Are you, "Lucky to be alive"?
Discussion
Coke overdose. 1996. Entirely self inflicted. I was an utter, utter prick when I was a young man. Very, very nearly died there. Drugs in general I guess. Been totally straight now for 14 years. Thank God.
Terrible car accident. Delivering a Jag X Type, on the M40, high speed just by Oxford services. Following a builders truck - the speed lifted out the unsecured flatbed fitting and threw the tools and bits and bobs into my car - swerved, hit the central reservation at motorway, speed, end over end, missed everybody - off backwards, missed the concrete barriers, backwards into a field. Out like a light. Came to with the engine screaming. Not a scratch. The car was in bits - just obliterated, except for the small bit occupied by myself. I can remember wandering away about 30 feet, lighting a cig and just thinking 'I'll concentrate on music from now on - life is too sort' and I have.
Shot at in El Salvador - they missed, but only just. Still gives me the heebs that one. The tale of how we got across the border into Guatemala is a long and insane one.
Came off a Royal Enfield in India - landed on a pile of grass! Bike obliterated on a nicely placed selection of jagged rocks! I just got the reversed controls wrong in a moment of panic.
Once driving down the A3, showing off to a girl, flat out in a Fiat 128 3p. Front suspension collapsed, ghastly accident. Not a scratch, me or her.
Terrible car accident. Delivering a Jag X Type, on the M40, high speed just by Oxford services. Following a builders truck - the speed lifted out the unsecured flatbed fitting and threw the tools and bits and bobs into my car - swerved, hit the central reservation at motorway, speed, end over end, missed everybody - off backwards, missed the concrete barriers, backwards into a field. Out like a light. Came to with the engine screaming. Not a scratch. The car was in bits - just obliterated, except for the small bit occupied by myself. I can remember wandering away about 30 feet, lighting a cig and just thinking 'I'll concentrate on music from now on - life is too sort' and I have.
Shot at in El Salvador - they missed, but only just. Still gives me the heebs that one. The tale of how we got across the border into Guatemala is a long and insane one.
Came off a Royal Enfield in India - landed on a pile of grass! Bike obliterated on a nicely placed selection of jagged rocks! I just got the reversed controls wrong in a moment of panic.
Once driving down the A3, showing off to a girl, flat out in a Fiat 128 3p. Front suspension collapsed, ghastly accident. Not a scratch, me or her.
When I was a kid I used to play with the other lad who lived over the road, one day I knocked round on my bike but he was busy for a while. His mum gave me some boiled sweets while I was waiting for him which I was happy to shovel in my mouth while playing on my bike. The obvious occured when I was doing some little jumps off the kerb and one of the sweets went straight down my throat and I started choking. I tried to cough it out and I couldnt breathe, tried to pull it out with my fingers but obviously no dice.
Lasted for a couple of minutes, couldnt call for help, was going very woozy and feeling like 'giving up' when by pure sheer luck my mates mum was doing the washing up by the window which overlooked the road and somehow spotted me up the road losing it. She ran out and slapped my back really hard a good few times and eventually the sweet came free.
Sort of lost my fondness for boiled sweets after that, and never move about and eat anymore. Not blood and guts or anywhere near as gnarly as a lot of you, but I definately got too close for comfort!
And there was the other time I nearly drowned myself through my own stupidity, only to be luckily spotted by my dad who managed to hoist me out. I wasnt a bright kid.
Lasted for a couple of minutes, couldnt call for help, was going very woozy and feeling like 'giving up' when by pure sheer luck my mates mum was doing the washing up by the window which overlooked the road and somehow spotted me up the road losing it. She ran out and slapped my back really hard a good few times and eventually the sweet came free.
Sort of lost my fondness for boiled sweets after that, and never move about and eat anymore. Not blood and guts or anywhere near as gnarly as a lot of you, but I definately got too close for comfort!
And there was the other time I nearly drowned myself through my own stupidity, only to be luckily spotted by my dad who managed to hoist me out. I wasnt a bright kid.
Falsey said:
When I was a kid I used to play with the other lad who lived over the road, one day I knocked round on my bike but he was busy for a while. His mum gave me some boiled sweets while I was waiting for him which I was happy to shovel in my mouth while playing on my bike. The obvious occured when I was doing some little jumps off the kerb and one of the sweets went straight down my throat and I started choking. I tried to cough it out and I couldnt breathe, tried to pull it out with my fingers but obviously no dice.
Lasted for a couple of minutes, couldnt call for help, was going very woozy and feeling like 'giving up' when by pure sheer luck my mates mum was doing the washing up by the window which overlooked the road and somehow spotted me up the road losing it. She ran out and slapped my back really hard a good few times and eventually the sweet came free.
Sort of lost my fondness for boiled sweets after that, and never move about and eat anymore. Not blood and guts or anywhere near as gnarly as a lot of you, but I definately got too close for comfort!
