Have you ever saved a life?
Discussion
As in stepped in to save someone,
rather than as a job role doctor,surgeon etc.
This came to mind after watching the "saving lives at sea" on iplayer.
My personal experience came whilst body boarding at Widemouth bay back around 2010
I was with a mate and sea was fairly rough I turned to head out to sea to catch another wave
to see 2 young girls 20-30mts away and further out than we were they were most definitely
not waving but indeed drowning as the waves crashed over their heads again and again.
this is where I made a mistake that luckily did not prove costly, I took off the leash to my body board as I could swim much faster without it, I reached the first girl and my mate went for the other (he had retained his body board)
on arrival I was greeted by a panic ridden (rather large) girl whom proceeded to try and save herself by drowning me, a few words passed I grabbed her by the face( I meant to get the chin)and proceeded to swim for shore
it was very hard going is the waves and currents 6-7mins maybe felt like an hour I reached a depth I could stand
and the girl followed being quite sick I was spitting out plenty of seawater that had got in as I struggled to get us ashore, My mate reach the beach a few mins after with the girl using his body board as a float.
I turned out the girls were at the beach with carers as they were both Foster children on a day out.
Now the slightly amusing part:
My mates wife and Mrs V40TC were on the beach and were witness to me walking out the surf with girl in tow
and mate now carrying the second girl.
Mrs V40TC now headed down to see WTF was going on here us with a couple of girls
she soon realised what had just happened, and the girls were reunited with the carers
we recovered my body board and called it quits for the day in the sea.
rather than as a job role doctor,surgeon etc.
This came to mind after watching the "saving lives at sea" on iplayer.
My personal experience came whilst body boarding at Widemouth bay back around 2010
I was with a mate and sea was fairly rough I turned to head out to sea to catch another wave
to see 2 young girls 20-30mts away and further out than we were they were most definitely
not waving but indeed drowning as the waves crashed over their heads again and again.
this is where I made a mistake that luckily did not prove costly, I took off the leash to my body board as I could swim much faster without it, I reached the first girl and my mate went for the other (he had retained his body board)
on arrival I was greeted by a panic ridden (rather large) girl whom proceeded to try and save herself by drowning me, a few words passed I grabbed her by the face( I meant to get the chin)and proceeded to swim for shore
it was very hard going is the waves and currents 6-7mins maybe felt like an hour I reached a depth I could stand
and the girl followed being quite sick I was spitting out plenty of seawater that had got in as I struggled to get us ashore, My mate reach the beach a few mins after with the girl using his body board as a float.
I turned out the girls were at the beach with carers as they were both Foster children on a day out.
Now the slightly amusing part:
My mates wife and Mrs V40TC were on the beach and were witness to me walking out the surf with girl in tow
and mate now carrying the second girl.
Mrs V40TC now headed down to see WTF was going on here us with a couple of girls
she soon realised what had just happened, and the girls were reunited with the carers
we recovered my body board and called it quits for the day in the sea.
Great subject, great first post.
My contribution: I saved my daughter’s life.
On the Eurostar, London > Paris, wife and Daughter (4 years old) at the time, sitting two rows in front of me. I had headphones in, slowly drifting in and out of sleep.
Over the music I hear my wife shout my name. I pop up out of my seat and half jog forward to where my daughter was chocking on a piece of apple. Hurtling through the French country side, daughter was really struggling. I picked her up, practically turned her upside down and smacked her back with a force that still makes me shudder. A small piece of half chewed apple fell to the floor. I hugged her tight, returned her to her mum and went back to my seat for a little sob.
My contribution: I saved my daughter’s life.
On the Eurostar, London > Paris, wife and Daughter (4 years old) at the time, sitting two rows in front of me. I had headphones in, slowly drifting in and out of sleep.
Over the music I hear my wife shout my name. I pop up out of my seat and half jog forward to where my daughter was chocking on a piece of apple. Hurtling through the French country side, daughter was really struggling. I picked her up, practically turned her upside down and smacked her back with a force that still makes me shudder. A small piece of half chewed apple fell to the floor. I hugged her tight, returned her to her mum and went back to my seat for a little sob.
I witnessed an unsteady looking chap cross the road in front of a speeding car, he bounced over the roof and was deposited unconscious into the ditch, and the car disappeared. Covered him in a blanket as it was a cold and wet February night, and phoned an ambo which was on scene in minutes. Often wonder how long he might have been left there in single digit temps with some pretty serious injuries if I hadn't have been passing at that moment. Life saving? Maybe, maybe not, spending all night out in the cold with multiple leaks could easily have ended badly for him though.
