BS: Close Calls

Subject: BS: Close Calls
From: Ebbie
Date: 01 Nov 09 - 10:52 PM

Last night was Hallowe'en and it was a dark and stormy night. :) Loud, raucous. Cars were being made to backfire, tires were spinning and screaming; loud people in all kinds of dress flooded the streets. I was walking my dog and decided it was too unpleasant to continue.

As usual, my dog - trained and obedient - was free as we started across the cross walk. My dog was ahead of me, almost across, when here came this car straight at me, going at least 40 miles an hour, I believe, and still on the throttle.

I hesitated, not knowing whether to wait, to hurry forward or to turn back to the sidewalk(pavement).

I turned back and the car passed me with just inches to spare. I swear it felt like it grabbed at my pants legs. The car roared on by and I raised my walking stick in the urge to spike it at the car; with delayed fear came anger. Luckily, the first clear thought I had was that I would be exhibiting road rage, not likely to improve the moment.

Anyone want to share close calls of their own?

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 02:33 AM

I've had a close call in the past where a trained and obedient dog almost took me off my bike. The owner's explanation of "she's never done that before" didn't go down to well.

If you were on a public road where vehicles were moving, your dog, trained or otherwise, should have been on a leash.

DC

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 02:54 AM

I had a First bus (in Essex UK) let me off at a marked stop with a bit of railing to prevent kids (it was near a school) from spilling out into the road. The bus did not stop at the opening in the railing. So I was trapped between the bus and the railing with no time to get away before it took off, nearly dragging me with it. I was pounding on the side of the bus to get the driver to stop but he did not. Got bruising on my hip where I was pulled along the railing.

TheSilentOne (my partner) was walking his bike across a light controlled intersection and a First bus, pulled out before the light properly changed, clipped the back of his bike and knocked him down. He was quite bruised and scraped. Did the bus stop? No!

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: GREEN WELLIES
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 04:02 AM

Coming home from the woods with my horse at the top of Pike Hill a German Shepherd appeared from nowhere on the other side of a garden fence on the left of us, growling and barking for all he was worth. To say Red spooked is a massive understatement. He turned on his heels and bolted full pelt, back down the hill round a bend on the wrong side of the road. It was a good minute or two before I regained control of him, but in that time and going down hill, we had almost reached the bottom. Needless to say if a car had been coming up neither us, or the driver would have stood a chance.

Its the first time he's done that in his life, he's 17 and I've owned him since he was 18 months old.
Its no excuse to say 'he's never done that before' all animals are unpredictable.

The owners of the dog? Oh they witnessed the whole event, they were standing in the garden and didnt even call the dog back when we reached the top the second time, this time on the grass verge on the other side of the road.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: Ebbie
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 11:13 AM

Green Wellies, you have nicely combined the two topics. :)

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: Ebbie
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 11:18 AM

Speaking of buses, my daughter, five months pregnant with twins, stepped out the rear door of a bus, and before she got her second foot on the ground, the bus pulled away. The doors trapped her foot inside. Sreaming, she hopped along on one foot until some other people ran forward and punded on the front door.

(I agree, Doug Chadwick, she should have known to stay home.)

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: MarkS
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 11:41 AM

Thought this was about the skill of the umps in this years world series.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: jeffp
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 01:26 PM

I was on my honeymoon week before last. My wife and I were crossing the street, in the crosswalk, with the green light, when a car came screaming around the corner right at us. I pulled her back a couple of steps, backing up myself at the same time and we just averted becoming car-crossed lovers. The idiot driver slowed down, but sped away as I approached with a few well-chosen words. As she did, I saw two small children in the car. No, one of them wasn't driving.

If I had had to look for her to get her out of the way, we both would have been run over, as there would have been no time. They were right in Kindergarten: Hold hands when you cross the street. It saved two lives.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: Bill D
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 01:39 PM

I live in the Greater Washington DC metro area..... my list of close calls & scary events would take all day to type.
In this area, one simply assumes that someone will run EVERY red light, and acts accordingly.

