Are you, "Lucky to be alive"?
Discussion
The spooky one was coming down the A1 with my parents a few years back, before the days of Satnav. There was a Metro in front of us, an a Range Rover behind us. My mother made a mistake navigating - in all the years I've known her, the only one she ever made - and told my dad to come off. She realised as we were going up the slip road that she'd made a mistake, and told him to go over the roundabout and back onto the A1 for another junction.
By the time we got back down to the main carriageway, the Range Rover was upside down on top of the Metro, which was a good 18 inches shorter than it had been 2 minutes earlier. God only knows what happened!
I also managed to come off my push bike in my twenties going down a country lane. Came round a corner and there was some loose earth on the road which caused the front wheel to wash out, then dig back in, sending me over the bars. My first point of contact was the top of my head on a granite cobblestone which was part of a storm drain kerb. I found out later that the accident investigators reckoned I'd been airborne for just over 30 feet.
There was a bloke coming down the road behind me in a red Panda (odd, the details you remember) who went and knocked on the door of a nearby house and got someone to call an ambulance and come and look after me, at which point he made his apologies and left because he was already late for a meeting. I can remember chatting to the other bloke until he said "I think I can hear the ambulance". I woke up in hospital 3 hours later. A couple of days later, sat on the ward, a senior consultant came round with a bunch of medical students. He stopped at the bottom of my bed, looked at the charts and then said "ah yes, this chap's very interesting! If his skull wasn't 30% thicker than average, he wouldn't be alive today"! This was the first I'd heard of it!!!
By the time we got back down to the main carriageway, the Range Rover was upside down on top of the Metro, which was a good 18 inches shorter than it had been 2 minutes earlier. God only knows what happened!
I also managed to come off my push bike in my twenties going down a country lane. Came round a corner and there was some loose earth on the road which caused the front wheel to wash out, then dig back in, sending me over the bars. My first point of contact was the top of my head on a granite cobblestone which was part of a storm drain kerb. I found out later that the accident investigators reckoned I'd been airborne for just over 30 feet.
There was a bloke coming down the road behind me in a red Panda (odd, the details you remember) who went and knocked on the door of a nearby house and got someone to call an ambulance and come and look after me, at which point he made his apologies and left because he was already late for a meeting. I can remember chatting to the other bloke until he said "I think I can hear the ambulance". I woke up in hospital 3 hours later. A couple of days later, sat on the ward, a senior consultant came round with a bunch of medical students. He stopped at the bottom of my bed, looked at the charts and then said "ah yes, this chap's very interesting! If his skull wasn't 30% thicker than average, he wouldn't be alive today"! This was the first I'd heard of it!!!
I've not had as many things as some on here! Even with having my sky diving licence and getting on track as often as I can.
I started with the cord around my neck, failed at that one.
Then not much until I was 22 and had a trip abroad.
We started off with an 8 hour battle and it flew by. We got rid of over 25000 rounds between 6 of us, also 2 500lb bombs and 4 javelins. We were being hit on 3 sides. At one point the weapon on the vehicle behind went down so I got out to run back and just at that moment we took a massive burst (towards the other side of the vehicle luckily) the guy that took over my gun ducked down so there was no suppressive fire from either of our vehicles. I could see the rounds going between the vehicles ( we were all in a line along a single dirt track) and I remember thinking f
k it and ran. Got to the other vehicle and he passed the gun down so I could fit the parts. I then had to run back, on getting back to my vehicle the guy on the gun was sat on his arse basically hiding. Luckily no casualties that day.
Vehicles kept being blown up but never mine, how we missed them I don't know. There was one where a flatbed carrying a load of piping had gotten stuck in soft and so we pulled to the front and I threw him the strop and we pulled him out. After 50m or so we stopped and he threw the strop back. We set off and after about 50m crossed a track to head up to high ground (we were over watching the convoy), the flatbed followed our tracks across the track and hit a mine. The front wheels of a lorry being under the driver and passenger is not a great design, sadly the passenger died.
