Saw Your Life Flash Before Your Eyes?

[SuperBigD60]

A while ago, I was waiting to turn left at an intersection, and the light turned yellow so I went to turn, expecting the oncoming pick-up to obey traffic laws and stop for the red light. The light then turned red, so I had to go to get out of the middle of th intersection. I still expected this fellow to stop for the red light.

As it happened, he didn't, and I stopped my tiny car within inches of being run over by some redneck pick-up with a lift kit travelling 60+mph. Needless to say, I was quite frightened.

I've definitely had other near death experiences, but this was just the quickest to mention.

Anyway, I just got curious, has anyone else had terrifying/near death/traumatic experiences?

[TheCanadianVendingMachine]

Well, I was riding my bike. I looked both ways, and went. A bus turned a corner and was going towards me. I stared at it, and got passed the crosswalk

I mean, it was about 30 meters away, but it is still scary seeing the front of a bus going toward you at 30km/h

[SuperBigD60]

Well, I was riding my bike. I looked both ways, and went. A bus turned a corner and was going towards me. I stared at it, and got passed the crosswalk

I mean, it was about 30 meters away, but it is still scary seeing the front of a bus going toward you at 30km/h

Especially on a bike

[TechnicalK3rbal]

Falling down the basement stairs.

Now, that might not sound too dangerous, but their about 10 feet down and made out of solid stone.

It still hurt like @#^& anyway.

[Stargate525]

Car in front of me had a blowout at 80mph during heavy traffic.

Turned a blind bend in a highway to find halted traffic. 75mph to stopped in about 2 seconds, ending on the shoulder next to the guy I nearly hit.

[rpayne88]

I didn't have an experience like yours but I would say the first time I stalled a light plane. Not too dangerous given the fact I was with an instructor at 5000 ASL (probably around 4980 AGL,) but still. One moment, it seems like your straight up with a stall horn going of n your ear, with your airspeed around 40 knots (one knot equals one nautical mile per hour or 1.15 statue miles per hour.) The next, you seem to be straight down with your airspeed shooting past 90 kt (and I was flying a slow Cessna 152. Oh, and Vne, never exceed speed, is 109 kt.)

[karolus10]

My most scary moment in my life was when I fell into air pocket under ice and fell into Baltic sea - I couldn't drown really as I was holding to ice ,but I couldn't go out for a while either. I managed to pull myself out before I frozen to death (also it was -22*C outside and I had to run ~800m to home nearby, not fun).

If I would be in the water for few minutes more and probably I would not be here and seriously thought that I'm a dead man before gathered all strength and made last try to get out.

After all of this I noticed that I had hidden my gloves inside my jacket (I had to take them off as I don't had a grip on the ice) in middle of this, dunno when I found time to do this and why.

Edited March 29, 2014 by karolus10

[PDCWolf]

I was swimming on a wild river (pretty popular activity in the desert) using a "life rope" tied to a tree. I went near the middle of the river and an immense force pushed me down, getting me to the deepest part, the force was so intense I couldn't use the rope to pull myself back to safety, I was pretty much paralyzed by the huge force of the water, my eyes wide open (yeah, I always have my eyes open, even on chlorine ridden public swimming pools) underwater, I could see the beautiful picture of my parents laying on their sun beds, the rope going all the way back to the tree, the rest of the people swimming nearby and my hand going upwards as I tried to reach the surface, everything was beautiful and calm until they realized I was in trouble and I saw them pulling from the rope. They managed to get me back. The way I saw things happening and the way I felt during the experience was so beautiful and dreamlike that sometimes I feel like trying it again.

[EvilotionCR2]

I slipped near a pool. When I was falling. It felt really slow, like if I would be falling for 3 seconds, Ive been mentally preparing for death, and Ive remembered my first crush, first day in school, then my family on a different holiday, and a lot of other small things, I realized how much they actually love me and right then I finished falling.. I went unconscious for good 20 minutes. Dont know the word in english but my brain has shaken. I have been in a Magyar hospital for a day there. Because we were far from Slovakia on a holiday. I was like 8 then. 3 years.

Edited March 29, 2014 by EvilotionCR2
Age correctment

[Spuds]

Woo, I've got a doozy.

I was riding my bike last summer, and wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I must have hit a bump in the sidewalk or something, because I skidded and fell, landing on my hip. I tried to get back up, but my leg failed me. I limped (or rather, hopped on a leg) over to a patch of grass and laid down on my side, waiting for about 45 minutes for help. Finally got it when someone was walking by me. Got taken to a hospital, found out I broke my hip, and had surgery done. That was one heck of a day.

[karolus10]

I slipped near a pool. When I was falling. It felt really slow, like if I would be falling for 3 seconds

I slipped in the open shower over half year ago and it felt like the bullet time was ON. Fortunately I grabbed a locker in last moment and nearly displaced my arm (no damage)... happy ending but it was close .