Not me but O/H has. She was in a local council committee meeting when one of the councillors had a heart attack. She performed CPR until the paramedics arrived and was told her swift action had saved him. A few weeks later she was presented with some flowers, a bottle of wine and a civic award at a full council meeting.
It still didn't stop the b
ds making her redundant the following year. 
It still didn't stop the b
ds making her redundant the following year. Twice.
Once during one of the big footie tournaments, nipped to McDonalds from the pub for some filthy food to break up an all day session and a lid about 15 or so was fitting on the floor. Big crowd round him not doing anything except his friend who had him pinned on his back “to protect him”. I stepped in with beer bravado and promptly put him in the recovery position before he choked to death and stayed til the paramedics came.
Second time was during the last bad winter. Wife and I spent many hours getting home from London due to the snow stopping the trains. We ended up walking the last 5 miles and came across a chap around midnight who had been walking to work and had slipped and broken his leg. He would have died there if we hadn’t have found him, kept him warm and commandeered a passing bus to take him to a&e.
Once during one of the big footie tournaments, nipped to McDonalds from the pub for some filthy food to break up an all day session and a lid about 15 or so was fitting on the floor. Big crowd round him not doing anything except his friend who had him pinned on his back “to protect him”. I stepped in with beer bravado and promptly put him in the recovery position before he choked to death and stayed til the paramedics came.
Second time was during the last bad winter. Wife and I spent many hours getting home from London due to the snow stopping the trains. We ended up walking the last 5 miles and came across a chap around midnight who had been walking to work and had slipped and broken his leg. He would have died there if we hadn’t have found him, kept him warm and commandeered a passing bus to take him to a&e.
Hard to tell.
I've kept a few suicidal people talking on the phone until help arrived, but who knows if they were serious?
I regularly stop and remove stuff from A roads and dual carriageways (a stepladder and a large bit of pallet with long nails sticking out of it have stayed in my mind).
I missed out on a Heimlich save once when a bloke pushed past me to do it to a young female who was choking on a bit of sandwich on the tube before I could react!
I've kept a few suicidal people talking on the phone until help arrived, but who knows if they were serious?
I regularly stop and remove stuff from A roads and dual carriageways (a stepladder and a large bit of pallet with long nails sticking out of it have stayed in my mind).
I missed out on a Heimlich save once when a bloke pushed past me to do it to a young female who was choking on a bit of sandwich on the tube before I could react!
Was in Torquay 1994 or 5. I was walking around the coast and had to jump into the sea to pull a young lad out who had got cramp after dive bombing into the water from a good 20 foot high ledge and was in a touch of trouble.
Not a thank you or even a hand out of the sea for me from his friends and by the time i had climbed onto dry land again the kids were gone leaving the now soaked me to work out how to get back to my b&b
Not a thank you or even a hand out of the sea for me from his friends and by the time i had climbed onto dry land again the kids were gone leaving the now soaked me to work out how to get back to my b&b
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
I dragged a woman out of an upturned burning car just seconds before it blew up.
I was so pale & shocked afterwards they wanted to put me in the ambulance too!
..and on the same road came across a woman laying in the middle of it. I parked my car across the two lanes & coaxed her to the side of the road. I was so pale & shocked afterwards they wanted to put me in the ambulance too!
Around 20years ago was working on a houseboat on the shore of windermere - was me, an electrician and my boss.
Heard a massive splash and screaming, rushed out to see a lady pointing into the water at the end of the jetty.
A man had driven his electric wheelchair off the jetty, it was November and the water was dark and freezing.
I jumped in with the electrician and we had to swim down around 8’.
Couldnt free him as he had a seatbelt on, swam back up to get a knife, then back down to try again.
Finally got him up on the 4th attempt, then with the help of a few others managed to get him up onto the jetty.
Someone passing started giving cpr as we dragged ourselves out.
After a long time he coughed and spluttered back to life.
Heard a massive splash and screaming, rushed out to see a lady pointing into the water at the end of the jetty.
A man had driven his electric wheelchair off the jetty, it was November and the water was dark and freezing.
I jumped in with the electrician and we had to swim down around 8’.
Couldnt free him as he had a seatbelt on, swam back up to get a knife, then back down to try again.
Finally got him up on the 4th attempt, then with the help of a few others managed to get him up onto the jetty.
Someone passing started giving cpr as we dragged ourselves out.
After a long time he coughed and spluttered back to life.
I had a similar experience a few years ago at a pretty secluded small sandy cove on the Southern Cape coast in South Africa. Fairly large ocean waves coming in at an angle, and a rock outcrop at the edge of the bay was causing a strong whirl that had scoured a pretty deep hole in the sand close to the beach.
