Your brushes with death...

As we all know, our favorite Adventurer has had countless brushes with death that he walked away from due to his prowess or just a plain miracle. While we may not have had the "opportunity" to be poisoned by blow darts, run over by a giant boulder or crushed and pierced with spikes, some of us may have given the Grim Reaper a run for his money.

Tell us here about an experience when YOU almost died, if you feel comfortable discussing it. Thanks in advance for your submissions. Either way, you can bet we're glad you're still here!

As a pyro-tecnician, a skydiver, and a general adreneline junkie, do those experiences count?

Pale Horse said:

As a pyro-tecnician, a skydiver, and a general adreneline junkie, do those experiences count?

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You have to tell us about a time when you were almost dead. Did a firework explode near you and you ended up fighting for your life in the hospital? Etc., etc. It's not enough to just do these things-- you have to actually have a I-nearly-died-but-I-walked-away story. You know the routine. If you paracuted and survived, that doesn't count. If your parachute didn't open and you hit the ground, broke every bone in your body and the doctor says "Damn, you are lucky to be alive," THEN it counts. Sorry Horsey.

This thread is also for those who actually DID die-- and came back.

A close call (sort of)

I was a paramedic for awhile, and saw a few people "come back to life". I've also been shot at , hit by idiots in their cars who ignore flashing lights, and a few other things I could mention.Most of those stories are meshed together with similar stories, so their not worth mentioning. But that was years ago. This story was much more recent. I can't say that this was a near-death experience, but at the time, it sure felt like it...

Earlier this month, I went fishing in northern Michigan on a small lake that's only open to fishing a few months out of the year. I use what's called a float tube (basically, an inflatable chair for the water, using fins to move me along), I headed out towards the area where I've never seen people fish before. The
shore on my left as I kicked, the open water to my right. Lots of dead trees along the shore and in the water. I caught a few more big bass, and looked to be in some great bass water. I must have seen a half dozen in the area I was in.

Something made me look to my right, to the open water. About fifty yards away, I saw something on the water, swimming towards the shore near me.
I thought "A goose?" No, not a goose. Too dark, too big.

A dog?

"Oh! A big ol' beaver!" I thought to myself. Cool!

As it got to within twenty yards of me, I realized it wasn't a beaver. The shock zipped through me, giving me that hazy tunnel vision. Of all the things to see on a lake, of all the things I would have ever expected, this would be on the bottom of the list.

It was a bear.

A black bear swimming in the water, swimming in my direction.

I froze, not knowing what to do. I know that with grizzlies, you play dead, and with black bears, you fight back. It was a black bear (no grizzlies in Michigan). How the hell do you fight in eight feet of water, strapped to a float tube?!? I turned to face him, my heart beating like a crazy, my stomach tightening up.

He came within ten yards of me, then turned away from me, and continued to the shore nearby. I grabbed my disposable camera and snapped a few shaky shots of him. He climbed out (no tail, four legs, black...not a beaver, not a dog). He looked back, then went into the brush. Never saw him again.

The pictures were too blurry to see anything (makes for a better story, too)


It was an exciting trip.

Wow... that does sound exciting! lol

In 2001, I went on a trip to South Africa. My dad was born in Rhodesia, and his family moved to South Africa when he was very young. We like to go back and visit for Christmas on occasion.

Anyway, for one part of our last trip, we went and stayed in a traditional African village, (sleeping in traditional huts, having traditional food, listening to traditional music and doing traditional dances, but speaking English... lol). The night we slept there, there was a big storm, and apparently our roof leaked big time. I didn't notice, I was alseep. But the next morning, we got news that there had been a leopard in the camp that night, and it killed an impala just outside the village, nearby where my mother had escorted my younger sister to the bathroom.

A different night, we went on a safari in a national park. We got in a big 4-wheel drive truck, armed with passenger-use spotlights, and went down these rugged dirt roads with our guide pointing out animals and having us shine the light on them so we could see. He had warned us not to shine the light in any elephants' eyes if we came accross any. We did come accross elephants. The first one, we accidentally shined the light in it's eyes (and these were serious spotlights). The elephant gave us a warning charge. The person with the light moved the light and shined it closer to the feet. Our guide then warned us again, and explained that the elephant would be able to charge us before we could get away, and might knock over the truck. We came accross elephant #2. Lo and behold, the light hits it's eyes. Thank God this elephant was farther away, because this one charged us, and we were able to get out in time.

I love Africa.

In Christ,
Shane

Whoa. Nice stories, guys. Nobody here really was anywhere close to "nearly dead" but interesting stories, nonetheless. Anyone else out there ever play Twister with the Reaper?

I'll give you an example of a "nearly dead" story. It's not my own, but something I saw on TV. I was watching a special on the National Geographic channel about snow crab fishing in the Baltic Sea. It's done in January for only 5 days and the conditions the guys face on deck are grueling! Large waves, blowing winds, freezing temperatures, handling 800-lb crab traps in said conditions, etc.

Anyhoo, one guy was helping to haul in a trap and he was knocked overboard. The chance of surving in the sub-freezing water, even with cold weather gear, is next to nil. Within 30 seconds after hitting the water, blood moves from the outer extremities to the center of the body to protect vital organs, so you are almost instantly weak. Furthermore, when the body hits water THAT cold, you instantly inhale-- and end up with a lungful of water.

Long story short, the guys on deck reacted quickly and we able to fish him out even though they could hardly see him among the waves. Even after they pulled him out, he was in shock. The next several hours are critical because you can still die from the shock. He survived and stood in the same spot the next day, determined to overcome his fear after going overboard. The chances of a man surviving what he went through are about 5% or so, so he definately stared the Grim Reaper in the eye.

