Near Death Experiences

[Rockslinger]

Some recent tragic events, such as the untimely deaths of Brendan Burke, Corey Hain, Brittany Murphy, Marie Osmond's son, etc., got me pondering what are our chances of avoiding untimely death or serious physical impairment during our lifetime.

I can remember at least two near death experiences. When I was around 8 years old I fell through a crack in the ice on a frozen lake. When I was 23, my car flipped over on an icy road and I wasn't wearing a seatbelt. Then there was the time I hit a curb on a bridge while riding my bike at high speed and almost flipped over the railing.

Have you ever experienced a near death experience? If yes, did you survive?

 

[red]

Have you ever experienced a near death experience? If yes, did you survive?

no i did not survive. but luckily i programmed my computer to post in this thread before i died

 

[blackrock13]

Some recent tragic events, such as the untimely deaths of Brendan Burke, Corey Hain, Brittany Murphy, Marie Osmond's son, etc., got me pondering what are our chances of avoiding untimely death or serious physical impairment during our lifetime.

I can remember at least two near death experiences. When I was around 8 years old I fell through a crack in the ice on a frozen lake. When I was 23, my car flipped over on an icy road and I wasn't wearing a seatbelt. Then there was the time I hit a curb on a bridge while riding my bike at high speed and almost flipped over the railing.

Have you ever experienced a near death experience? If yes, did you survive?

It all depends how close you define near, but I've not crossed over or seen the light and don't want to because three people close to me have and their conversations were oddly upsetting and calming at the same time.

I'm going to say you don't like ice clinking in your drinking glass much.

Your last question confuses me. I'm thinking it's a joke, no?

 

[sleazure]

Have you ever experienced a near death experience? If yes, did you survive?

Hold your breath until you don't think you can take it any more, then just try to hang on for a just a few more seconds. We've all tried it. Although it's perfectly safe to do, at your limit you're probably less than a minute away from death. My point? Every second of our existence, every breath, every heartbeat, is a near-death experience.

I have had several glorious mornings when I was surprised, with good reason, to wake up alive. It's a wonderful feeling. Truly wise people feel that way every morning of their lives. I'm certainly not one of them.

 

[Rockslinger]

This will sound fatalistic but with over 100,000 members the odds are that some TERBIEs will die prematurely from an accident or murder or a fatal disease or suffer a physical impairment from an accident or disease. Or, maybe we will all beat the odds and all 100,000 of us will be fit as a fiddle when we expire at the ripe old human age of 125.

I experienced at least two incidents where I could have been killed so maybe every day now is a bonus.

 

[sleazure]

This will sound fatalistic but with over 100,000 members the odds are that some TERBIEs will die prematurely
<...snip!>

Hehe, for some reason, that brought this thread to mind: https://terb.cc/vbulletin/showthread.php?272322-A-Surreal-evening...-2-reviews

 

[Malibook]

I experienced at least two incidents where I could have been killed so maybe every day now is a bonus.

I sometimes feel like this too.

I was in a bad car accident around 22 years ago.
My friend was driving us up to a cottage.
We were on a small county road approaching Hwy. 7, 4 lanes of traffic.
I realized that he was not slowing down to stop at the stop sign so I yelled at him to stop but then he stepped on the gas.
I was shocked and a moment later there were headlights coming right at us from the left.
We got nailed and ended up on the other side of the highway across 4 lanes of traffic.
I blacked out but came to pretty fast and saw my friend who looked like he was unconcious but otherwise fine, no blood or mangled body etc.
An elderly couple in the other car were in very bad shape.
Some people stopped to help and an ambulance was there very fast.
They immediately focused on my friend and got him out and off to the hospital right away.
Another ambulance came and I waited in it until they could get the elderly couple out of their car which took quite a while.
The 3 of us were taken to the hospital.
I was extremely sore, especially around the waist, but felt very fortunate after seeing the kind of shape they were in.
I got checked out and was told there was no serious damage and there was nothing they could do for me.
Then they shocked me by telling me that my friend had died!!!
I was stunned and the next thing they told me is that I had to leave, like right away.
I was in excruciating pain and could barely move and was coughing up blood and shocked that my friend had just died and they are telling me to get lost.
I had to call up my parents in Toronto to pick me up in the middle of the night from a hospital in Peterborough.
The funeral was devastating with his hysterical wife, daughter around 10, and twin baby girls.