A family friend had been paddling, and I looked up and could just see her hands waving above the water, and occasionally the top of her head. I went in to fetch her. Unfortunately during her struggles her boobs had popped out the top of her costume, and I had to grab them from behind with one arm while swimming to safety.
I still suffer PTSD at the thought.
A family friend had been paddling, and I looked up and could just see her hands waving above the water, and occasionally the top of her head. I went in to fetch her. Unfortunately during her struggles her boobs had popped out the top of her costume, and I had to grab them from behind with one arm while swimming to safety.
I still suffer PTSD at the thought.
Can’t claim the full save on this one, but one of those really annoying McCann style stories.
Little kid about 4-5 years old. On holiday and in a fairly crowded all inclusive hotel pool with my kids. Looked down and noticed a small boy go past my feet underwater, thought wow he is doing well for his age and then realised he wasn’t swimming.
Got him out on the edge of the pool and started to fairly successfully pump him out when the medics arrived and took over. Then the hunt for the parents started. They were found an hour and a quarter later in a nearby bar quite pissed, basically they just left him to fend for himself around the pool.
Grumpy doesn’t start to describe how I felt.
Little kid about 4-5 years old. On holiday and in a fairly crowded all inclusive hotel pool with my kids. Looked down and noticed a small boy go past my feet underwater, thought wow he is doing well for his age and then realised he wasn’t swimming.
Got him out on the edge of the pool and started to fairly successfully pump him out when the medics arrived and took over. Then the hunt for the parents started. They were found an hour and a quarter later in a nearby bar quite pissed, basically they just left him to fend for himself around the pool.
Grumpy doesn’t start to describe how I felt.
Possibly 2,
First was my son when he was a toddler, sitting beside me on the sofa when he started choking on a grape. The noise and his colour change still gives me shivers when I think about it. Turned him upside down and slapped him on the back. Up popped the grape and he was fine once he stopped crying.
Second was a young dad who lived a few doors from me. His 5 year old came to my dor one Friday evening and said she couldn't wake her dad. I went round and banged on the door with no answer. Went in and found him blue and lying on his back in the bathroom with a needle hanging out of his arm. I turned him on his side and he instantly gasped for air. Called for a ambulance and waited until they arrived.
He thanked me or saving his life the next time I seen him. His mom found him dead a few years later under similar circumstances.
First was my son when he was a toddler, sitting beside me on the sofa when he started choking on a grape. The noise and his colour change still gives me shivers when I think about it. Turned him upside down and slapped him on the back. Up popped the grape and he was fine once he stopped crying.
Second was a young dad who lived a few doors from me. His 5 year old came to my dor one Friday evening and said she couldn't wake her dad. I went round and banged on the door with no answer. Went in and found him blue and lying on his back in the bathroom with a needle hanging out of his arm. I turned him on his side and he instantly gasped for air. Called for a ambulance and waited until they arrived.
He thanked me or saving his life the next time I seen him. His mom found him dead a few years later under similar circumstances.
Edited by Chocolate Sausage on Thursday 12th November 20:59
I caught an old guy tumbling backwards on an escalator,
I was waiting for the mrs outside a shop and i thought he looked bad on his feet.
He stood on it gingerly and as it started climbing he went backwards,
I dropped everything but couldnt get there quick enough he did a full backwards rotation then i caught him,
His head was under my chin, with dozens of slits off the escalator floor,
It got to the top and someone got some water and a chair and we called an ambulance
I was waiting for the mrs outside a shop and i thought he looked bad on his feet.
He stood on it gingerly and as it started climbing he went backwards,
I dropped everything but couldnt get there quick enough he did a full backwards rotation then i caught him,
His head was under my chin, with dozens of slits off the escalator floor,
It got to the top and someone got some water and a chair and we called an ambulance
In Fuerteventura Christmas 2001 we were stung by the pool and alas of about 3/4 ish was running round & round the pool and right in front of us ran straight into the water, deep end naturally and went straight down, with out thinking I jumped in and lifted him out.
Put the poor little fker on the side of the pool where luckily he started screaming, screaming is a great noise to hear as it means breathing,
Cue his mother, about 25 & pissed running over and having a go at me for splashing him.
Fortunately someone pointed out what I’d done before she got punched.
Had another 3 days in that hotel & she never said a word to me.
Put the poor little f
ker on the side of the pool where luckily he started screaming, screaming is a great noise to hear as it means breathing, Cue his mother, about 25 & pissed running over and having a go at me for splashing him.
Fortunately someone pointed out what I’d done before she got punched.
Had another 3 days in that hotel & she never said a word to me.
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