Different trip, I needed to visit about 6 small bases to check on their kit. Jumped in the back of a vehicle with a small team of other guys that were visiting them for other reasons, I sat with the guy in the turret standing between my legs.
After I had done what I wanted to do we still had one more place to go too. We got a radio message saying they were undecided if they wanted us to go there as others had done the trip that morning (setting patterns etc) so we headed back to our main place. Once there I got out as I had done my stuff, 5 mins later they were told they could go there so headed back out. 5-10 minutes down the road they hit an IED. The team in the back all suffered broken backs and/or legs, the guy in the turret was close to being cut in half as the whole turret came off its mountings (just ended up with deep bruising and dropped muscle in his thigh).
I started with the cord around my neck, failed at that one.
Then not much until I was 22 and had a trip abroad.
We started off with an 8 hour battle and it flew by. We got rid of over 25000 rounds between 6 of us, also 2 500lb bombs and 4 javelins. We were being hit on 3 sides. At one point the weapon on the vehicle behind went down so I got out to run back and just at that moment we took a massive burst (towards the other side of the vehicle luckily) the guy that took over my gun ducked down so there was no suppressive fire from either of our vehicles. I could see the rounds going between the vehicles ( we were all in a line along a single dirt track) and I remember thinking f
k it and ran. Got to the other vehicle and he passed the gun down so I could fit the parts. I then had to run back, on getting back to my vehicle the guy on the gun was sat on his arse basically hiding. Luckily no casualties that day.Vehicles kept being blown up but never mine, how we missed them I don't know. There was one where a flatbed carrying a load of piping had gotten stuck in soft and so we pulled to the front and I threw him the strop and we pulled him out. After 50m or so we stopped and he threw the strop back. We set off and after about 50m crossed a track to head up to high ground (we were over watching the convoy), the flatbed followed our tracks across the track and hit a mine. The front wheels of a lorry being under the driver and passenger is not a great design, sadly the passenger died.
Different trip, I needed to visit about 6 small bases to check on their kit. Jumped in the back of a vehicle with a small team of other guys that were visiting them for other reasons, I sat with the guy in the turret standing between my legs.
After I had done what I wanted to do we still had one more place to go too. We got a radio message saying they were undecided if they wanted us to go there as others had done the trip that morning (setting patterns etc) so we headed back to our main place. Once there I got out as I had done my stuff, 5 mins later they were told they could go there so headed back out. 5-10 minutes down the road they hit an IED. The team in the back all suffered broken backs and/or legs, the guy in the turret was close to being cut in half as the whole turret came off its mountings (just ended up with deep bruising and dropped muscle in his thigh).
uncinqsix said:
Was struck by lightning a few years back. No idea how close to death I was, but I sometimes wonder what the outcome might have been if I'd been standing slightly differently so the current went across my body rather than in and out on the same side as it did...
Can you remember what it felt like, did you even realise what was happening/had happened?
There was also this incident described in Ross Kemp book https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=NP8nUCIyS3sC&a...
I was behind and remember the whole front cab of the vehicle was instantly hidden by black smoke. The guy that was in the turret appeared jumping through the smoke onto the rear cab and climbed down the back. He then started staggering back towards me and suddenly stopped and realise the guys hadn't gotten out the back. He ran back and opened the rear door for them receiving burns in the process.
I managed to get a decent video of an Apache putting a hellfire into what was left of the vehicle although it was using a mates camera so I'm not sure if he still has the video.
I was behind and remember the whole front cab of the vehicle was instantly hidden by black smoke. The guy that was in the turret appeared jumping through the smoke onto the rear cab and climbed down the back. He then started staggering back towards me and suddenly stopped and realise the guys hadn't gotten out the back. He ran back and opened the rear door for them receiving burns in the process.
I managed to get a decent video of an Apache putting a hellfire into what was left of the vehicle although it was using a mates camera so I'm not sure if he still has the video.
Nothing to do with me, but after reading this, I remembered watching a programme about the Herald of Free Enterprise.
