Close call...

[The Suitor]

I can't stop thinking how my life could have ended earlier tonight.

My wife was mad at me. I was on a two lane road, and a car, coming from the opposite direction, was driving in the wrong lane (my lane!). We were both going about 55mph. For some reason I didn't see the headlights until I was right up on them. Needless to say I found out that my car has really good brakes (thank God!). I braked hard and pulled over with about a foot to spare, and the bastard just went on like nothing happened.

What I couldn't figure out is why he was driving in the wrong lane? The guy/girl must have been playing chicken with me.

I was too panic stricken to see a description of the car or I would have called the law.

Images of me and my family in caskets have been flashing through my mind since then. I now realize my own mortality (even more).

One good thing did come out of this (besides living)... My wife stopped being mad at me, haha.

I bet everyone else has had a close call at some point.

[Nacho]

Once a piece of metal, a bar, or hard plastic, dunno, rised by the car in front of mine, in the highway, and crashed in the place where Lorena, my girlfriend was. Fortunatelly the crystal resisted, but if not, it could have been fatal... Yes, road can change your life in a second. I am happy you and your relatives are ok.

[Baron]

My dumb brother cartwheeled my car once -with me in the back seat!  It was close to dawn and a deer jumped out of the forest right in front of him -he swerved to avoid (good) but lost control (bad).  Fortunately we were on a stretch of open road on the way up treeplanting, so the back was packed with sleeping bags and other cushy gear -I was well insulated and walked away unscathed, while he had only a few minor cuts and bruises.  The scary thing is that the car came to a rest not two feet from a telephone pole that would have crushed the car on impact.  Since our contract required us to be 1000km away by the next day neither of us really thought much about it right after the fact -there was so much to do to deal with the car, the law, and the hitch-hiking with all the gear.  It only really sank in the next day how close we'd come to being killed.

[Moresco]

I haven't really had a close call yet Suitor, but your story reminded me of a story that sounds similar to yours.

My brother sold my dad's 1969 custom Mustang, one of a kind beautiful car which was to be mine, to some punk kid who goes and drives into oncoming traffic to pass someone around a bend.  Not being able to see around the bend, a second car is coming and the kid loses control of the vehicle and crashes, causing his death and the destruction of the car.  This was a close call not for the kid in the car (they don't get any closer than dead), but for whomever saw this massive white 69 Mustang bearing down on them in the wrong lane at 70mph.  So yeah, your story reminded me of that.  Glad you're alright though! Let's toast to no more close calls. *clink* ^^

[R4L]

I once stopped to tie my shoe, but my friend Nate told me to hurry so I stood up and walked out of the road. As soon as I walked onto the sidewalk, two cars smashed each other going about 40 mph right in the same spot I was standing. We just looked at each other, until I said, "Holy shit dude. You saved my life!"

I also had an accident on a bicycle when I flew down a huge hill and went around a crest and picked up more speed. I cut through this really small lawn, and for some reason, the people who lived there had put up a small string wire. Well I didn't see it, and I hit it full force with my neck, which made me fall off my bike, and slit my throat at the same time. I went to the doctor later that day and he said that if that string was a little bit tighter, it could have cut into my throat deeper to where I wouldn't have been able to breathe and probably would have died.

I got into a 4-wheeling accident when I was young. I was learning how to shift into higher gears while going up this steep hill, so I wouldn't dig the grass all up and make the lawn look messy. Anyway, I tried it, but I couldn't get it because it was hard to shift, and I ended up rolling backwards, flipping over backwards, and watching the back wheels come flying at my face while the throttle stuck into the ground, so the wheels were spinning EXTREMELY fast AND flying at me! Luckily, my brother's friend Jamie saved me. I don't think I would have died, but I would have gotten very badly hurt, and probably have permanent damage.

I got some more, unfortunately, but I'll save them.

[Dualnames]

I once told my friend not to hurry in the stairs and he fell 28 steps(he's still alive)..
Once however , well, I never watch the road for cars when I'm with company I let other do it, and my best friend has saved me many times but not that I was going to die.. however once ONCE he let me look and I did look and a bus just passed near him if he wouldn't duck the bus mirror would have hit him pretty hard.

[paolo]

I once told my friend not to hurry in the stairs and he fell 28 steps(he's still alive)..
Once however , well, I never watch the road for cars when I'm with company I let other do it, and my best friend has saved me many times but not that I was going to die.. however once ONCE he let me look and I did look and a bus just passed near him if he wouldn't duck the bus mirror would have hit him pretty hard.

The Suitor - I'm sorry to hear about what happened to you. I hope you are getting over the shock.

