What is the closest you have come to death?

[Jon B]

I had been a cop for 15 months. I thought I was a drug hound. Made a BS stop on a **** car leaving a crack house. Got up to the window and it was obvious that they were carrying dope. I asked the driver to get out and speak with me. At the same time I get a message from dispatch to secure my mic. I say standby and the driver asks why he needs to get out. I make a smart mouth comment about pulling him out and he looks at the gearshift. Being young and dumb I reach in and grab him. He throws it in gear and stomps the gas. I get slung along side the car but couldn't let go. I look up to see him about to use a telephone pole to wipe me off the side of the car. I remember looking down and watching the road moving under my boots like I was skiing. I remember thinking man this is bad. I decided that if I let go I might die but if I hit the pole I will die. I let go and my feet seem to stick to the ground. I slam down on my chest and hear a horrible sound. I felt pressure on my right leg and I start rolling. I came to rest 15 yards away against a no parking sign. I don't know if I slowed enough or my vest kept me from breaking my back. Each time I rolled I saw a big guy standing where the car was. I kept thinking he was going to get to me before I could get up. I rise to my feet and point my gun at him and prone him out as I am covering the distance back to him. He cooperates and I put him in hand cuffs. While I am on top of him, I reach back and touch the back of my right thigh and feel a nasty bulge. There is a piece of skin with a huge knot on my thigh. It felt so unreal. I started to hyperventilate and in the dashcam my color went from bright red to dull gray. I got dizzy and fell off of the guy. Somehow got him stoodup and moved to my car. He was the passenger and got out when I told the driver to exit. I hauled him to the PD and a retired officer "Hippy" is there and helps me into the jail. The medics meet me at the jail and after taking a look at me and condition decide that I am riding the box to the hospital. It turns out the car was stolen. This is what dispatch was trying to tell Officer **** and Vinegar. The driver was a three time loser on parole. He ran me over and tried to run over two cops that tried to spike his tires. He was chased about 20 miles and pitted three times. We ended up across from each other in the emergency room. I had some road rash on both forearms a sprained ankle and a nasty hunk of meat protruding from my leg where the car went over it. The tire tread pattern was transferred to this spot. It remained visible for a couple years. I walked out of the hospital that afternoon all bandaged up and limping. The worst feeling was making the concious decision to let go of the car as it sped away. I remember that telephone pole and the video made his intent very apparent. He was charged with three counts of attempted capital murder, UUMV and Evading in an MV. I have a couple more but this one really hit home. I changed my Policing style shortly thereafter. I honestly think that was first time I had faced my own mortality. The debate I had with myself while being dragged by that car (might die/will die) is as clear and real 8 years later as it was in that moment.

[Hoggslayer]

Sank my boat on Lake Livingston June 18th 2016. My son Clay, Daughter Ryanne, my wife and her friend were with me. We went down about 150 yards off shore and we were all separated. Clay swam to shore, and Ryanne was rescued by a family on a Pontoon boat. My wife was rescued by 3 other boats of witch 2 of those also sunk. I got a hook in my side that was also hooked to the anchor rope. I was in the water for 45 min trying to get the hook out so I could swim away from the boat. No matter how hard I pulled I couldn't rip the hook out. We all made it by the grace of God.

I'll let my son Clay tell his own story one day. He's had a close call or two.

[tdwinklr]

while my friend and I were swimming in the Gulf around Destin, Florida, about 9 yrs old. Got carried out by undertow. Luckily, my parents were on shore watching and Mom was screaming, then a couple guys on the beach jumped in and rescued us ... scariest thing in the world.

[BrandonA]

Did you go to western Texas College?

No sir Howard in Big Spring

[cj7zrcool]

Just before Christmas 1995. My wife@thetime and our best friend couple were going to do some Christmas shopping in Ft. Worth and have dinner. Did that and on the way back home both of the wives decided that they wanted to have a drink at the small local watering hole. The husbands were kinda against it since we had plans to go duck hunting the next morning and it was already getting late. We went anyway. We had a few and as we were leaving, my wife@thetime hears someone hollering at her. She's from there and knows everyone so I thought nothing of it and continued to the truck. A minute later I hear her hollering that "oh yeah, I'll whip YOUR ***". I dash over to see WTH is going on and there's some drunk dude in a running truck jawing with her. I decide that he was out of line and reach through the open door to jerk him out of the truck and let him know how I feel. As I do, he floors it and we take off backwards across the bar parking lot at a fairly high rate of speed. We sandwich me between his truck and the rear of another and as he pulls forward to get away he rolls over my left shoulder. Truck won't go so he bails and runs into the bar. Cops come for him & ambulance for me. I end up with 7 broken ribs, punctured lung, bruised heart, torn cartilage in my hip, elbow, & shoulder and a coupla broken fingers. There's nothing quite like the feeling of having your chest cavity so full of air that it won't let your lungs work. When that ER doc cut between those ribs and through the side of my chest wall, it sound like you stuck a knife in a car tire....and it felt SO good. Three months later I was as good as...used.