I was 1st in line on a side street where it crosses a major street. I saw the light begin to change and prepared...it changed to green, and I began to move...still watching...when a car from the left simply kept coming--actually speeding up in order to run the light! They (two young men) had to swerve slightly when they saw me partly into the intersection. I was in an old VW bus, or I might have tried to follow them.
I have, at least 3-4 times, seen a light turn yellow, began to stop, and had a car behind me pull around me and pass me in order to run the red light.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: open mike
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 02:34 PM

Well, I had a close call with the grim reaper...non-traffic related...
2 years ago i was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism..(blood clot in my lung) I found out that it is often fatal...but i came through alright..thank goodness. I was exhibiting symptoms of heart problems..
shortness of breath, chest pain, etc. (which by the way, gave me priority in line at the emergency room...so, even if you have a broken arm, i recommend complaining of chest pain, to shorten your wait!)

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: LilyFestre
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 02:46 PM

In northern Pennsylvania they are drilling for gas. Drilling equipment is concentrated in areas (currently right were I live ^%@%$#@^$@#^@#) which means large trucks hauling either equipment, fresh water or residual waste are all over these back roads. Dirt roads. Fairly narrow dirt roads. I went to get the mail the other day and a residual waste water truck came barrel assing over the hill, clearly speeding and damn near ran me over (if there had been a tractor going up over the hill, the farmer would have been killed....no chance to move over when stuff is coming at them that fast). They drive down the middle of these small country roads and rarely move over for anyone. I hate them.

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 02:05 AM

(I agree, Doug Chadwick, she should have known to stay home.)

Ebbie,

I'm not saying that you shouldn't have been out there walking your dog or that the driver of the car wasn't at fault. What I am saying is that, given the circumstances and the potential for incidents, such as happened, to occur, you should have been fully in control of your dog.

In my case, the dog was trained and obedient. As soon as the owner called the dog to heel, it obeyed instantly. It was just that the owner's attention was elsewhere immediately before the incident. The dog was left to itself and dogs will do what dogs will do. In your case, with self-preservation uppermost in your mind and your dog on the opposite side of the road, a close call for somebody could have been waiting to happen.

DC

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 02:22 AM

Last line above:

"... a close call for somebody ..."    =   "... a close call for somebody else ..."


DC

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: wysiwyg
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 04:31 AM

I'll describe later, but I have had several, in cars and off horses.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: kendall
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 05:35 AM

In St. Martin some years ago my wife (not Jacqui) were riding a motorcycle up a hill on a curve when this idiot came around the bend too fast on our side of the road. I had no choice but to leave the road and we ended up in a rock pile with multiple bruises.
He stopped and came back to see if we were ok, and I don't know if he spoke English or not but if he did he still heard words that one does not often hear on land.
I haven't ridden since.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: Amos
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 01:28 PM

I got buried by an unexpected wall of green water one night crossing the Bay of Biscay. It came over the beam, about 20 feet tall, and just picked me up off the quarterdeck as it rolled through. If I hadn't grabbed the companionway ladder with both arms I'd have been over the side in a flash, and no-one the wiser.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: SharonA
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 02:48 PM

Y'know that saying about seeing your life flash before your eyes when you're about to die? I'm here to tell ya that it really happens. My life flashed before my eyes and across the grille of an oncoming school bus.

I forget exactly when it happened, but it must've been 14 or 15 years ago or so. I was driving to work on a four-lane road and had stopped for a traffic light (no cars in front of me but several behind me) at an intersection with a two-lane cross street. Coming toward the intersection on an opposing lane of the four-lane road was the school bus, the driver of which was apparently anticipating the changing of the light to green and, therefore, not slowing down. Meanwhile, when the light for the cross street changed to yellow and then red, a woman drove her car from the cross street into the intersection, trying to "beat" the delayed-green light for the four-lane road. You guessed it; the bus hit the car.

The car spun around, and the bus caromed off at an angle across the intersection -- and straight at me. It came to a halt inches -- literally -- from my car. Never touched me. But I could do nothing but watch the bus coming; there was no time to move out of the intersection and, if I'd tried to pull forward, the bus would have hit me. It was so close that, afterward, I had to back up the car so that the hood of the bus could be opened and the engine checked.

However, I'll never forget the sensation of watching those rapid-fire scenes of my life on the backdrop of that yellow metal grille of that bus. It shook me up for the whole day, and I wasn't able to get much work done once I finally got to the place where I worked! I got my 15 seconds of fame on the evening news, too -- a TV helicopter videotaped the scene of the accident from overhead.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 04:04 PM

BLACK ICE -sneaky stuff.