One of the interviews was with a soldier who'd been heading back to the UK from Germany, but they'd been held up by their CO rabbiting on about how wonderful they were in an address to the regiment before letting them go. Around 40 soldiers, wives and kids pulled up at the docks just in time to see the boat pull out, cursing their CO all the way...
One of the interviews was with a soldier who'd been heading back to the UK from Germany, but they'd been held up by their CO rabbiting on about how wonderful they were in an address to the regiment before letting them go. Around 40 soldiers, wives and kids pulled up at the docks just in time to see the boat pull out, cursing their CO all the way...
uncinqsix said:
Was struck by lightning a few years back. No idea how close to death I was, but I sometimes wonder what the outcome might have been if I'd been standing slightly differently so the current went across my body rather than in and out on the same side as it did...
Shocking.Someone had to say it.
Zoobeef said:
I've not had as many things as some on here! Even with having my sky diving licence and getting on track as often as I can.
I started with the cord around my neck, failed at that one.
Then not much until I was 22 and had a trip abroad.
We started off with an 8 hour battle and it flew by. We got rid of over 25000 rounds between 6 of us, also 2 500lb bombs and 4 javelins. We were being hit on 3 sides. At one point the weapon on the vehicle behind went down so I got out to run back and just at that moment we took a massive burst (towards the other side of the vehicle luckily) the guy that took over my gun ducked down so there was no suppressive fire from either of our vehicles. I could see the rounds going between the vehicles ( we were all in a line along a single dirt track) and I remember thinking fk it and ran. Got to the other vehicle and he passed the gun down so I could fit the parts. I then had to run back, on getting back to my vehicle the guy on the gun was sat on his arse basically hiding. Luckily no casualties that day.
Vehicles kept being blown up but never mine, how we missed them I don't know. There was one where a flatbed carrying a load of piping had gotten stuck in soft and so we pulled to the front and I threw him the strop and we pulled him out. After 50m or so we stopped and he threw the strop back. We set off and after about 50m crossed a track to head up to high ground (we were over watching the convoy), the flatbed followed our tracks across the track and hit a mine. The front wheels of a lorry being under the driver and passenger is not a great design, sadly the passenger died.
Different trip, I needed to visit about 6 small bases to check on their kit. Jumped in the back of a vehicle with a small team of other guys that were visiting them for other reasons, I sat with the guy in the turret standing between my legs.
After I had done what I wanted to do we still had one more place to go too. We got a radio message saying they were undecided if they wanted us to go there as others had done the trip that morning (setting patterns etc) so we headed back to our main place. Once there I got out as I had done my stuff, 5 mins later they were told they could go there so headed back out. 5-10 minutes down the road they hit an IED. The team in the back all suffered broken backs and/or legs, the guy in the turret was close to being cut in half as the whole turret came off its mountings (just ended up with deep bruising and dropped muscle in his thigh).
Interesting point about wheel placement, do purpose built vehicles have the wheels placed so as to minimise injury to the occupants?I started with the cord around my neck, failed at that one.
Then not much until I was 22 and had a trip abroad.
We started off with an 8 hour battle and it flew by. We got rid of over 25000 rounds between 6 of us, also 2 500lb bombs and 4 javelins. We were being hit on 3 sides. At one point the weapon on the vehicle behind went down so I got out to run back and just at that moment we took a massive burst (towards the other side of the vehicle luckily) the guy that took over my gun ducked down so there was no suppressive fire from either of our vehicles. I could see the rounds going between the vehicles ( we were all in a line along a single dirt track) and I remember thinking f
k it and ran. Got to the other vehicle and he passed the gun down so I could fit the parts. I then had to run back, on getting back to my vehicle the guy on the gun was sat on his arse basically hiding. Luckily no casualties that day.Vehicles kept being blown up but never mine, how we missed them I don't know. There was one where a flatbed carrying a load of piping had gotten stuck in soft and so we pulled to the front and I threw him the strop and we pulled him out. After 50m or so we stopped and he threw the strop back. We set off and after about 50m crossed a track to head up to high ground (we were over watching the convoy), the flatbed followed our tracks across the track and hit a mine. The front wheels of a lorry being under the driver and passenger is not a great design, sadly the passenger died.