[sunsethunter]

Just before Christmas 1995. My wife@thetime and our best friend couple were going to do some Christmas shopping in Ft. Worth and have dinner. Did that and on the way back home both of the wives decided that they wanted to have a drink at the small local watering hole. The husbands were kinda against it since we had plans to go duck hunting the next morning and it was already getting late. We went anyway. We had a few and as we were leaving, my wife@thetime hears someone hollering at her. She's from there and knows everyone so I thought nothing of it and continued to the truck. A minute later I hear her hollering that "oh yeah, I'll whip YOUR ***". I dash over to see WTH is going on and there's some drunk dude in a running truck jawing with her. I decide that he was out of line and reach through the open door to jerk him out of the truck and let him know how I feel. As I do, he floors it and we take off backwards across the bar parking lot at a fairly high rate of speed. We sandwich me between his truck and the rear of another and as he pulls forward to get away he rolls over my left shoulder. Truck won't go so he bails and runs into the bar. Cops come for him & ambulance for me. I end up with 7 broken ribs, punctured lung, bruised heart, torn cartilage in my hip, elbow, & shoulder and a coupla broken fingers. There's nothing quite like the feeling of having your chest cavity so full of air that it won't let your lungs work. When that ER doc cut between those ribs and through the side of my chest wall, it sound like you stuck a knife in a car tire....and it felt SO good. Three months later I was as good as...used.

What city was that in? I'm surprised the medics didn't decompress your chest before the hospital

[kck]

Getting married!

I did it twice! I'm kind of an adrenaline junkie...

[Huntsman27]

I may have shared this story in another thread. As I type it feels familiar, if so I apologize.

On October 31st, 1986, our company took some folks on a hunt on a company deer lease and I was one of the guys that helped host the event. Four of us were in the pasture checking feeders and deer stands Two in an old suburban and me and another guy were in a pick-up. The guy driving the suburban got off the road into a stand location and got stuck, the rear wheels dropped off in a ditch.

I was using a high lift bumper jack on the rear bumper and placed some logs and rocks under the tires to drive it out. When I went to lower the jack I kicked the switch with my boot and pushed the jack handle down and my gloved hand slid off the the handle. The weight of the suburban sprung the jack handle up and hit me under my chin shattering my left mandible. Although it didn't know me off my feet I seem to remember being semi-conscious. It took 3 surgeries, two plates, seven (i think) screws and I had my mouth wired shut 3 times for a total of 18 weeks.

The doctor told me had it hit me in the temple it would have killed me. It was a close call and I have a healthy respect for those types of jacks and will only use one as a last resort, I keep some wood and a floor type jack in my truck at all times now.

[Pigpiggy]

I may have shared this story in another thread. As I type it feels familiar, if so I apologize.

On October 31st, 1986, our company took some folks on a hunt on a company deer lease and I was one of the guys that helped host the event. Four of us were in the pasture checking feeders and deer stands Two in an old suburban and me and another guy were in a pick-up. The guy driving the suburban got off the road into a stand location and got stuck, the rear wheels dropped off in a ditch.

I was using a high lift bumper jack on the rear bumper and placed some logs and rocks under the tires to drive it out. When I went to lower the jack I kicked the switch with my boot and pushed the jack handle down and my gloved hand slid off the the handle. The weight of the suburban sprung the jack handle up and hit me under my chin shattering my left mandible. Although it didn't know me off my feet I seem to remember being semi-conscious. It took 3 surgeries, two plates, seven (i think) screws and I had my mouth wired shut 3 times for a total of 18 weeks.

The doctor told me had it hit me in the temple it would have killed me. It was a close call and I have a healthy respect for those types of jacks and will only use one as a last resort, I keep some wood and a floor type jack in my truck at all times now.

Yes, those things can be very dangerous. The original, made in USA versions are better, but must be kept lubricated. I had my own scary lesson with one, though I wasn’t injured. When the ranch truck came crashing down, after the jack first shot out from underneath it, the realization of just how close I came to being buried at an early age flashed in my head. That was the end of my attempt at using that particular jack.