I have already told the 180 degree spin I did on icy (not quite a) mountain road that instead of taking me over edge slammed me up against the high side. Driver door wedged against side of mountain, my car in lane facing in wrong direction and semi, barreling down the road slipping on the ice as I had. I managed to get the door open enough to start scrabbling up the mountain, but my foot/trainer was wedged between door and truck. I figured if that semi hit my truck, it was going to take my leg off at the very least. At most ... uggh. Don't want to think about it.

Luckily the semi, missed my truck. Relatively soon after a UPS driver,came along, got me free, pulled my truck away from the mountain. All I had was a flat tire and few thin scratches in the paint. I drove up to first driveway and asked to call my husband. All this at 5 AM. Husband did not get to sort out the flat tire until 11:30, because he spent the entire morning, trying to warn people away from the dangerous slippery road and helping deputies and state police, get cars unstuck.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: GUEST,SharonA, logged out
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 04:22 PM

"...my foot/trainer was wedged between door and truck..."

VTam, what is a "foot/trainer"?

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: Amos
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 04:51 PM

A foot is the folded part at the end of the leg, where the extra material gets folded up. They often fray at the ends, usually into five parts.

A trainer is a British sneaker, not to be confused with a British lurker, or piece of athletic footwear. One can spot them on many feet, covering up the frayed parts, throughout ENgland. This should not be confused with train-spotting or with omnibus-daubing.



A

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 05:02 PM

As a cop in the 60s, I was following a stolen motor vehicle when my windscreen shattered and I radioed in for assistance.... a parol car rammed the offender some minutes later. I finished my shift walking the streets that night until 6am... I restarted shift at 2pm and my sergeant called me to my car... he pointed to a small hole in the rear screen of the car and said that is where the bullet had passed through...... It had missed my head by inches after the guy had indiscriminately fired through his window at me.... I hadn't even realised I had been shot at. I had ear problems for some months after but at least I knew why...... Close Call!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 05:03 PM

oh yeah! i speaky de english so good now. trainer is cross trainer shoe. the sole quite chunky and shoe not soft and bendy so not easy to yank out of tight spot.


Amos you reminded me of a little poem my Mom used to recite.

My feet are important
My feet are my friends
My feet keep my legs
from fraying at the ends.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: Bill D
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 05:11 PM

"BLACK ICE -sneaky stuff."

ah...yes....and I had a close call that I don't even remember. In the Winter of 1939-1940, when I was 6-8 months old, my mother was driving over a mountain pass in Colorado(Battle Mountain) with me in a bassinet on the seat beside her. (My father was stringing telegraph lines in the area.)
   She hit a patch of black ice and spun 2 or 3 times, and ended with one rear wheel over the edge of the road, with one of those drop-offs that are scary to look at beside her. It took a tow truck to get her car back on the road. So I was 'almost' not even here to tell any stories.
Years later *I* was driving with *her* in the passenger seat as we approached Battle Mountain, and she was warning me to "slow down, Bill!"...but it was Summer and the road was wide & clear.....she just never got over her fear of the location.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 06:08 PM

True that Bill. Years of driving that same stretch of road daily and i was still wary. Getting the occasional involuntary shudder at the spot.

"It could have all ended there, just there!" feeling.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: ranger1
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 07:09 PM

I got rear-ended by a semi one night on my way home from work.It took five hours and a shot of whiskey before I stopped shaking. And the whole time, all I could think about was the fact that it was Jason's dad's car.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: Charley Noble
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 08:05 PM

I must have been sixteen driving home from a date when I became aware of flashing lights ahead of me in the middle of the road. I came to a slow stop, gradually realizing that there was a major accident there.

Then suddenly another car careened around the accident from the other side and approached me head on. There was nothing I could do but throw myself down on the seat. Fortunately the on-coming car managed to swerve and hit my front end broadside and bounced off. Fortunately my front end was a solid 1953 Mercury and only the left front fender was caved in. The other car appeared totaled although no one was injured.

I was fine, although a bit shaken up, and afterwards with some assistance I managed to pry out the fender enough from the tire so that I could limp home. But I considered that one of my 9 lives used up.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: Ebbie
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 08:12 PM

.
Wow. These experiences make my (non)experience small potatoes. I'll stop complaining.

For what it's worth, Doug Chadwick, had my dog been on leash that night, we would have been hit. There is no way I could have gotten myself, the leash and the dog out of harm's way.