[KvickFlygarn87]

Slightly related, when I was 4 or something I fell off an office chair and broke my arm.

Great success.

[The Destroyer]

Well, I haven't had any "life flash before my eyes" but one was, I was walking down the hallway, Slipped for no reason, and my wrist and nose hurt. The nose bled, and it wouldn't stop. Eventually just letting it dry up fixed it, and my wrist and nose were fine- but it scared me!

[MaverickSawyer]

Never had a "life-before-the-eyes" moment yet... Hopefully not anytime soon, either!

However, I have noticed that, when the adrenaline kicks in, my memory becomes clearer and my mind processes things MUCH faster. It's been useful a few times, like when I got into a fender-bender, and was able to accurately describe everything that happened in extreme detail.

[Tex_NL]

Two of my scariest moments were both about 15-20 years ago.

I was driving my motorbike from home to work. Driving the same route everyday had probably made me a bit overconfident. I knew all the bumps and curves in that road and was driving a bit too fast. I turn into a nice left handed follow-through with 100 kph only to notice the end of the curve is covered with mud. A farmer had recently come out of his field and didn't clean up his mess. Any experience biker knows you don't brake in the middle of a turn but I had no choice. I HAD to reduce speed despite the risk of spinning out. Hitting that mud with 100 kph would guarantee a close encounter of the 'HURT' kind.

I managed to kill at least some speed before I entered the muddy area but was still going way too fast. I lost traction to both my front and rear tire and started sliding. For some miraculous reason I did not lost total control and did not drop my bike. The moment I came out of the muddy turn and was on clean tarmac again I literally had less than ten centimeters left before hitting the soft grass.

Talk about a life changing moment. It was well over 10 years ago but still remember it like yesterday.

Not a month later I was driving my bike on a different country road and again I spot mud in the distance. The near miss still fresh in my memory I hit the brakes. Guess what, I'm on loose gravel and lock up my front tire. For the second time that month I nearly soiled myself.

The other near miss was in Germany with my first car.

I was driving north of Bremen after visiting a girlfriend. Not familiar in that area I missed my exit on the autobahn. It was the time before satnavs so I had to check my maps. Soon I spotted signs for a rest stop and I moved over to the slow lane. For some reason all traffic in front of me suddenly slows down. No problem, I wasn't tailgating so I too reduce speed. I check my mirrors and spot a car gaining on me fast. And when I say fast I mean FAST and he wasn't showing any signs of slowing down. He was doing at least 120 while I barely hit 70 kph.

Still checking my mirrors I braced for impact, only to see him slam on the brakes and dive into the emergency lane at the last possible second. He was completely next to me when he finally matched speed.

I exited the autobahn for the rest stop and parked at the first possible spot. But he followed me and parked right next to me. And he jumped out. Blood and adrenaline still screaming through my veins I was thinking to myself "Oh no, you're NOT gonna do this! If you as much as touch my car I am going to tear you apart!" I too jumped out.

The German guy reached out his hand: "Are you OK?"

Edited March 30, 2014 by Tex_NL

[jmiki8]

Wow, not bad... Most of these life-threatening stuff happen on the roads...

Just like the event I'll remember 'till my death.

Some years ago we were going home via Salzburg, Austria from after spending our ski-holiday in Tyrol.

We were going on the S10 motorway towards Salzburg. We didn't install the tire chains, as the temperature was fairly high those days (so I guess most people did the same). We encountered a heavy snowfall appearing suddenly from the nowhere. The snow on the autobahn became thicker and thicker in matter of minutes, making the asphalt very slippery. We had to reduce our speed to like 60 km/h. However, not every motorists obliged the law and safety measures, and continued to go as fast as 100-120 km/h. Suddenly, a line of stopped cars appeared in front of us (visibility was barely 50 metres that time). We could stop in time, but not everybody could avoid the accident. Some drivers tried to avoid crashing into the line by making sharp turns, resulting in bumping into the surrounding gouardrail. Some crashed into another car. These crashes ranged from minor scratches to movie-like accidents. A truck coming from behind could not stop, and broke through the guardrail, falling into the trench. (Its driver got out from the seat completely unharmed!) All of these events could be seen from the rearview mirror, and it was shocking. We were only saved from injuries and damage because there were two cars behind us, when the accident happened. Fortunately no people died in the accident (afaik), and my family and our car came out unscratched. Our 200 km journey from the ski resort to Salzburg took 10 hours.

Edited March 30, 2014 by jmiki8

[Guest]

A while ago, I was waiting to turn left at an intersection, and the light turned yellow so I went to turn, expecting the oncoming pick-up to obey traffic laws and stop for the red light. The light then turned red, so I had to go to get out of the middle of th intersection. I still expected this fellow to stop for the red light.

As it happened, he didn't, and I stopped my tiny car within inches of being run over by some redneck pick-up with a lift kit travelling 60+mph. Needless to say, I was quite frightened.