I have really appreciated and enjoyed my life ever since, often to excess.
I could have very easily been killed a long time ago and I think about all the great times I have had in the past 22 years and hopefully many more to come.

 

[TheNiteHwk]

I have had a few (1/2 dozen or so, give or take a couple)...

The one I remember the most though is when I was about 8 years old I dived from a rock cliff into a river (barely knew how to swim then) ... underwater in a panic I started swimming in every direction but up. I thought I was gonna drown for sure. I seen my whole life (yes 8 long years, lol.) flash in front of me in my mind. <LOL> Then at long last I broke the surface and grasped a big breath of relief.

I have had a couple car accidents and near misses (just missed a head on by inches one time)... couple other things but that one is one that I remember the most.

 

[tboy]

I had two or three while driving my ninja in toronto. The last time I parked it and sold it a week later. Motorcycles are good for that (near death experiences). The most damaging was when I hit a telephone pole at 40 mph. Don't know how I walked away from that one.

 

[Cycleguy007]

Had a couple instances last year when I narrowly escaped getting hit by vehicles while riding my bike... Don't know if they were "near death" since there's no way of knowing how injured I would have been if not for my quick reaction and agility in order to avoid being hit.

1. A brown pick up turning left from an oncoming lane... we both had a green light, but I was heading straight through the intersection and he was turning left. I was cruising at about 40- 45 kph as I had just come off a hill... dude doesn't see me (in spite of my bright yellow/ black cycling gear) and I have to slam the breaks in order to avoid being hit! I managed to stop my bike in time but the forward momentum forced me off my bike and onto the pavement narrowly missing the truck. My bike was damaged, and I had jammed my hand into the pavement to break my fall, but aside from that, I escaped without a scratch (I always ride wearing gloves...). The truck sped away...

2. Riding from Brantford to Cambridge on the TCT hiking trail. It becomes necessary to cross highway 2 at one point in Paris. There's a stop light, and I was waiting for the light to turn. There was a car opposite me waiting to turn left in front of me onto hwy 2... Light turns green, I go, watching the guy in the oncoming lane to make sure he sees me (after the incident explained above, I am somewhat sensitive to such scenarios now), he stays put, so I drop the hammer so to speak! Out of the corner of my eye, I see a car traveling towards the intersection and NOT STOPPING! I slam the breaks and he missed hitting me, literally by a few centimeters. All this happened in a matter of a split second and fortunately since I had just started from a dead stop, I did not have enough forward momentum yet to carry me into the path of the car running the red light!

3. I was traveling along in a bike lane parallel to traffic... A lady in an SUV talking on her cell overtakes me and then immediately cuts me off to turn into Tim Horton's. I slam the breaks to avoid hitting her, and she speeds up to the drive thru to get her F'ing coffee. I swear she never even saw me.

OK, that last one is a bit of a stretch as far as a "near death" experience goes... at the very least, I may have sustained a broken bone or two and gotten a few scrapes etc... But fortunately, I reacted quick enough to avoid getting hit!

 

[tboy]

^^^ lol dude, maybe you should slow down a bit? Just a suggestion.

Your tales remind me of a weekly occurance when I first got my motorcycle licence. My first road bike was so bashed up in the front end that I was surprised I could actually ride in a straight line. I can't TELL you how many hoods of cars I ended up on from just the same situations. People turning in front of me etc.

I remember one time going down weston road a guy was beside me in the passing lane and sped up to move over and make a right turn in front of me, only problem was someone was walking on the sidewalk so he had to come to a complete stop. I slammed on the binders but slide into his rear bumper and up onto his trunk. Luckily I hit his back window with my bucket and created a spiderweb of cracks. I slide off, got on my bike and rode away with him screaming.....lol.

