You can't cheat Death

[Puggit]

Woman who missed Air France flight 447 killed in car crash

One can't help but think that their state of mind would have been slightly unhinged before the accident...

[paoloh]

Puggit said:

Woman who missed Air France flight 447 killed in car crash

One can't help but think that their state of mind would have been slightly unhinged before the accident...

They would have been having long chats about fate me thinks.

[Los Palmas 7]

paoloh said:

They would have been having long chats about fate me thinks.

No they wouldn't. After missing out on a chance to die screaming as the plane disintegrated over the ocean, they would have thought "Phew, that was close".

Then they died in a completely unrelated accident.

Nobody "cheated death". Your chances of being killed in an accident are unaffected if you miss out on a previous accident.

[Jasandjules]

Bad luck. After some good luck.

I know a lady who was meant to be on the Lockerbie flight. Her and her husband missed it due to his meeting running late. They took another flight out to the US, had a holiday, came back, went down the local and walked into their "wake" that was being held for them as everyone thought they'd gone down on the Lockerbie flight.........

[ChapppeRS]

Final Destination eat your heart out (wait.. wasn't that in number 3.. someone eating their heart out?)

[Dr_Gonzo]

Jasandjules said:

Bad luck. After some good luck.

I know a lady who was meant to be on the Lockerbie flight. Her and her husband missed it due to his meeting running late. They took another flight out to the US, had a holiday, came back, went down the local and walked into their "wake" that was being held for them as everyone thought they'd gone down on the Lockerbie flight.........

Johnny (Lydon) Rotten was also supposed to be on the Lockerbie flight but he and his wife were late getting to the airport. Must be one hell of a shock to come that close to a horrible death.

[CommanderJameson]

I know a bloke in the States who does work on radio and microwave transmitters.

One fateful September morning, he was very hungover, having been out on the lash on the previous night. He rang into work and chucked a day's leave in, as he wasn't fit to drive.

The transmitter he was supposed to be working on was on the top of 1 World Trade Center.

[Dracoro]

I was out in Israel Kibbutzing back in 1994.

I got trains and a certain bus back to Tel Aviv to catch my flight.

I almost left a day later, good job I didn't http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tel_Aviv_bus_5_massac...

[Zod]

Jasandjules said:

Bad luck. After some good luck.

I know a lady who was meant to be on the Lockerbie flight. Her and her husband missed it due to his meeting running late. They took another flight out to the US, had a holiday, came back, went down the local and walked into their "wake" that was being held for them as everyone thought they'd gone down on the Lockerbie flight.........

So they didn't phone family during the holiday at any point? They didn't read a newspaper or watch TV news, see that the flight they had been supposed to take had crashed and think "Oh, we'd better call the family to reassure them"?

[Dr_Gonzo]

Zod said:

Jasandjules said:

Bad luck. After some good luck.

I know a lady who was meant to be on the Lockerbie flight. Her and her husband missed it due to his meeting running late. They took another flight out to the US, had a holiday, came back, went down the local and walked into their "wake" that was being held for them as everyone thought they'd gone down on the Lockerbie flight.........

So they didn't phone family during the holiday at any point? They didn't read a newspaper or watch TV news, see that the flight they had been supposed to take had crashed and think "Oh, we'd better call the family to reassure them"?

Does sound a bit 'urban mythy'. If they flew into the same airport they were oringally supposed to I should imagine there would have been a media circus by the time they arrived. Plus what are the odds that the day they return would be their wake? And do people really go straight to the pub after returning from a long-haul flight?

Wouldn't their names also be shown as NOT on that flight and/or on another flight?

[mrmr96]

Los Palmas 7 said:

paoloh said:

They would have been having long chats about fate me thinks.

No they wouldn't. After missing out on a chance to die screaming as the plane disintegrated over the ocean, they would have thought "Phew, that was close".

Then they died in a completely unrelated accident.

Nobody "cheated death". Your chances of being killed in an accident are unaffected if you miss out on a previous accident.

The comments on the Times story suggest that she swerved into oncoming traffic deliberately.

[thehawk]

Los Palmas 7 said:

Nobody "cheated death". Your chances of being killed in an accident are unaffected if you miss out on a previous accident.

What about a series of inter-related accidents?

[HiRich]

Zod said:

Jasandjules said:

Bad luck. After some good luck.

I know a lady who was meant to be on the Lockerbie flight. Her and her husband missed it due to his meeting running late. They took another flight out to the US, had a holiday, came back, went down the local and walked into their "wake" that was being held for them as everyone thought they'd gone down on the Lockerbie flight.........