Read more about it here: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/01/0128_040128_tvcommericalfisher.html

Here's the link to when this special is on: http://dsc.discovery.com/schedule/episode.jsp?episode=0&cpi=22641&gid=0

<sniff> Those stories weren't about poeple who died and came back...<pouts>

wish I could play....

Pale Horse said:

<sniff> Those stories weren't about poeple who died and came back...<pouts>

wish I could play....

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The stories on this thread are basically for those who have nearly died doing whatever.

Horsey, don't do something to get yourself almost killed just to post here! I think that would be even worse than "brownie posts" (those are nonsense posts people do to get their post numbers up).

I think that holding a 6" shell full of black powder and magnesium stars to you chest, while a 8" shell hangfires just out the top of it's launching fun qualifies. But the thing is, mine is the calcualted risk. There are mortal danges to pyro-technic displays, that most can't see. (That's one reason why the public is usually roped away from the launch site)

I guess I have to post the time I was in high school when I lept into the back of my friends pick-up as he was getting ready to head out to lunch, he gunned the truck before I was settled and the mometum of the truck surged forward, causing me to lose my balance. Instinctively, I grabed ahold of the end of the bed, as my legs flew over my head. (I later learned he had to gun it so that he could make it out of the parking lot ahead of some fast approaching cars)

Now, I am holing on to the edge of the truck, as Bill (the driver) is speeding down the road. My legs are draging in the street, and I am getting a good look at the insect splattered chrome bumper of the car behind me. I let go and used the momentum of the truck to roll out of harms way into the gutter.

A bit stunned, I stand up to see if my ride to lunch had even realized what had just happened, he had stopped, but it was another block away. He never knew I had fallen out.

Okaaaaaay, Horsey. Now you're hitting the mark! I guess I DO have to give you points just for working with pyrotechnics, after all. Geez, I bet a million things could go wrong. Have you ever seen anyone get really hurt doing that?

Yep.

"In other news...
September 6, 1996
Web posted at: 11:25 p.m. EDT
California fireworks factory blast kills one
RIALTO, California (CNN) -- A fireworks factory blew up Friday as workers unloaded shells, killing one employee and injuring another.

"We heard and we felt the shake that felt like an earthquake. It was just one explosion after another. The flames were quite high," said Ruth Johnston, who lives across the street from the Pyro Spectacular factory, the company that handled the fireworks for the opening of the Atlanta Olympic Games.

A side of the building was blown out by the blast, and the cause remains undetermined. Towers of smoke could be seen over the area about 50 miles east of downtown Los Angeles."

It's the plant I work out of.

I was bitten in the hand by a goose when I was about four... Geese are deadly, you know!

Pale Horse said:

Yep.

"In other news...
September 6, 1996
Web posted at: 11:25 p.m. EDT
California fireworks factory blast kills one
RIALTO, California (CNN) -- A fireworks factory blew up Friday as workers unloaded shells, killing one employee and injuring another.

It's the plant I work out of.

Click to expand...

Yeeow!!

whipem816 said:

I was bitten in the hand by a goose when I was about four... Geese are deadly, you know!

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Yeah-- especially if they "goose" you (nyuk) where the sun don't shine! Owwwwoooooo!

I work as a security guard.
I got shot once when we tried to stop two thiefs.
They hit me in the shoulder.
But they did end up in jail.

I got stabbed with a knife by a car thief.
Put me in the hospital for three weeks.

I crawled out of a car wreck after I got hit by a bus.
It was not my fault. The driver just did not see me.
Broke both my legs in that one. And a big crack in my cranium.

When I was on a survival trip in the jungle in Vietnam I got a little careless.
With five more days to go I got a bite from a snake.
They had to carry me out of the jungle.
That one was a close call.

I have a few more stories but I dont want you guys to get bored with me.

Hammer, I'm truly in awe. You've arm wrestled the Grim Reaper and lived to tell about it!

I'm sure we'd like to hear more of your "boring" stories about survival! I know I would.

I have another story for you.
It happend in my home town.
I was sitting in this bar
Because of an angel on my shoulder I walked away without getting hurt.
14 people died that night and in the weeks after.
You can read about it here.

http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/01/01/dutch.fire.02/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/01/02/dutch.fire.02/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/01/18/dutch.fire/

I just wanna say that I was one of the lucky ones that night.
I came out of that cafe without a single scar.
I lost alot of friends that night.

Horsie, I didn't know you were a pryo-guy too!
I thankfully haven't had any close calls, but it is a dangerous game to play.

I'm afraid I don't have any near death stories, perhaps I have cross in its shadow, but never where I spent weeks recovering.

There is one story however, that could qualify. I was in the Domincan Republic helping at a youth camp in the mountains. During the night I awoke with a terrible leg cramp. I hurt like hell, and the burning wouldn't stop. Finally, I passed out from the pain, and awoke the next morning to find my leg swollen about twice its usual size. On the back of my leg, where the pain was most intense, was a red spot with two little pinpick sized holes. I had been bitten by a spider.
After cutting the wound and bleeding myself a bit...what else can you do when you are 50 miles from anywhere...I continued to help out at the camp. Upon arriving back into the city, we met a doctor at the place we were staying while waiting for the flight out. We explained what happened, and he took a look at the wound. He explained that he knew of only two kinds of spiders in the mountains where I was. Both were deadly. He also said that I should not be talking to him, rather he should be talking to my next of kin...in other words: I should be dead, but I wasn't and he didn't have a clue as to why.

Since then I have had a strong fear of spiders.

Spiders or any animal for that matter. big, small.
They can be verry dangerous.
The snake that took a bite at me was not that big either.
However it was verry poisenes.

1. Fell into a dam wearing boxing gloves.
2. Ran into a glass window at a friend's house.
3. Tried jumping over a water feature but came up short and almost impaled myself.