What’s your scariest ‘near miss’?

[dissentowner]

1999. I had just got engaged and our friends took us out for dinner and a movie. On the way back we were hit by a drunk driver who had stolen a taxi and was running from police. My fiance and I were in the back of a Topaz and we were hit from behind, spun into another lane and struck again by another oncoming car. My friend who was driving and his wife had minor injuries but myself and my fiance were in bad shape. She had a shattered pelvis from the lap belt and when they used the jaws of life to get to us they had to pry the frame of the car from around her head. She was in a coma for a week but she came out of it. My upper right arm was snapped so bad the bone shot out of it and it was hanging on by tendons. My right hip was destroyed and the lap belt damaged my intestines so bad they said another quarter inch and I would have had a colostomy bag. My face had shattered on impact with the headrest in front of me. By the time they got me to the hospital I was close to death from bleeding out but externally and internally. Was rushed into surgery where they operated to stop the bleeding in my organs and I flatlined. Was dead for a good 6 minutes before they revived me. No, didn't see a white light or anything like that, at least not that I remember. Had to have bags and bags of blood transfused into me and it was touch and go if I would live as my body kept rejecting the blood. Finally when they got me from critical to stable they went in and put a steel rod and plate in my upper right arm and put my hip back together with pins and a big screw. Spent two months more in hospital and then had to learn to walk again. They said I would probably walk with a limp and a cane for the rest of my life. I also had major damage to the radial nerve in my right arm and I could not feel or move my right hand or fingers. I had to wear this glove like thing with elastics that go on the fingers and try to move them as therapy.It took over a year to get use of that hand back and it still does not work right. I went at therapy like a man possessed! No damn way I was going to let this stop me from the things I wanted to do. Not only did I recover much better than they thought but I went and completed my police training and getting my Certificate Of Results. Over the past couple years things are starting to go South though. I developed Ulcerative Colitis that had me in agony before I got it under control. I have to be very careful not to get constipated as I don't have much bowel to work with and can be a life threatening situation if I get a blockage. I did get one once and I could not stop throwing up, was rushed to hospital and had to stay for about 4 days while waiting for it to pass. My right hip has chronic arthritis in it now as well and my mobility is shot. I am not complaining though at all because I am here and I am damn lucky to be alive sharing my story with you. Some of the funny things I can look back at from this time is my sister said she came to see me right after they allowed people in my room and they had my legs propped up on a pillow and I asked her to move my front legs. She says she asked my how many legs did I have and I said "just move my f'n legs!" Also when I was in there was when Owen Hart fell to his death. I remember tuning into Raw and seeing the tribute but I was all loaded on morphine and what i heard and saw was a bunch of wrestlers coming out and saying how glad they were Owen was dead and he was an a-hole. So I called my mom on the phone, crying my eyes out, telling her how awful these wrestlers were. Anyhow, two things. Don't get behind the wheel after drinking please! It just is not worth it. Donate blood when you can and if you do I thank you with all my heart! You can save lives!

[calumniate]

For me it was a tree well. Was really good at skiing but rather new to snowboarding, and decided to veer off the right of Wawa t-bar at Sunshine into the trees (alone for some reason), which were mostly unfamiliar to me. Really soupy stuff and was out of my element on a board.

So I went down a well back-first head-down, with nobody around. It was about a 20 minute ordeal in which I decided the best move was to undo my bindings and get my hands on the board which was serving as a bit of a plank. I was in great shape at the time, but once I got down was white as a sheet, collapsing for exhaustion. My buddy was dutifully waiting for me at the bottom and said he saw a ghost when I finally posted. I was absolutely drained. Scary stuff!

[Fuzz]

Geez, driving sounds dangerous.

[Sr. Mints]

oh ####, where do I start.....

[indes]

My worst one was probably when I lost control on the icefield Parkway in January at about 100km/h and started spinning on the highway into the oncoming lane. I was only 19 at the time and ended up grinding the roof of my truck on the side of the mountain. My truck was totaled but I was no worse for wear. It took about 2 days for the realization to set in how lucky I was that there was no oncoming traffic, I went mountain side instead of cliff side and that the ditch wasn't more steep. It really toned down my winter driving and now I fly back and forth to work most of the time.

[shermanator]

I was born 3 months early due to my mother's appendix bursting while she was pregnant. According to my parents, shortly after I was born, I coded 8 times in one day.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by shermanator

I was born 3 months early due to my mother's appendix bursting while she was pregnant. According to my parents, shortly after I was born, I coded 8 times in one day.