Normally I would agree with you. Keep in mind, however, that this is *not* a city. It is urban but the downtown is very small. The core of the downtown is two blocks square with a long tail (about 5 blocks long) heading out of town in several directions.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: Don Firth
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 09:09 PM

A couple of doozies.

I'm twelve years old. Laying on my back on the grass in a vacant lot across from where I live. I have a toy bow and arrow that belongs to a friend of mine. I draw the bow fully, hold it for a second, then let fly the arrow. Straight up. I watch it go, high, higher than the telephone poles in the neighborhood. It slows down as it reaches apogee, hesitates for a second, and comes back down. The feathers making sure that it turns and comes down point first. It buries itself with a "thump!" about six inches into the hard ground about two feet to the right of where I lay.

It wasn't until years later and had read a bit of physics that I remembered. And broke into a cold sweat!!

####

I'm driving north on 3rd Avenue in Seattle, going home from work. That afternoon it had rained for the first time after a warm spell that had lasted for several weeks. The rain, falling on the accumulated road oil, had made the street slicker than grease. I saw the light at Pine Street turn amber and since I wasn't up to the crosswalk yet, I carefully slowed to a stop. Then I glanced in the rear view mirror and saw a Seattle Metro-Transit bus sliding up behind me, very fast, and with the wheels locked. I also say the look of horror on the driver's face.

Knowing I was going to get a bus up my backside, I glanced at the light just as it turned red, then, noting that the cars on Pine Street hadn't begun to move yet, I punched it! My front wheels (front wheel drive Honda Civic) spun for a second, then my Michelin steel-belted radials grabbed and I shot through the intersection. The cars on the cross street had only begun to move.

I pulled over to the curb to catch my breath and noted behind me, that indeed the bus had slid into the crosswalk and a few feet into the intersection. If I hadn't done what I did, I would have had a whole city bus sitting in my glove compartment.

Then I see this flashing red light. A motorcycle cop pulls up beside me, he gets off the bike and pulls his ticket book out, and informs me that I had just run a red light. Yeah, news flash!

"Didn't you see the bus that was bearing down on me?" I asked.

"Bus?" he sez. "What bus? I didn't see no stinkin' bus!"

Then the weak-eyed sonovabitch writes me a ticket for $120 bucks!

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: Janie
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 10:16 PM

In my early 20's I was on a weekend trip tubing down the Hughes River in central West Virginia with a group of friends. (Actually, it was the Annual Air-Cooled Watermelon and Raunch Festival, Starring Big Hit Joel Bedell - but that is another story.) I wanted to chat with a friend who was well behind me so drifted toward the riverbank where I saw a deadfall, thinking to grap a branch to "dock" to until she caught up with me. I didn't realize how much stronger the current was near the bank, and also thoughtlessly allowed myself to drift in upstream of the downed tree and grabbed a branch down stream of me. I'm not sure exactly what happened though I understand the dynamics. The innertube, with me in it, flipped over. The tube bounced up into the tree branches above water, and the strong current drove me down into the water under the submerged tree canapy. To make matters worse, I had really long hair then, which was loose, and the current wrapped and tangled my hair around the countless twigs. Obviously I managed to break free and live to tell the tale, but that is as close to drowning as I ever hope to come. Another few seconds and I would have been breathing muddy water.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: Alice
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 10:24 PM

I've had too many close calls.
I don't like to remember them.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: Janie
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 10:43 PM

We were driving along a good 2 lane road going through the North Carolina Piedmont countryside, our sailboat in tow, going the speed limt of 55mph. A semi was in the approaching lane, and also looked to be going the speed limit, or close to it. The front ends of our vehicles were within 20 feet of one another when a small pick-up whipped around it into our lane, intent on passing it.    It seemed we were about to die in a head-on. As the big rig passed us to our left, the pick-up swerved onto the gravel berm and passed us on our right, without slowing down, pulled back into our lane, finished passing the semi and drove on.

We pulled off into the first turn-out we came upon and just sat there shaking for a little while.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Calls
From: Janie
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 10:53 PM

Thanks be the idiot in the pick-up had fast reflexs, thanks be, the berm was wide and level, and thanks be my husband was quick enough to see what the pick-up was going to do so that he did not also swerve to the berm in an attempt to avoid the collision.