Different trip, I needed to visit about 6 small bases to check on their kit. Jumped in the back of a vehicle with a small team of other guys that were visiting them for other reasons, I sat with the guy in the turret standing between my legs.
After I had done what I wanted to do we still had one more place to go too. We got a radio message saying they were undecided if they wanted us to go there as others had done the trip that morning (setting patterns etc) so we headed back to our main place. Once there I got out as I had done my stuff, 5 mins later they were told they could go there so headed back out. 5-10 minutes down the road they hit an IED. The team in the back all suffered broken backs and/or legs, the guy in the turret was close to being cut in half as the whole turret came off its mountings (just ended up with deep bruising and dropped muscle in his thigh).
Not myself but the person in the blue tshirt is my brother he managed to get away with surprisingly little damage mainly severe muscle damage and 1 hairline fracture, must say by the time I got the call and managed to get from work to the hospital he had already had the first xray and was being assessed for crush related shock, I don't think it was how he wanted to start the first day on a new job
http://youtu.be/QBXTPFV_STI
http://youtu.be/QBXTPFV_STI
WinstonWolf said:
Interesting point about wheel placement, do purpose built vehicles have the wheels placed so as to minimise injury to the occupants?
Yes some do, outboard wheels and v shaped hulls. Google mastiff and see how far the front wheels are infront and all pax are inboard of the rear wheels.Meant they got hit alot but rarely had injuries. Although this does just mean they used bigger bombs.
The viking we were using on the other hand have the v hulls but the tracks run under where the pax sit. Which is why they have just gone through a large upgrade.
thanks for the explanation, even though it spoils my business plan When I started my commercial diving career back in the late eighties, I used to do a lot of work in West Africa where conditions in those days were pretty rough and equipment was generally pretty dodgy. I once had a cast aluminium water trap on a compressor explode like a grenade whilst I was right next to it. Unknown to me, whilst I had been home on leave, some "improvements" had been made which involved amongst other things, a pressure relief valve being replaced with a grease nipple! Anyway, long story short, I was hit by large chunks of jagged aluminium traveling at a great rate of knots after it over pressurised and went bang as a result of this little improvement. Thigh, knee and stomach sliced open, missed the femoral artery by millimetres, lots of claret everywhere and an emergency helicopter evac to the beach with team members tee shirts stuffed in various holes to stem the blood. Don't know what scared me the most, the explosion or being in a Nigerian clinic in Warri !
Another close call, this time in Congo, was whilst replacing hoses on a thing called an SBM, which is a large buoy with loading hoses leading up to it from the seabed used for loading tankers offshore. I was on the bottom, in pitch black as there was no visibility, waiting for the end of the hose to be lowered down for connection on the bottom ( I should add these hose sections were 18inch diameter and very heavy) to overcome the buoyancy the guys up top were attaching big bundles of chain, approx five tons in weight to the hoses, attached with a bit of local rigging. I suddenly felt a sort of pressure wave push against me as I stood there on the bottom. When I stuck my arm out to see if I could feel anything, guess what. Nice big pile of chain right next to me! It had broken loose on the surface and plummeted through 70 odd feet of water and landed arms length away. That was a bowell loosener I can tell you! I would have become a nasty little stain on the seabed. Another West African diving statistic swept under the carpet.
Another close call, this time in Congo, was whilst replacing hoses on a thing called an SBM, which is a large buoy with loading hoses leading up to it from the seabed used for loading tankers offshore. I was on the bottom, in pitch black as there was no visibility, waiting for the end of the hose to be lowered down for connection on the bottom ( I should add these hose sections were 18inch diameter and very heavy) to overcome the buoyancy the guys up top were attaching big bundles of chain, approx five tons in weight to the hoses, attached with a bit of local rigging. I suddenly felt a sort of pressure wave push against me as I stood there on the bottom. When I stuck my arm out to see if I could feel anything, guess what. Nice big pile of chain right next to me! It had broken loose on the surface and plummeted through 70 odd feet of water and landed arms length away. That was a bowell loosener I can tell you! I would have become a nasty little stain on the seabed. Another West African diving statistic swept under the carpet.