When I first started riding I wouldn't ride without my steel toed boots on. I can't tell you HOW many doors, fenders etc had dents from me kicking them when they tried to occupy the same space as me.

I eventually learned that a person can see me better when I'm in front of them. So from that point on if anyone tried to pass me? I'd hammer on the throttle so they'd have to go in behind me. There aren't many cars out there that can accelerate to 100 kph in 3 seconds.

 

[Cycleguy007]

^^^ lol dude, maybe you should slow down a bit? Just a suggestion.

I eventually learned that a person can see me better when I'm in front of them. So from that point on if anyone tried to pass me? I'd hammer on the throttle so they'd have to go in behind me. There aren't many cars out there that can accelerate to 100 kph in 3 seconds.

And he tells ME to slow down! LOL!

Truth be known, I avoid city streets whenever possible. Cambridge/ Kitchener just happens to have a very good network of trails intertwined throughout, but I occasionally have to venture out into traffic, and in doing so, I rarely travel at speeds greater than 30 kph... I save the higher speeds for country roads and trails. **insert winky face here**

 

[tboy]

And he tells ME to slow down! LOL!

Truth be known, I avoid city streets whenever possible. Cambridge/ Kitchener just happens to have a very good network of trails intertwined throughout, but I occasionally have to venture out into traffic, and in doing so, I rarely travel at speeds greater than 30 kph... I save the higher speeds for country roads and trails. **insert winky face here**

which is why I'm a strong advovate for bike only roads and trails in the city here also. There's no reason a cyclist should have a near death experience on a city street. (is waiting for his highness to show up here and jump all over this).

 

[Cycleguy007]

which is why I'm a strong advovate for bike only roads and trails in the city here also. There's no reason a cyclist should have a near death experience on a city street. (is waiting for his highness to show up here and jump all over this).

Can't say that I disagree... but maybe for a different reason. I totally agree that cyclists have just as much "right" to be on a city street... afterall, I pay taxes too ya know. But I also fully realize regardless of WHO is at fault with regards to an accident involving a cyclist, the cyclist NEVER wins... It is simply a matter of physics... using myself as an example... a 170lb guy on a 25 lb bike vs a 3,000 lb car (or more!) = BIG HURT for the cyclist every time!

 

[Amused]

I had a near death experience when I forgot our wedding anniversary with my first wife. Came in to a dinner with candles, wine, all made-up .... and my response without thinking was 'hey great - what's the occasion?' I'm much more sensitive and romantic now (i.e. all dates are on my electronic calender with one week daily reminders)

 

[thecuriousgeorge]

I've had 1...but i won't go into any detail because it was fairly publicized in local papers and the community....so if anyone even knows about the incident or knows the area then i mite be outing myself.

short version: speeding + tree= hospital for a week.

 

[Aardvark154]

It is my experience that almost all of us looking back on our childhoods can recall instances where looking back as adults we say boy oh boy that could have turned out very negatively.

 

[svtcobra]

The most serious was, A few years back when I first got my S281 Cobra. I think it was spring and the first weekend I had it out on the road (May 2-4 weekend). I was T-bone by a female driver. Knocked unconscious woke up with a bunch of people asking stuff, then I passed out again and woke up in the hospital. That accident I never really recovered from 100 % as I had back problems and it prevents me of working out, which lead me to gain allot of weight. Now that extra weight is effecting my life now. My S.O. is now saying she is concerned about my health now since I have not been working hands on with my company for the past year.

 

[red]

I've had 1...but i won't go into any detail because it was fairly publicized in local papers and the community....so if anyone even knows about the incident or knows the area then i mite be outing myself.

short version: speeding + tree= hospital for a week.

i remember reading about that. the man in the yellow hat had been drinking. right?

 

[svtcobra]

I've had 1...but i won't go into any detail because it was fairly publicized in local papers and the community....so if anyone even knows about the incident or knows the area then i mite be outing myself.

short version: speeding + tree= hospital for a week.

You kinds of gave up some info already.
That sorts of rules out Toronto. As for a local paper etc etc I have an idea

But in retrospect you are alive to tell the story.