Close Calls

How many of you have had close calls to death or serious injury?

I had a close call two nights ago and only the folks I work with understand how serious it was. I was standing next to a 6" steam line when it decided to let go. I had been cleaning the area and didn't realize that water was dripping on it, causing thermal shock. 130 psi letting go 18" from you shakes you nerves. I was engulfed and steam and didn't get any burns.
I'm still totally amazed.

My wife asked me if I screamed like a little girl. This is because lightening struck a tree across the street from me last year. Maybe 100 feet away. I screamed like girl then, but not the other night.

Wow, you got lucky for sure. Geepers, that's too close.

Day before yesterday a big low flying crow flew directly over my head. He didn't poop. Does that count?

I guess the closest I came was fiddling with the wires of a 440 volt air compressor. The owner told me he personally turned the power off. ZAP! Sparks flew. I didn't get lifted, he felt bad. He turned off the wrong circuit breaker. I learned a lesson. I now always check myself and then use a tester.

A few years back we were street riding (motorcycles), we're the group of idiots you see doing stand up wheelies, tank wheelies all the tricks. That day I forgot to turn down the power commander on my GSXR1000 so the power didn't come on so hard in the mid range. Was doing a tank wheelie and hit a small bump in the road causing my wrist to turn a little to much. Bike went back and flipped back foward throwing me off the back, sliding down the road over 100' on my stomach. Ill tell you, a lot goes through your head while your sliding and watching you bike pass by you. I fractured 4 ribs, pulled back muscles, some small road rash on hands, I slid so far that it burned rite through my race gloves, and a nice hole and bruise on my lower knee. Had all my leathers on except for pants that day, was way to hot out and I wasn't intending on being "stupid" that day ....lol... famous last words. We were in an area where there's not many cars and traffic, good thing to since I was sliding down one lane with the bike in the other.

Dave

i was in a bike accident. within 10 minutes I was in a coma. they called it coma 15 , whatever that is. I remember the EMT yelling at me "stay with us Ken", then my eyes closing and thought it was over. they life flighted me to a trama unit in Cleveland. I died on the chopper and they brought me back. (*censored* lol) woke up 6 weeks later. crazy , was only going about 10 mph into a corner and hit some loose gravel. I should of baled when I was heading to the edge of the road. the bike hit the edge , threw me off and fliped over and landed on my back.

Damn Ken!

You remember all that also?

i don't remember anything after my eyes closed. all the info is in the hospital reports and records. one bight side , I got my wings for being on life flight , so I get a discount when the air show comes to Cleveland.

Thanks for telling the story, Ken. I don't think anyone will be able to top it, 'cept maybe Devil.

Closest call I ever had was almost falling off the barn roof about 10 years ago, literally hanging on by 1 nail.

My closs call was on the day before Christmas. I was having FIOS installed. The installer was by himself and complaining that he couldn't do it alone. I offered to start drilling lines. I went upstairs and found the cable line coming in from the wall. I started drilling close to it. That's when I heard screaming. I stopped and ran downstairs to see what was up. I see my drill bit sticking out of the house and right up against the insulation of the main electrical line that comes into the house from the pole. I barely nicked the insulation. A 1/16" to the right and I could have nicked a wire and shorted it out. The drill was plastic and cordless but I'm positive I would have been hurt or killed. Not to mention I would have had a melted drill in the palm of my hand.

the closest call that I can think of was coming down Plymouth Mountain in the old Chevy coal truck with Hydraulic brakes. If you know Plymouth mountain its pretty damn steep. I got down to the bottom of the mountain which isn't too far frm my Grandmothers house. I was backing into the driveway, here's picture.. note the little incline at the end of the driveway. the Chevy is on the right and this is the exact spot I was backing into:
I got to stop and no damn brakes, they lasted right to there. The one line was leaking and I didn't spot it. The truck went over the hump and crushed the bush you see in the picture. Snapped it right off at the base....

This is where the close call comes in. That was a bush my Grandmother planted like 30 years ago. She wasn't too pleased.

