Close Calls

Her is another close call that I just remembered. At a MVA scene a car ran into a utility pole. We got the driver out. Put absorbent for the leaking fluids down and were waiting for the tow truck to load the car up and tow it away. I was standing close to the tow truck watching the tow truck driver moving the car away from the pole when a power line broke loose. I pulled--- well more like I knocked the tow driver away from his truck as the power line landed on it sparking. It all happened so fast that I just reacted and didn't even think about it what I was doing. After a few seconds of the wire dancing around on his truck the fuse in the transformer popped and things got calm and quiet all of a sudden. A couple of the my buddy's ran over and helped the truck driver get up off of the ground. While I just kind of stood there thinking about what I had just done. That really was a little two close for comfort !

Man, I could go on about a lot of things that have happened. It seems like responding to this post brought back a bunch of memories from the past

 

Dude, you saved that tow truck driver’s life, thank goodness!! You were at the wrong place but at the right time- that’s the way I see it. Power lines show no mercy what so ever!

I don’t have any experience with that happening to me personally, but I’ve seen what it does! On a deployment in Iraq back in ‘07, I saw what power lines did to an Iraqi army troop we were working with. The pole he was climbing to fix a power issue with loose wires blew him off the pole, and the electricity that surged through his body blew his feet off his body below the ankles!!
I don’t fuck with it, man!

 

Kind of similar in that I did save a lady and her baby. Anyone that's been to Hawaii (Oahu) knows the Ala Wai canal. I was driving along there one day in a bread van that I had bought and owned. So I stoped for a lady pushing her baby in a stroller to cross. She could not see the lane to my right because of the size of my van. I looked over to my right side mirror and saw a driver coming at what looked to be about 40 miles an hour with NO intention of stopping! She was just about to step out in front of my van into that lane. I laid on the horn and scared the hell out of her which brought her to an abrupt halt. She turned to scowl at me and ----whoosh---that guy passed by on my right! My knees were shaking after that one!

 

I was at the right place at the right time. . Responded with the fire dept. for the MVA call.

 

Never..

 

I was driving west at 40 mph on commonwealth avenue (route 30) in Newton, MA back in 2002 when I encountered a car going in the wrong direction traveling at a similar speed.

It came right at me and it didn’t waver an inch, at the last second I managed to steer to the right into a grassy area level with the paved surface, so I didn’t have to drive over the curb.

If we had collided head-on, death wasn’t a certainty, but we both would have been seriously fucked up.

 

When I was 20. I had just got my license 8 months prior. I have driven without one for about 3 years. But decided to go legit. Anyways. One night coming home. I turned down this dark long road. It had snowed the day before. It was all clear. Pavement dry. I was like perfect. I can actually drive the speed limit if not. 5 to 10 over. Which is what I normally do anyway. So as I was driving down. Had music going. It was a great night that night. As I clear the hill. I see nothing but white! The town hasn't plowed the whole road! I was like shit. I panicked and slammed the brakes hoping to slow down or at least stop. It was to late. I lost control. Hit 3 trees and rolled over twice. Airbags going off. Time slowed down so much that I literally watched the airbag inflate. I got knocked out after the final blow. I was out for who knows when. When I was knocked out. I kept hearing "not ready yet" over and over again. I remember waking up. Music still playing. I still remember the song that was playing. So anyways I built up the strength to get out of the car. I looked around and got out. I was numb. I couldn't feel a thing. I had to pinch myself to make sure I was still alive. I was eventually found by someone driving by. Apparently I hit a deer in the process as there were hairs on the front end. I don't remember hitting one. The car I was driving had a recall for the seatbelt buckle crumbling upon impact if there is someone buckled in. Mine didn't fall apart. The passenger side seatbelt buckle broke apart. Here's the thing. No one was in the car with me at the time. I was alone. That night I realized things can end in a quick second. I made sure to improve my skills for winter driving.

Another time when I was in my teens. I was going through very dark days. I was drinking everyday. I partied a lot. I still do but not as much as I used to. I was drinking with a friend at his house. One night I got so wasted. I ended up in the bathroom. I was found by my friend. He couldn't wake me up for awhile. I was laying on my back. He rolled me over and I puked up what I had to drink. I had been found in time. Once I came to. He asked if I needed any help. I said no. I just wanna go lay down. He was scared and pissed off at the same time. And rightfully so. I eventually got the riot act from our group of friends. Saying look. You need to stop. You are going to get killed. We need you. That's when I woke up and realized I was harming not only myself. But my friends and family. I still thank them to this day. I now rarely drink. I can't stand the drunk feeling. Makes me feel like shit. I don't even like to get buzzed. I'll have maybe one if that if I'm going out with friends and family.