Java, or C++? Or maybe FORTRAN, considering the year.

[shane_c]

About 6 years ago coming home from work I got off the highway and waved someone coming towards me at the intersection to go ahead of me before I merged. We continued along the road (90km/h zone at the time) for about 5 km. As we approached an intersection (the side roads had a stop sign) a young woman blew through the stop sign and into the road we were on. A car that was coming towards us swerved to avoid the car that went through the stop sign, lost control and was T-boned by the guy I let in front of me. I can still see the look of fear on her face just before he hit her. I slammed on my brakes and came about a foot from rear ending the guy in front of me.

I was first on scene and jumped out of the car while my g/f called 911. The guy in front of me was screaming that he couldn't feel his legs and smoke was pouring out of his car. I ran up to check on the older woman and she was hanging out of the side window and I could hear her blood pouring out onto the road. I thought for sure she was dead.

Just as I approached her an off duty RCMP officer was second on scene and told me to go back to check on the other guy and turn off his ignition. When I got there he was still screaming (turned out he broke both of his legs) and he was asking me to find his cellphone which I did so he could call his wife.

It messed me up for a while. For several months I would have horrible nightmares and would sometimes catch myself in a daze thinking about the look on her face and the sound of the blood hitting the road. I later found out that she survived but needed a lot of surgeries.

Even now about 6 years later I still sometimes think about it, often feel a little more emotional about things than I used to, and always grip the wheel a little tighter anytime I drive past that spot.

[shane_c]

About 6 years ago coming home from work I got off the highway and waved someone coming towards me at the intersection to go ahead of me before I merged. We continued along the road (90km/h zone at the time) for about 5 km. As we approached an intersection (the side roads had a stop sign) a young woman blew through the stop sign and into the road we were on. A car that was coming towards us swerved to avoid the car that went through the stop sign, lost control and was T-boned by the guy I let in front of me. I can still see the look of fear on her face just before he hit her. I slammed on my brakes and came about a foot from rear ending the guy in front of me.

I was first on scene and jumped out of the car while my g/f called 911. The guy in front of me was screaming that he couldn't feel his legs and smoke was pouring out of his car. I ran up to check on the older woman and she was hanging out of the side window and I could hear her blood pouring out onto the road. I thought for sure she was dead.

Just as I approached her an off duty RCMP officer was second on scene and told me to go back to check on the other guy and turn off his ignition. When I got there he was still screaming (turned out he broke both of his legs) and he was asking me to find his cellphone which I did so he could call his wife.

It messed me up for a while. For several months I would have horrible nightmares and would sometimes catch myself in a daze thinking about the look on her face and the sound of the blood hitting the road. I later found out that she survived but needed a lot of surgeries.

Even now about 6 years later I still sometimes think about it, often feel a little more emotional about things than I used to, and always grip the wheel a little tighter anytime I drive past that spot.

[Peanut]

On Bermuda shorts day in first year uni I drunkenly almost walked in front of the C Train. Somebody grabbed my shirt and pulled me back as the train whizzed by in front of my face.

I was in labour overnight with my oldest daughter and by the time we were moving to the postpartum unit I was incredibly exhausted. All I wanted to do was sleep, and my daughter was quiet too so we were just going to put her in the bassinet and have a nap. After two doctor checks in L&D, and the nurse check in L&D, it was the postpartum nurse who noticed my daughter’s colour just wasn’t right and took her away for evaluation while we were asleep. Thank god she did because my daughter’s breathing was failing and she needed the CPAP for 3+ days in the NICU. I don’t like to think about what might have happened if that nurse wasn’t on the ball that day.

[White Out 403]

When I was 15 years old I was involved in a very serious accident with my friend at the wheel. I fractured my neck in two places and was in Halo traction for 2 months. It's the only time I saw my dad cry when I was a child, when they put the Halo in.

[4X4]

Walking up a ramp into a house under construction, it dislodged and I landed flat on my back. When I rolled over to get up, there was a piece of rebar sticking up between my torso and my arm from the deck piling. An inch or two away from being impaled.

It taught me some good lessons though. That joke we used to play on grandma, when we put the knife in the armpit and ketchup on the chest, wasn't really funny. Also, look at the ramp before walking up it.

[OMG!WTF!]

I was dug out of an avalanche when I was 16. Then I dug someone out of one when I was 21. So I figure I'm pretty even with the world of near misses at this point.

