit the back of another car at full speed. The split second I had to think, I thought that was going to be the end of it all.
Another time was a car accident. We were traveling down I-35 when some cars started swerving in front of us creating smoke from the tires. There was backed up traffic stopped on the road that we couldn't see. We were traveling about 70 MPH in a small car and hit the back of another car at full speed. The split second I had to think, I thought that was going to be the end of it all.
Win, win, win.
Michael Anthony Horrigan
More Cowbell Pictures
"The closest you have ever been to death?"
Well, after I strangled him I realized that I had left my dismembering tools in my other car. Now this is the funny part, I had to....
Oh.
Uh....
I was in a really bad car accident once.
Well, after I strangled him I realized that I had left my dismembering tools in my other car. Now this is the funny part, I had to....
Oh.
Uh....
I was in a really bad car accident once.
puredrifting
Major Contributor
When I was 21, I was selling BMWs. Took another salesperson out for a ride in a brand new white 325e. Went into a turn at the end of a long, remote road at about 70 mph, I was a good driver, had been a couple of times to Skip Barber on racetracks, I knew the road but had not been on it for a couple of years. I became kind of alarmed when I dove into the first turn, a big left-handed sweeper and saw the "caution, 25 mph speed limit" sign. Crap, the road had been re-routed from it's former location, the turn was MUCH tighter than it was previously. I was in big trouble, trees lining both sides of the road so I knew if I went off of the road at high speed, into the trees, I was dead. Made it about halfway through the big sweeper, applied too much brake and high sided it. Next thing I saw was the horizon rotating about 8 times until the car came to a rest. I did not hit any trees, I rolled it down the turn on the road and ended up just slightly off of the pavement. I have to hand it to BMW, it was a safe car. The impact was so hard that the metal struts that the drivers seat was mounted on collapsed and I was literally sitting on the floor pan of the car. Car was totaled. All I walked away with was some monor whiplash. Lucky. Stupid me.
Second time, I was getting an allergy shot. I had been getting the shots for five years, knew the drill. Get the shot, wait in the waiting room for 30 minutes to see if you have any reaction to the shot. I was late for a meeting and waited about 10 minutes in the waiting room, got impatient and went down to the parking lot. I had never had a reaction after hundreds of shots so I figured I didn't need to wait for the full half an hour. Made it 35 miles down the freeway and began to feel hot. I then became only what I can describe as red hot, it felt as if I was on fire. I went into full anaphylactic shock just as I frantically drove back to the allergist. I was in a remote area so if I would have waited for help, I would have died by the time help arrived. Back at the allergist office, they stuck me with some Epinephrin and after taking my vitals told me that another minute and I would have been dead. To top it all off, I then had a reaction to the Epinephrin and laid on a table, shaking violently for 30 minutes. Not fun at all. So both times I have almost died were due to my own stupidity. Almost got the Darwin Award twice.
After these two experiences, one twenty-five years ago, one about ten years ago, I don't fear death, I only fear a long and painful death.
Dan
Second time, I was getting an allergy shot. I had been getting the shots for five years, knew the drill. Get the shot, wait in the waiting room for 30 minutes to see if you have any reaction to the shot. I was late for a meeting and waited about 10 minutes in the waiting room, got impatient and went down to the parking lot. I had never had a reaction after hundreds of shots so I figured I didn't need to wait for the full half an hour. Made it 35 miles down the freeway and began to feel hot. I then became only what I can describe as red hot, it felt as if I was on fire. I went into full anaphylactic shock just as I frantically drove back to the allergist. I was in a remote area so if I would have waited for help, I would have died by the time help arrived. Back at the allergist office, they stuck me with some Epinephrin and after taking my vitals told me that another minute and I would have been dead. To top it all off, I then had a reaction to the Epinephrin and laid on a table, shaking violently for 30 minutes. Not fun at all. So both times I have almost died were due to my own stupidity. Almost got the Darwin Award twice.
After these two experiences, one twenty-five years ago, one about ten years ago, I don't fear death, I only fear a long and painful death.
Dan
dougspice
Veteran
Some good stories in here. The airplane one is pretty terrifying... and I'm curious what that other salesperson thought of the ride, puredrifting!
I think there's definitely a huge gulf between "that was scary and I got hurt really bad" and true "near-death" experiences. When I was 21 I slipped off a cliffside trail in Italy and barely pulled it together... at the time I certainly felt like it was "near-death," but much later I realize it was honestly only "near-pain-and-inconvenience."