I've definitely had other near death experiences, but this was just the quickest to mention.

Anyway, I just got curious, has anyone else had terrifying/near death/traumatic experiences?

I'm a truck driver. I've got 15 years over the road and have logged about 1.25 million miles over 46 states. I've seen a lot of crap. I can tell you that you can ABSOLUTELY NEVER assume that the other driver is going to do this or that. When people say "never say never", this is the exception. The one time that you think, well this guy will stop, is the one time he won't. All it takes is once and it's all over. That being said, even the safest, most attentive driver that follows all the rules and does the best he can all the time can only get a lifetime safety award (absolutely no accidents) through luck. The more exposure you have, the more likely you will be involved in an accident, it's all a matter of time. You're best chance at avoiding that next incident is to keep this in mind. If your always paying attention the best you can, then you're more likely to keep yourself out of dangerous situations.

[Javster]

-snip-

The German guy reached out his hand: "Are you OK?"

Wow! Very polite and caring. Unusual!

[SuperBigD60]

I was swimming on a wild river (pretty popular activity in the desert) using a "life rope" tied to a tree. I went near the middle of the river and an immense force pushed me down, getting me to the deepest part, the force was so intense I couldn't use the rope to pull myself back to safety, I was pretty much paralyzed by the huge force of the water, my eyes wide open (yeah, I always have my eyes open, even on chlorine ridden public swimming pools) underwater, I could see the beautiful picture of my parents laying on their sun beds, the rope going all the way back to the tree, the rest of the people swimming nearby and my hand going upwards as I tried to reach the surface, everything was beautiful and calm until they realized I was in trouble and I saw them pulling from the rope. They managed to get me back. The way I saw things happening and the way I felt during the experience was so beautiful and dreamlike that sometimes I feel like trying it again.

You know, I'm a lifeguard part time, so I'd say not to try and do that again, if its all the same to you.

I suspect that beautiful feeling you got was euphoria brought on by hypoxia, which implies you were closer to death than you realize.

[Joshington]

One time I was walking to my mailbox about half a block away (clusterbox). I had my head down because, you know, walking is boring. When I looked up about two dozen feet away from the mailbox, there was a baby moose(I live in Alaska, it's common to see moose in neighborhoods) in someone's driveway, a dozen feet away, staring at me. In the backyard of the house, the mother and another baby were staring at me. The scary part is, in case you didn't know, moose are extremely protective of their young. If I was any closer to that baby, or was in between it and the mother, the mother would've charged me. Luckily I wasn't, and decided to get the mail later

[Guest]

I've heard the stories about the Moose. I capitalize Moose because you really can't get a handle on just how big and impressive they are until you see one in person, and also they have somewhat of a mystical aura and reputation. I've heard some people say that a Moose can only be seen if it wants to be seen. My driver trainer told me 15 years ago while we were in New Hampshire to never honk at the Moose or he might charge your vehicle and F*** it up.

[xcorps]

I was once rappelling from a CH-46 onto a rooftop at the MOUT facility at Camp Lejeune for a dog and pony show. The plan was to go from the ramp of the helo down the line onto the roof of a two story building, then jump off the roof and through the window. We practiced it a few times, and good to go. When we did it live, I fell when I went through the window and the rope got tangled around my M16 which was attached to me with a sling. Since I was the last guy, the plan called for the helo to pull off when I went through the window. I got pulled against the window really freaking hard, hard enough to knock the wind out of me. Fortunately, my partner was paying attention and had the grace to undo the quicksnaps on the sling, and off my rifle went across the street.

When my platoon sergeant asked me where my rifle was, my life flashed before my eyes. I knew I was close to death.

[Pockrtplanesairways]

One time when I was about 6, I was running across the street, and I nearly got hit by a car. It was like a couple inches away. I felt the air disturbance, but I had no near-death experience.

[jacobonduna]

I guess when I was 12 I had appendicitis. Thing about it is it ruptured and to this day I'm still thankful for the surgeon for choosing to have surgery that night instead of early morning. I wasn't going to live to that morning and I still remember being so sick I couldn't move at all I was literally dying.

Next thing was when I was a baby, had MAJOR problems, all due to breathing. I had episodes where I didn't breathe and I was near/at the hospital during those episodes. My last episode I was going through cardiac arrest and my mom still tells me to this day she saw the life getting sucked out of me.

[CaptainGiblets]

One time, I was out swimming in the ocean, went out way to far and then this huge wave sucked me and brother out in to the deep ocean, and when I say deep, it was deep, like 30 feet. I could see the shore getting smaller and smaller. Then it got so small it was just a spec, I saw it flash, like life paused and everything I did happened within 2 seconds, I swear this would be my last sight, the ocean. Next thing we know lifeguards come and me and my bro are saved

Thanks random lifeguard for saving me and my bro's life