Iang84 said:
Not myself but the person in the blue tshirt is my brother he managed to get away with surprisingly little damage mainly severe muscle damage and 1 hairline fracture, must say by the time I got the call and managed to get from work to the hospital he had already had the first xray and was being assessed for crush related shock, I don't think it was how he wanted to start the first day on a new job
http://youtu.be/QBXTPFV_STI
Well at least the emergency services got there quickly! http://youtu.be/QBXTPFV_STI
Adenauer said:
uncinqsix said:
Was struck by lightning a few years back. No idea how close to death I was, but I sometimes wonder what the outcome might have been if I'd been standing slightly differently so the current went across my body rather than in and out on the same side as it did...
Can you remember what it felt like, did you even realise what was happening/had happened?There was a blue flash and I got thrown backwards a bit. Wasn't a direct hit, but what they call a conductive strike where the current gets you via metal stuff (in my case, the oven I was standing next to cooking dinner). Top tip: try to avoid cooking in a house at the top of a hill in a thunderstorm.
A few odd ones for me.
Age 6 I raced out of back lane onto a main road and the bicycle went under the car and I went over and got away with a broken leg - if the bike and I had gone the other way....
Age 25-ish in the RN it all went a bit horribly wrong on a Submarine - we all recovered the situation but about 25 of the crew never went back to sea on a Sub again.
Age 40-ish as a Paramedic in the Ambulance Service a mental health patient pulled out a loaded revolver and pointed it at me.
For my wife, during labour, an over-eager anaethetist ignored all the warnings about my wifes general low blood pressure and after an epidural managed to get her blood pressure down to 55/32
Just last year at home my wife suffered another episode of low blood pressure, fell in the bathroom, banged her head knocking her unconcious and swallowed her tongue.
For my daughter, following on from the wifes low blood pressure, she was delivered not breathing with the cord tightly wrapped around her neck; the consultant cut the cord while only the head and one shoulder were delivered and my daughter had to be resuscitated upon full delivery. I stood and watched the whole event knowing exactly what was going on and how close I was to losing them all the while silently praying everyone would do their best and save them. They did, but it was the most terrified I have ever been.
Count your blessings everyone and pray the Angels look over us.
Age 6 I raced out of back lane onto a main road and the bicycle went under the car and I went over and got away with a broken leg - if the bike and I had gone the other way....
Age 25-ish in the RN it all went a bit horribly wrong on a Submarine - we all recovered the situation but about 25 of the crew never went back to sea on a Sub again.
Age 40-ish as a Paramedic in the Ambulance Service a mental health patient pulled out a loaded revolver and pointed it at me.
For my wife, during labour, an over-eager anaethetist ignored all the warnings about my wifes general low blood pressure and after an epidural managed to get her blood pressure down to 55/32
Just last year at home my wife suffered another episode of low blood pressure, fell in the bathroom, banged her head knocking her unconcious and swallowed her tongue.
For my daughter, following on from the wifes low blood pressure, she was delivered not breathing with the cord tightly wrapped around her neck; the consultant cut the cord while only the head and one shoulder were delivered and my daughter had to be resuscitated upon full delivery. I stood and watched the whole event knowing exactly what was going on and how close I was to losing them all the while silently praying everyone would do their best and save them. They did, but it was the most terrified I have ever been.
Count your blessings everyone and pray the Angels look over us.
Crack, whizz, thump. There's enough on here to know what it means. If you've heard those three, every day's a blessing.
Also had the usual near-death things kids get up to, but I didn't have a serious injury until I was 38, and that was only a snapped knee.
Better to be born luck than rich
.
Also had the usual near-death things kids get up to, but I didn't have a serious injury until I was 38, and that was only a snapped knee.
Better to be born luck than rich
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