Dualnames - Far be it from me to be your mother and tell you always to look both ways when crossing the road, but when I'm with other people I always look to see if traffic is coming for myself rather than rely on them. My life is my own responsibility, after all.

The worst situation has to be when there is a crowd of people waiting to cross the road and one person decides to cross before the green man is showing to allow pedestrians to do so, and everyone else follows like sheep, then a car comes whizzing along and just misses them, and everyone looks surprised that they nearly got run over!

[Buckethead]

I have moments like these all the time during driving lessons   

[Ryan Timothy B]

I remember biking along this old country gravel road with my twin brother.  We were traveling up a large hill, and you know how hard it is to bike up a hill Especially when you're young and it being gravel.  Well my brother kept veering to the left side of the road as he was pedaling as hard as he could.  I instinctively told him, 'dude, get back here on this side of the road. what if a car flies over the hill?'.
The moment he pulled back to the right side of the hill, these young kids in their car flew over the hill and past us going at ridiculously fast speeds.  No doubt my brother would have been dead.
Funny thing is, I remember turning around to see the car fly past us.  The kid in the back seat had turned around and was staring at me with this "omg. this is stupid" look.  But probably didn't say anything to his friend driving, because he didn't want to look uncool.

[TheJBurger]

I have moments like these all the time during driving lessons   

You'll continue to have moments like these after driving lessons too. 

[Darth Mandarb]

I have, at four times in my life, been almost struck by lightning.

First time...

I was sitting on a porch swing watching the thunderstorm (as I always did as a kid).  I was holding the metal chain as I was swinging.  All of a sudden I felt the charge, my arm shot arrow straight and locked in place.  I remember looking down my arm and it appeared to stretch WAY out (looked like miles).  We found out later that lighting had struck the lightning rod on the roof and the (albeit weakened) current found a path down into the swing's chain and through me!

Second time...

I was sitting at my computer in my apartment (which was right by the door wall to the balcony).  It was starting to thunder so I was shuttin' my computer down.  Before I could finish the room went entirely white and I couldn't hear anything.  When my vision came back I was on the other side of the room, on my ass, up against the wall.  I have no memory of covering the distance between the computer chair and the wall (probably about 30 feet).  The balcony was singed black and every hair on my body was on ends.  The fillings in my teeth were also hot.

Third time ...

I was at a picnic at a local park when it started thundering and raining.  We were out in this field so we all started running back to the pavilion.  About 1/2 way back a HUGE bolt struck the flag pole about 20 yards away from me.  Didn't do much more than hurt my ears and make my hair stand up, but it was the most visible strike up to that time.

Fourth time ...

This was just about 2 weeks ago.  I was sitting in my office (on the 5th (top) floor of the building) and it was really kickin' up outside.  I turned to look at a co-worker and saw a huge brightspot just out (and up) the window.  The room went white (though not totally as the second strike) but the thunder-crack that came at the same instant was so loud my ears rang for awhile.  The air smelled bad and we all compared arm-hair standing up.  We tried to find where the lightning had hit (it was very close) but there was no visible scars that we could see.

I think I am a lightning magnet.

I should probably play the lotto...

[Nacho]

And you were close of me and Lorena during all mittens without warning us of your ray appealing hobby? Damn you!!!

[TerranRich]

God hates you, Darth, but apparently has really bad aim.

[Darth Mandarb]

And you were close of me and Lorena during all mittens without warning us of your ray appealing hobby? Damn you!!!

Actually it was done out of love!!  You see?  I've never been hit by lightning, only close calls!!

So being close to me is actually the safest place!!

God hates you, Darth, but apparently has really bad aim.

I am grateful for his bad aim!  I just wish I knew what I was doing to piss him off in the first place!

[Creed Malay]

 That is awesome, Darth. I'd love to see a lightning strike up close, this just makes me want to hang out with you more.
Less exciting story follows.

Few months back, there was a storm on Saturday night, winds a howling, rain lashing down, dogs starting to bark and not stopping.  I'm woken the next morning by a crash from my kitchen, and go stumbling, dazed and naked and probably hungover, into the kitchen to investigate.
There's a pile of rubble lying on the bench, and I wander a few steps towards it wondering "What's this? Did I put it here? I don't remember putting any rubble there... why would I?" and then a six foot wide chunk of plaster detatches itself from the ceiling, smashes onto the overhead cabinets and sends lumps of plaster flying all around me as I dance back foolishly, and probably squealing like a big girls blouse.
I got clipped on the head by a smallish chunk, but escaped with only minor injuries and a story to tell. And isn't that what lifes all about?
If the big lump had smacked me on the noggin, though...