Those are my 2 closes calls.

 

Been taking my daughter out to drive so she can get her driver’s license, hopefully by the end of the summer and before the next school year starts.

It has been a scary experience, indeed. We’ve almost gotten into several car accidents, due to her not paying attention and driving into oncoming traffic numerous times. She’s getting better. But last weekend, she almost got a rude awakening- this time it was another driver, and this driver did exactly what I told my daughter to look out for when the light turns green at an intersection. “Wait a couple seconds, check both ways to make sure traffic comes to a complete stop.” A lady runs the light and almost t-bones the shit out of us! The only thing that really saved us is my daughter didn’t step on the accelerator much sooner to get out into the intersection. The other lady got there before us.

That really woke her up and probably a good lesson for her to learn- thankfully without consequences. I can’t remember how many times during my lifetime that very same thing has happened, and quite a few of them with semi trucks!!

 

So, on the way home from work early this morning, I almost got t-boned by a semi while turning right at an intersection. I got really lucky because I had my window down, radio off, and was able to see and hear the semi driver blowing his horn, not slowing down for the red light. Had I moved any faster after that light turned green for me, I would have been smashed like an empty can of soda by that damn rig!

 

Did you shrug it off as no big deal or ....................

 

It actually made me think about something’s- like, “do I have all my affairs in order……..???”

 

Driving large trucks can be tricky at times. There is a lot of weight pushing you when you try to stop fast and in most cases you can't. The average person does not realize the difference between the way a small car handles and a truck. They are diffidently not the same. I give you a lot of credit in yielding to that truck. I have been in that position where the light changed and I was too close to the intersection to be able to stop in time. It is not a pleasant experience for the truck driver or any other driver .

 

It really drives the point home for my daughter, who’s just now driving, to hear about these things and also experience them for herself. Our whole family was together when she was learning to drive and we almost got plowed into at an intersection a few months back. Scared the shit out of her, but literally opened her eyes to what I was telling her- “wait and watch both ways, a few seconds after the light turns green…..”

 

Good training!!

 

Was in the Law centre on my own one Saturday just before Xmas. Spent all day there and managed to get a lot of work done. When I left around 16.00 I took a few files to work on at home too. Walked through the town to get some shopping and as I came out of one particular shop, the bus I needed went sailing past. I was too far away from the bus stop to run after it. It was raining and the wind was blowing the rain into the bus shelter, so it was useless standing waiting for the next bus. Instead I crossed the road and went into a local pub, got my tot of Brandy, found a table and an empty chair and sat down. Lit up a cigarette and sat thinking of the work I had been doing all day. Suddenly remembered something I needed to do on one particular file, took it from my briefcase and wrote a few notes. By now it was nearly time for the next bus, stubbed out my ciggie, swallowed the last of my tot and went to stand up. That was as far as I got. Huge pain under my ribs and couldn't breathe, felt like I'd been stabbed with a red hot poker. Publican saw me, realised I was in trouble and rang for an ambulance. Paramedic in the bar helped me, got me back on the chair and then down on the floor.

The Ambulance arrived and I was scooped into the back of it and connected up to all these machines which were all bleeping. The paramedic said something to the driver and we moved. Despite it being a late Saturday afternoon and a lot of shoppers doing their xmas shopping, the ambulance had to carry me across town amongst all these shoppers. They managed to do so in less than 5 minutes and I swear we went round one corner on two wheels.

I was kept in hospital for a week - that was my first Pulmonary Embolism - I've subsequently had 4 more.

 

Wow, I don’t want any of that to happen to me. 4 more???!
Vlad, Is there anyway to keep that from happening again or is it something you have to unfortunately deal with??

 

Eric matey that episode happened in 1993, ever since I've been prescribed anti-coagulent medication which I'll be taking for the rest of my life.

 

Ah, ok! I hate that you have to take that med for the rest of your life, but anything to keep that from happening again, bro!

 

Decided to add some videos and gifs to get this thread fired up again.



Incredible near miss of child as truck driver slams on brakes