[White Out 403]

Originally Posted by shane_c

About 6 years ago coming home from work I got off the highway and waved someone coming towards me at the intersection to go ahead of me before I merged. We continued along the road (90km/h zone at the time) for about 5 km. As we approached an intersection (the side roads had a stop sign) a young woman blew through the stop sign and into the road we were on. A car that was coming towards us swerved to avoid the car that went through the stop sign, lost control and was T-boned by the guy I let in front of me. I can still see the look of fear on her face just before he hit her. I slammed on my brakes and came about a foot from rear ending the guy in front of me.

I was first on scene and jumped out of the car while my g/f called 911. The guy in front of me was screaming that he couldn't feel his legs and smoke was pouring out of his car. I ran up to check on the older woman and she was hanging out of the side window and I could hear her blood pouring out onto the road. I thought for sure she was dead.

Just as I approached her an off duty RCMP officer was second on scene and told me to go back to check on the other guy and turn off his ignition. When I got there he was still screaming (turned out he broke both of his legs) and he was asking me to find his cellphone which I did so he could call his wife.

It messed me up for a while. For several months I would have horrible nightmares and would sometimes catch myself in a daze thinking about the look on her face and the sound of the blood hitting the road. I later found out that she survived but needed a lot of surgeries.

Even now about 6 years later I still sometimes think about it, often feel a little more emotional about things than I used to, and always grip the wheel a little tighter anytime I drive past that spot.

NSFW!

[PaperBagger'14]

I was involved in a pretty serious workplace electrical shock that sent me to the hospital. Without going too in depth, I was still new, lock out tag out procedures weren't widespread in residential and commercial construction and a labourer bypassed my half assed safety measure and turned a breaker on while I was working on it.

Luckily I wasnt on a ladder or it would have been much worse but after getting shocked I walked around relatively normal and reported it to my supervisor. Half an hour later i felt shaky like I was hungry. The shaking got worse and didnt stop. I walked around for the first person I could find and collapsed. The rest of this is all blurry and I'm going off what i was told happened but I was laid down on a bench and was shaking/convulsing to the point they thought I was going to break it. I was still awake at this time but very slow to respond.

The ambulance arrived and in the short drive to the hospital they pulled over because my lips went blue, no clue what they did after that.

I came around a few hours later and no lingering damage. I was lucky that it wasnt an arc fault so there was no burns or flash but the electricity went in one hand and out the other, right across the heart.

Dont advise, 0/10 and if you're in a trade, LOTO your stuff

[Reggie Dunlop]

Blocked intestine due to undiagnosed Crohn's Disease. Midnight emergency surgery. Almost died on the table.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

Blocked intestine due to undiagnosed Crohn's Disease. Midnight emergency surgery. Almost died on the table.

That's worse than snot boy.

[CaptainCrunch]

About 20 years ago. I went to work. I had feeling pretty lousy all night. I got into work and say at my desk. I could hear my heart pounding in my head. My vision went pin prick, I remember looking at a colleague in the next cube and he told me my lips were blue. I mumbled about going to a clinic and walked out of the office. I woke up at the foothills. I had developed an irregular heart beat and on the way down in the elevator I collapsed, then I woke up and tried to walk. My workmate caught up to me and threw me in his car and rushed me to the hospital.

[FireFly]

Not sure if this qualifies but I definitely lost some years of life over it...

My husband, daughter and I were at a friend's house near Priddis; the adults were drinking and so we stayed overnight. We put our daughter to bed in one guest room and later that night went to bed in a different one.

Mom sense kicked in sometime in the middle of the night. I awoke from the sound of strange footsteps and went to check on my daughter. As I was nearing the room she was supposed to be in, I heard a muffled scream and then "MOMMY" also muffled. I yelled out at the top of my lungs that I was coming and took off to look for her.

She apparently had decided to go look for me in the middle of the night and had gone upstairs... and then went outside.

Now this was in February when it was -35 at night. We were in Priddis and she was wearing her snowboots (thankfully she put them on) and her pyjamas. Outside. In the pitch black. In -35.

Thankfully when I got her inside she seemed uninjured from her ordeal; in fact wasn't even cold yet, certainly chilly though. The design of the house was such that she was at least blocked from the wind. However, I will never forget my level of terror.

Thank God for mom-sense. Not a single other person in the house heard a thing. Not her, not me yelling, nothing. And I was the drunkest. Just unreal.

[CaptainCrunch]

We read too many stories like yours that end in tragedy.


Thank goodness yours worked out.