here's what went down. I was in a motorcycle accident on 9-24-05 , Not paying attention to the road , hit some gravel in a corner. I was life flighted to trauma hospital. (C-2 is your neck, C-1 is when they hang ya) I has fractured C-2,C-5 C-7, T-4 and T-5, with canal compromise, All broken ribs on the right side , colloasped right lung , was in a coma when they put me in the chopper. Spent about 2 weeks in a coma , then another 4 weeks or so in an induced coma. . I spent 6 weeks or so in ICU. They put one of those halo's on me that screws to your head. Had to wear that thing for 14 weeks. I don't remember a day in the ICU ward , just alot of wierd dreams that I still can remember like they were last night. When I first got to the tramua unit , I could only move my two left fingers. The neuro doctors told everybody I would only be able to turn my head the rest of my life and end up in a nursing home. Thank God they were wrong. Took about 4 weeks or so for my arms and hands to start working , By time I left ICU ward , only T-4 and T-5 were the injury, Thank God. Also had pneumonia, high fevers and other problems in ICU. I could not eat for 2 months or drink water or anything for 2 1/2 months. I finally passed the swallow test for eating. That was cool. Food tasted like crap first couple days. lol I finally went to a regular floor for couple days to dry out and halucinate from all the crap they put you on. lol. Then they put me in rehab and I had a rude awakening to my new life. I worked real hard to get better. One day they dropped me in rehab on my halo and ripped 3 screws out. Talk about pain. lol Had to get that contraption remounted, that didn't feel good to good either. I spent 3 months in rehab learning the usual stuff. I now can do just about everything, but get my legs in bed and take a shower on my own. About 2 months in the hospital neuro dept. decided it was time to repair T4and T5, just a co-incidence the day after they dropped me. Well , we got bad info on the surgeon at the hospital, So we had it set up at another hospital. We also asked the ortho dept. for their opinion, They said the bones were stable, so I went with them and said no to the operation. After getting home and reading stuff here (great site) and other places. Ortho only cared about the bones being stable. Now 6 months later I have a couple of appointments in another month to see some neuro surgeons. Im told this is no easy operation. So by the time I get the operation 8 or 9 months will have passed to take the pressure off my cord. I went in for the operation. Was kinda scared. It took them 8 or so hours to do what they did. They lined up my spine and put in rods. I wonder if they took a lunch break. lol The tramua hospital clasiffied me as Asia A , C-5 tetrapiligic. The list goes on of all the crap I had to deal with , but enough for now lol. My life changed in one second. I have to mention my girlfriend who was there everyday at the hospital for hours and helps me at home. Thank God for her.

Fall of 1975. I'm supposed to be home studying for first semester finals. Instead me and a couple of guys decide to go dirt bike riding.

I'm # 2 in line going through the woods. Guy in the lead lays his bike over. I see he's in loose gravel so I give it some gas to get through it. Ooops.

We had come upon a small quarry operation where they had been removing gravel. Guy in the lead saw it that is why he laid his over. I didn't. I went off the cliff about 15' in the air. I fell off the back of the bike mid air and landed flat on my back knocking me out. The bike landed between my spread wide open legs and bounced off to the side.

They came up to me and I was gurgling spit and blood from biting my lip. The thought I was hurt really bad. I finally came to. It turns out that all I had done was to break my left shoulder blade.

I couldn't drive for 1 month. The real bad part was that now I had to make up the finals and they had a really hard version figuring that everyone had told me all about the test. No one had said a work.

Not as bad as Ken's tale but mine still involved a bike. I could have turned into a permanent soprano like this guy:



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Rick

Mine's not a bike tale and won't compare to Ken's but here goes.

It was summer 1974. I was in the army. We were going on our annual operational readiness training test so we were all jumping heavy (full combat gear, 700' altitude). I was one of four per plane jumping equipment bags. Radio, crypto gear, spare batteries, parts plus my personal equipment. It weighed about 80 lb. I always volunteered for it because I got door position. Nothing like standing in the open door of a C130 while in flight. These things were tethered to the chute harness and strapped to the left leg to exit the aircraft. At 150' we released them so they dangled under us.

The jump was scheduled for something like 2 AM. Winds were gusting over 25 knots but we went anyway. (Never did figure out what idiot made those decisions) As we were taking off I went to put my elastic glass strap on. I forgot it so I put my glasses in my calf pocket for safe keeping. Now not only is it dark I don't have my glasses on, so I can't see *censored*.

The light turns green, I'm out the door, full chute opening, life is good. As I got closer to the ground I could tell my direction. I was hauling ass to my rear, not a good thing. Nothing worse than a feet, ass, head landing. I start slipping the chute to head into the wind. I finally looked down to check my altitude, what I thought were treetops were bushes. I never cut the bag away. I hit like a ton of *censored*. Another guy collapsed my chute for me while I was trying to figure out what the hell happened. So there was something worse than feet, ass, head after all and I just executed it beautifully.

I told my NCO what happened. He laughed and told me what a dumb ass I was. That morning the inside of my leg from crotch to ankle is black. He said show me so I dropped my drawers. He tried to send me to the medics but I wasn't having any of that *censored*. We're in the middle of a test. So we argued for a while.

I ran the radio net for Bn HQ so you couldn't spit without hitting an officer. Next thing I know the BN executive officer wants to know what the F%@k is the commotion in his AO. My NCO told him. Officer says show me. I drop my drawers for the second time that night for a guy. Next thing out of his mouth was something like boy, get to the f#%^n medic now or I'll drag you myself. Medics sent me to Womack hospital. I had vascular surgery, a week's stay in the hospital and 30 day medical leave.