[huntingfanatic]

Buddy and I are wading out after a duck hunt. All evening long we had been hearing rifle shots way off in the distance but didn’t think much about it. We are about a yard apart wading out with him
in front. All of a sudden there is a high pitch buzz go right between us. I can feel the air moving. Before either of us can react a second one passes about 6 inches in front of my nose. As I’m hitting the water I can here the rifle reports in the distance. We are both now laying down in the water with just are heads sticking up. We crawled about 75 yards through the water and mud to a nearby tree line and waited about 20 minutes for anymore shots. Finally made it out of there to the truck. Going back for our stuff the next day was still nerve wracking

[SnJGuin]

I got married!

[cj7zrcool]

What city was that in? I'm surprised the medics didn't decompress your chest before the hospital

Cleburne TX. I had been an EMT a few years prior and KNEW I had a punctured lung...and told 'em so. They said I didn't and wanted to argue about it. Glad the hospital wasn't too far away.

[Mark44]

I'm 54.

Did Camp Gladiator on and off for the last several years. Got real serious in 2017-2018 and was hitting it hard (3-4x a week). Best shape of my life. In May 2018 I'm running with a 20 pound sand bell on my shoulder, flipping tires, doing burppees and all kinds of craziness in a parking lot. It's 95 degrees and hot! Suddenly I feel like there is a belt around my lungs. Can't get all the way to the bottom of my lungs and get that breath I need to "catch up." Didn't stop the workout. Solid hour of really pushing and really struggling to keep up.

Got home. Told wife "something is wrong with me, I feel like someone is spreading my ribs wide open. Can't get my breath like I want to." She wanted to go to the ER. I told her no because I had done a complete cardiological workup six months earlier (history of heart disease in my family). Doc has me on meds. I'm good.

Most of the pain went away now that I wasn't running and jumping and carrying sand bells. But still there. Did some googling to find any thing it could be besides what it was ... Decided to go to the cardiologist in the morning and ask him what was up.

THAT WAS REALLY DUMB. I should've gone to the ER. Was worried I would have to sit in the ER with people coughing all over me and I'd get sick. Well, friends, when you're having chest pain you go to the head of the class! #dummy

Saw cardiologist in the morning. He couldn't believe it when he saw my EKG. Massive heart attack with 100% blockage of the LAD. The famed "widow maker." Only 1 in 3 survive this heart attack and I walked it 15 hours. Talk about God's grace! They whisked me next door to the hospital and the cath lab, popped a stent in me, and I'm all fine. No damage. Now, after my last cardiologist visit, he did a sonogram and said you can't even tell I ever had a heart attack.

But my diet has changed big time (hello plant based diet). And, in the words of my cardiologist when I asked him how I could have a HA when doing a big time workout like CG ... "That's a YOUNG MAN'S WORKOUT." Gulp! So my workout routine has changed too.

That's my story. If it wasn't for the Lord I wouldn't be typing this. Can't believe it happened. Can't believe I lived through it.

[Dakota7493]

I may have shared this story in another thread. As I type it feels familiar, if so I apologize.

On October 31st, 1986, our company took some folks on a hunt on a company deer lease and I was one of the guys that helped host the event. Four of us were in the pasture checking feeders and deer stands Two in an old suburban and me and another guy were in a pick-up. The guy driving the suburban got off the road into a stand location and got stuck, the rear wheels dropped off in a ditch.

I was using a high lift bumper jack on the rear bumper and placed some logs and rocks under the tires to drive it out. When I went to lower the jack I kicked the switch with my boot and pushed the jack handle down and my gloved hand slid off the the handle. The weight of the suburban sprung the jack handle up and hit me under my chin shattering my left mandible. Although it didn't know me off my feet I seem to remember being semi-conscious. It took 3 surgeries, two plates, seven (i think) screws and I had my mouth wired shut 3 times for a total of 18 weeks.

The doctor told me had it hit me in the temple it would have killed me. It was a close call and I have a healthy respect for those types of jacks and will only use one as a last resort, I keep some wood and a floor type jack in my truck at all times now.

I was 19 and switching a grain swather from road mode to field mode. I had the tongue jacked up with a handy man and I went to lower it. Next thing I know I’m looking up at the sky with my uncle looking down at me. Felt like I had a mouthful of sand. Uncle said it hit me under the chin with my hand still on it. I slowly tipped over backwards and was out for a minute. That “sand” in my mouth was my teeth. Fractured and shattered five teeth on my left side.

[quackaholic1]

February 2016. In hospital for almost a month. Kidney function went down to less than 5%. Dr told my mother to leave hospital and make arrangements for me go home to the Lord. Mama refused!! Lol. I was more than ready to go home. My mother told me one evening that a mother should not bury her son. I thought hard about that all night and decided to fight as hard as I could to make it. Fifteen days later I walked iut if the hospital.