And there was the other time I nearly drowned myself through my own stupidity, only to be luckily spotted by my dad who managed to hoist me out. I wasnt a bright kid.
I had the same. Popped a 70's boiled sweet in my mouth (I think they were called 'Blobs'). It slid down my wind pipe and I started to choke, then went into a blind panic as it wouldn't budge.Lasted for a couple of minutes, couldnt call for help, was going very woozy and feeling like 'giving up' when by pure sheer luck my mates mum was doing the washing up by the window which overlooked the road and somehow spotted me up the road losing it. She ran out and slapped my back really hard a good few times and eventually the sweet came free.
Sort of lost my fondness for boiled sweets after that, and never move about and eat anymore. Not blood and guts or anywhere near as gnarly as a lot of you, but I definately got too close for comfort!
And there was the other time I nearly drowned myself through my own stupidity, only to be luckily spotted by my dad who managed to hoist me out. I wasnt a bright kid.
luckily for me, my dad was in the same room, he promptly lifted me up by my feet and dangled me upside down whilst whacking me across my back.
The sweet dislodged and fell onto the living room carpet. The dog then ate it.
Lol! Either a charmed life or very unlucky - car turned right across me knocking me off my pride and joy (650 BSA Lightning) in '66 breaking legs, ribs, arm and have just had my last (hopefully) remedial operation on my foot 48 years later, numerous close calls in car accidents on road and track over the years since. Leukaemia resulting in heart failure 10 years later as a result of the toxic drugs pumped directly into my heart, now fixed with an op last year, oh and the most recent, a mechanical fence post auger catching the fence resulting in a stray bit of wire grabbing my glove and dragging me into the auger - had to climb the fence twice to unwind myself and cut the glove off with a stanley knife to free my hand before it went too blue - no damage at all except bruising to a finger knuckle, but if my mate hadn't been quick on the stop button, I'd have been pretty armless! What next I wonder. The Meanstreak is freshly MOT'd and taxed ready for another year of tank slapping until I get the new engine into the Lotus 7 and go trackdays again. Hey ho, life in the fast lane eh?
TOPTON said:
I also had a recurring dream whilst in and out of consciousness, that I was literally fighting with the doctors and nurses. After a few days I asked one of the nurses about this and she said "it isn't a dream, you really did try and fight with them when coming round after the op. Some people do react like that".
Just to add, this does happen. I had surgery in my teens and when I came round it was as if I was very drunk and very sore but I was utterly convinced I was ok and ready to go. I was still semi dreaming and had previously been flying (in my head) so tried very hard to get up and out of the bed while I was wheeled out of surgery. Took a few nurses and my dad to hold me down until I passed out again.Needless to say, I was very embarrassed when I eventually came to and was told it wasnt a dream but my parents and the nurses on the ward were very amused.
Dr Interceptor said:
Blue Cat said:
Yep, very lucky to be alive - the red stuff on the steering wheel is my blood
We might moan sometimes about modern cars being too heavy... but when you see how the old ones crumpled, I think we're better off now.
Blue Cat said:
Yes, the pedals were forced back by the engine, crushed my legs and the non-air bag steering wheel hit my face. in fact it was the 29th anniversary on Monday and I am still having operations to deal with the injuries.
...and the Sierra was probably one of the safest cars you could drive in 1986. Dr Interceptor said:
Blue Cat said:
Yes, the pedals were forced back by the engine, crushed my legs and the non-air bag steering wheel hit my face. in fact it was the 29th anniversary on Monday and I am still having operations to deal with the injuries.
...and the Sierra was probably one of the safest cars you could drive in 1986. 
whipround said:
Previous page 
Baz Tench said:
Falsey said:
When I was a kid I used to play with the other lad who lived over the road, one day I knocked round on my bike but he was busy for a while. His mum gave me some boiled sweets while I was waiting for him which I was happy to shovel in my mouth while playing on my bike. The obvious occured when I was doing some little jumps off the kerb and one of the sweets went straight down my throat and I started choking. I tried to cough it out and I couldnt breathe, tried to pull it out with my fingers but obviously no dice.
Lasted for a couple of minutes, couldnt call for help, was going very woozy and feeling like 'giving up' when by pure sheer luck my mates mum was doing the washing up by the window which overlooked the road and somehow spotted me up the road losing it. She ran out and slapped my back really hard a good few times and eventually the sweet came free.
Sort of lost my fondness for boiled sweets after that, and never move about and eat anymore. Not blood and guts or anywhere near as gnarly as a lot of you, but I definately got too close for comfort!
And there was the other time I nearly drowned myself through my own stupidity, only to be luckily spotted by my dad who managed to hoist me out. I wasnt a bright kid.