My one true near-death experience was a car thing. I was driving my little Karmann Ghia convertible a little too fast (for the car) on the I-10. I cut the wheel a little too hard making a quick lane change and the tiny little tires lost traction – I started to skid towards the traffic and retaining wall to my left. Unfortunately, my instinct that I failed to overcome was to whip the wheel back the other way.
The car turned perpendicular to the road and flipped. The last thing I saw before there was an infinite blackness of car on top of me was the underbelly of an 18-wheeler right in front of me. The car left the ground and everything went silent and slow. How I know that this was really near-death, of course, is that I wasn't in the least bit concerned. The absolute certainty that I was going to die was the calmest feeling I have ever experienced. I felt like I had forever to think about what I'd done with my life, girls I'd loved – especially the one who, luckily enough, was supposed to be in the car with me just then but wasn't.
And then the car crashed down into the road again, upside down. If it had flipped again, I would have been thrown free, since the car was grandfathered and didn't have any seatbelts. I wasn't yet crushed by a semi truck, but was still certain I was about to skid into the retaining wall or some other car at 70-75mph. When that didn't happen, either, I was still sure that one of the other cars behind me was going to plow into me from behind. But they didn't.
Instead, the car came to a halt and within seconds – really – there were half a dozen people there who had just abandoned their cars in the middle of the freeway to come get me free. They flipped the car off of me and I fell right out. I've never been more impressed by the people of Los Angeles. I got up and walked under my own power, just fine, to the side of the freeway. And then I pretty much went into shock.
I lost most of the functioning in my left index finger, but other than that... no permanent damage of any kind. I learned a lot of lessons from this experience. Every now and then I remember to look at that weird non-working finger I have and remember that I'm a lucky, lucky guy.
I think there's definitely a huge gulf between "that was scary and I got hurt really bad" and true "near-death" experiences. When I was 21 I slipped off a cliffside trail in Italy and barely pulled it together... at the time I certainly felt like it was "near-death," but much later I realize it was honestly only "near-pain-and-inconvenience."
My one true near-death experience was a car thing. I was driving my little Karmann Ghia convertible a little too fast (for the car) on the I-10. I cut the wheel a little too hard making a quick lane change and the tiny little tires lost traction – I started to skid towards the traffic and retaining wall to my left. Unfortunately, my instinct that I failed to overcome was to whip the wheel back the other way.
The car turned perpendicular to the road and flipped. The last thing I saw before there was an infinite blackness of car on top of me was the underbelly of an 18-wheeler right in front of me. The car left the ground and everything went silent and slow. How I know that this was really near-death, of course, is that I wasn't in the least bit concerned. The absolute certainty that I was going to die was the calmest feeling I have ever experienced. I felt like I had forever to think about what I'd done with my life, girls I'd loved – especially the one who, luckily enough, was supposed to be in the car with me just then but wasn't.
And then the car crashed down into the road again, upside down. If it had flipped again, I would have been thrown free, since the car was grandfathered and didn't have any seatbelts. I wasn't yet crushed by a semi truck, but was still certain I was about to skid into the retaining wall or some other car at 70-75mph. When that didn't happen, either, I was still sure that one of the other cars behind me was going to plow into me from behind. But they didn't.
Instead, the car came to a halt and within seconds – really – there were half a dozen people there who had just abandoned their cars in the middle of the freeway to come get me free. They flipped the car off of me and I fell right out. I've never been more impressed by the people of Los Angeles. I got up and walked under my own power, just fine, to the side of the freeway. And then I pretty much went into shock.
I lost most of the functioning in my left index finger, but other than that... no permanent damage of any kind. I learned a lot of lessons from this experience. Every now and then I remember to look at that weird non-working finger I have and remember that I'm a lucky, lucky guy.
puredrifting
Major Contributor
With the Bimmer, was it a "You break it you buy it" policy?
Just had to pay the $1,000.00 insurance deductible. They withheld it from my final check as they understandably booted my rear toward the door. My wife says that I have always been stubborn to change, so in the end, the accident was a good stepping stone to get out of the car biz. Thank God this did happen because I needed to NOT be in the car business, it is the slimiest parody of a real job out there. Had some fun but talk about a dead end career. And this was back in the mid 80s.
Dan
puredrifting
Major Contributor
I think that after the ambulance crew checked them out, they quit. So actually the accident saved two of us from a fate worse than death. The car business. ;-)
Dan