So they didn't phone family during the holiday at any point? They didn't read a newspaper or watch TV news, see that the flight they had been supposed to take had crashed and think "Oh, we'd better call the family to reassure them"?

There was a similar situation with the Paddington train crash (two trains, flames & eveything, for those who forget).
Bloke clambers off the train, walks down the track, takes the Heathrow Express, then a week's business in Switzerland. Didn't dawn on him to actually tell anyone.

[Jasandjules]

Zod said:

Jasandjules said:

Bad luck. After some good luck.

I know a lady who was meant to be on the Lockerbie flight. Her and her husband missed it due to his meeting running late. They took another flight out to the US, had a holiday, came back, went down the local and walked into their "wake" that was being held for them as everyone thought they'd gone down on the Lockerbie flight.........

So they didn't phone family during the holiday at any point? They didn't read a newspaper or watch TV news, see that the flight they had been supposed to take had crashed and think "Oh, we'd better call the family to reassure them"?

They have no children. They have no parents (both were late 40s at the time). So no family to call. And I never asked her whether or not she saw a paper or watched the news in the states whilst they were there. But as I understand it the wake was a few close friends and the bloke's business parter.

[Mikeyboy]

I could be wrong but I thought that some people become more likely to be involved in an accident after a near death experience as, oddly IMO, they become blazé to the dangers.

[Dr_Gonzo]

Jasandjules said:

Zod said:

Jasandjules said:

Bad luck. After some good luck.

I know a lady who was meant to be on the Lockerbie flight. Her and her husband missed it due to his meeting running late. They took another flight out to the US, had a holiday, came back, went down the local and walked into their "wake" that was being held for them as everyone thought they'd gone down on the Lockerbie flight.........

So they didn't phone family during the holiday at any point? They didn't read a newspaper or watch TV news, see that the flight they had been supposed to take had crashed and think "Oh, we'd better call the family to reassure them"?

They have no children. They have no parents (both were late 40s at the time). So no family to call. And I never asked her whether or not she saw a paper or watched the news in the states whilst they were there. But as I understand it the wake was a few close friends and the bloke's business parter.

Going from my original comments, if they missed their flight the next flight they'd get would almost certainly be to the same airport and with the same airline. By the time they arrived in JFK the news would have spread to the airport. There'd be a big media circus, and officials and police everywhere. I wouldn't be surprised if the FEDs stopped them to find out why they missed that plane (as they'd surely be a suspect).

Did neither of them have any siblings? And if their friends are close enough that they'd know the exact flight they were on (flight number etc) then would they not get at least a postcard? Did nothing in the guy's business need attending to whilst he was away that required any contact with his business partner? I also think that given the situation most people would double check to see if their friend/family really did get on the flight.

Finally, here's the story of someone who also missed the flight, who incidently made the news due to his close call:

Wikipedia said:

Jaswant Basuta, a Sikh of Indian nationality, was checked in for Pan Am Flight 103, but arrived at the boarding gate too late.

Basuta was initially considered a suspect as his checked baggage had been on the flight without him. After questioning at Heathrow police station, he was released without charge. Twenty years later, in an interview with the BBC, Basuta talked about his narrow escape from death: "I should have been the 271st victim and I still feel terrible for all the other people who died."[22]

I'm not calling you a liar - just wondering if someone's been telling you porkies

Edited by Dr_Gonzo on Friday 12th June 15:20

[crofty1984]

mrmr96 said:

Los Palmas 7 said:

paoloh said:

They would have been having long chats about fate me thinks.

No they wouldn't. After missing out on a chance to die screaming as the plane disintegrated over the ocean, they would have thought "Phew, that was close".

Then they died in a completely unrelated accident.

Nobody "cheated death". Your chances of being killed in an accident are unaffected if you miss out on a previous accident.

The comments on the Times story suggest that she swerved into oncoming traffic deliberately.

That's Darwin for you.

[ZondaMan]

Apparently Mark Wahlberg was supposed to be on one of the flights on Sep. 11th, but decided to drive instead at the last minute.

[Mattt]

ZondaMan said:

Apparently Mark Wahlberg was supposed to be on one of the flights on Sep. 11th, but decided to drive instead at the last minute.

It was lucky that all the people who got 'that tube' or 'that bus' on 7/7 missed it - or it would've been overflowing.

[Jasandjules]

Dr_Gonzo said:

I'm not calling you a liar - just wondering if someone's been telling you porkies

She isn't someone who lies IME.

No, they don't really have much family between them, that's the sad part, now he's died she's all alone in the world. He had a sister that he didn't speak to before he died. But after that I have no idea about the airport etc because I never asked. Perhaps next time I see her I'll ask more !