I had the same. Popped a 70's boiled sweet in my mouth (I think they were called 'Blobs'). It slid down my wind pipe and I started to choke, then went into a blind panic as it wouldn't budge.Lasted for a couple of minutes, couldnt call for help, was going very woozy and feeling like 'giving up' when by pure sheer luck my mates mum was doing the washing up by the window which overlooked the road and somehow spotted me up the road losing it. She ran out and slapped my back really hard a good few times and eventually the sweet came free.
Sort of lost my fondness for boiled sweets after that, and never move about and eat anymore. Not blood and guts or anywhere near as gnarly as a lot of you, but I definately got too close for comfort!
And there was the other time I nearly drowned myself through my own stupidity, only to be luckily spotted by my dad who managed to hoist me out. I wasnt a bright kid.
luckily for me, my dad was in the same room, he promptly lifted me up by my feet and dangled me upside down whilst whacking me across my back.
The sweet dislodged and fell onto the living room carpet. The dog then ate it.
Nothing like some of the stories on here though!
Mine is nothing really but close enough for me. I was going around a bend on the A414 between Hatfield and WGC (just before where Gypsy Lane crossed the A414) when I noticed a large DAF lorry driving across both lanes from the south side of Gypsy Lane. I was doing about 75mph in an MX5, and when he saw me, instead of carrying on, he stopped, blocking both lanes.
I remember it happening and my thoughts were, could I fit underneath the lorry, taking out the windscreen and stuff and just ducking into the passenger seat, or should I try and stop? I tried to stop, the rear end came around and I remember shouting "this is going to ****ing hurt!" while looking at the lorry through the passenger window.
I don't remember hitting it but the next thing I knew I was down the embankment about 20 feet off the road. I checked myself out and nothing seemed broken so I kicked the door open (mud and stuff held it closed), climbed through some brambles and sat on the verge for a bit. I couldn't work out where I was though, I wasn't driving on that side of the road and the car was facing the wrong way.
I'd hit the rear of the lorry with the nearside rear of my car, span through the gap in the central reservation he'd driven through, across both lanes of oncoming midday-August traffic fortunately missing all the oncoming cars, smashed through a wooden fence and down the embankment. Eight/nine cars had stopped and I remember all these people running toward me, which was nice of them.
The ambulance arrived and took me to A&E, I have an unusual surname so the technician asked if I had a brother called so-and-so, I do, and it turned out he'd done his ambulance training with him so gave him a call on the radio, my parents were on holiday at the time. It didn't help when the guy told me that when people go through those fences, the horizontal parts usually go through the windscreen and impale people through the face. Nice.
Only injuries were severe bruising up my entire left side and whiplash like I never knew it could be, had a month off work. The fence is still broken but soon after it was no longer possible to cross the A414 through Gyspy Lane.
The lorry driver was prosecuted for dangerous driving and lost his job. He tried to claim he suffered physical injury, but he seemed perfectly fine to me when he got out his cab and came over. He didn't ask how I was or anything, just stood there staring at me with his hands on his head. I don't know why but I just laughed at him, adrenaline and shock I suppose.
Poor car
I remember it happening and my thoughts were, could I fit underneath the lorry, taking out the windscreen and stuff and just ducking into the passenger seat, or should I try and stop? I tried to stop, the rear end came around and I remember shouting "this is going to ****ing hurt!" while looking at the lorry through the passenger window.
I don't remember hitting it but the next thing I knew I was down the embankment about 20 feet off the road. I checked myself out and nothing seemed broken so I kicked the door open (mud and stuff held it closed), climbed through some brambles and sat on the verge for a bit. I couldn't work out where I was though, I wasn't driving on that side of the road and the car was facing the wrong way.
I'd hit the rear of the lorry with the nearside rear of my car, span through the gap in the central reservation he'd driven through, across both lanes of oncoming midday-August traffic fortunately missing all the oncoming cars, smashed through a wooden fence and down the embankment. Eight/nine cars had stopped and I remember all these people running toward me, which was nice of them.
The ambulance arrived and took me to A&E, I have an unusual surname so the technician asked if I had a brother called so-and-so, I do, and it turned out he'd done his ambulance training with him so gave him a call on the radio, my parents were on holiday at the time. It didn't help when the guy told me that when people go through those fences, the horizontal parts usually go through the windscreen and impale people through the face. Nice.
Only injuries were severe bruising up my entire left side and whiplash like I never knew it could be, had a month off work. The fence is still broken but soon after it was no longer possible to cross the A414 through Gyspy Lane.
The lorry driver was prosecuted for dangerous driving and lost his job. He tried to claim he suffered physical injury, but he seemed perfectly fine to me when he got out his cab and came over. He didn't ask how I was or anything, just stood there staring at me with his hands on his head. I don't know why but I just laughed at him, adrenaline and shock I suppose.
Poor car
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