Just Had A Brush With Death

originally posted by: ketsuko

originally posted by: IAMTAT
a reply to: LABTECH767
Thank you.
Soreness is gone...but taking it easy tonight.

Soreness is only hiding. Wait until tomorrow. Delayed soreness is a cruel mistress.

I'm very glad to hear you aren't seriously injured though. That could have been a very nasty tumble.

I recently tried to kill myself and my family too. By the grace of God, I failed, but I honestly don't know how. It's a bit of a story, but this is your thread.

Please tell...I was hoping others might share their own brushes with death.

a reply to: IAMTAT

Thank the Lord! 🙏🏻

If it was only 6 feet down, though...

originally posted by: KansasGirl
a reply to: IAMTAT

Thank the Lord! 🙏🏻

If it was only 6 feet down, though...

Straight horizonal fall.
It seems, somehow, I managed to balance/absorb the impact with my right leg and left arm...just enough to keep my head from impact. Gymnastics, of which, I'm not normally capable.

a reply to: IAMTAT

We were driving to St. Louis, and since Teikiatsu's night vision is crap and his eyes tend to get tired from headlight glare, he's practically useless behind the wheel after dark before too long. So I took over at Columbia.

We were going along and get construction signs advising of random lane closures for the foreseeable future. And then we get another flurry of signs warning of impending construction. I assume we're coming up on a lane closure leading to one lane of traffic and decide I won't be getting around the semi ahead of us, so I tuck in behind him and start putting distance between us slowly.

There's a turn in the road up ahead and the semi's brake lights come on. I think we're getting ready to slow for construction speed limit, and I put my brakes on lightly too and start checking the traffic around me. There's another semi coming up fast behind me, and a track hauling a trailer with another car on it in the lane beside us coming up. At this point, Teikiatsu points out that the semi is stopping really fast.

I really put my brakes on, but the truck is stopping faster than even that. It's not until now that we see the smoke coming up from under his tires. His brakes are slammed on for no reason we can tell. He does start easing off to the side of the road, but nowhere near fast enough.

So now I'm in a really, really bad spot. I'm too close to slam my brakes and stop, and even if *I* could, the semi behind me can't. And the truck/trailer is in the blind spot now, so there's no getting into the other lane. It's too long to wait for, and I can't get ahead of it. In short, we're about to become part of an ugly semi sandwich.

Oh, and that's when I notice that the construction is a loss of shoulder on the other side of the road.

So I take the only option open. I try to skirt the back of the semi as closely as possible going around and hope like crazy we can turn two lanes into three.

Don't ask me how it worked with no shoulder on either side, but it did.

As we get some way down the road, Teikiatsu finally looks at me, blinks, and says, "What just happened?"

And I said, "I think I just tried to kill us and failed."

And we drove on.

a reply to: IAMTAT

This must mean you're a super hero now.

Fighting crime, battling injustice.

Who's going to be your perky side-kick?

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: IAMTAT

This must mean you're a super hero now.

Fighting crime, battling injustice.

Who's going to be your perky side-kick?

I've got it narrowed down to two.

a reply to: ketsuko

OMG.
I have had nightmares like that.
So glad you had that angel on your shoulder.

a reply to: IAMTAT

Glad you're ok. Seen a guy fall off a ladder once. He landed on his back and started twitching and convulsing. He was alright but it was scary to see. Been a little bit freaked out by ladders ever since, despite being up many.

a reply to: IAMTAT

I’m not trying to be funny, but at any time did you happen to walk under the ladder?
I thought I would tempt luck and did it one time, I ended up with a black eye for over a month.

originally posted by: dug88
a reply to: IAMTAT

Glad you're ok. Seen a guy fall off a ladder once. He landed on his back and started twitching and convulsing. He was alright but it was scary to see. Been a little bit freaked out by ladders ever since, despite being up many.

Thanks.
Never really been afraid of heights...or ladders...even after I almost fell off the edge of the Grand Canyon when I was a kid.
That was another small miracle...phantom hand pulled me back as I was about to fall.

Definitely going to get a much better ladder, though.

originally posted by: JAGStorm
a reply to: IAMTAT

I’m not trying to be funny, but at any time did you happen to walk under the ladder?
I thought I would tempt luck and did it one time, I ended up with a black eye for over a month.

lol...no.
But I've been murdering thousands of weeds in the yard this past week...and it occurred to me this one I needed the ladder for was trying to take revenge.

It is not uncommon at all for adrenalin and other endorphins to mask injuries in a high stress moment.

Before you celebrate, I strongly recommend you lay flat on your back and rest for a good long while.

I suspect tomorrow will not be as kind to you as today has been!

Glad you're 'okay', but don't count your chickens just yet.

I've seen lots of falls (lots and lots actually), and rarely is what I say above not the case.

The spine can take it's merry sweet time to reveal an injury that your muscles may be compensating for right now.

Take a couple ibuprofen and lay flat, neck straight, feet out straight, arms to the side or symmetrical on both sides.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk
I know you're right. Tomorrow may be rough.
Definitely taking some ibuprofen before bed.

a reply to: IAMTAT

The worst was the ladders we had for troubleshooting the laser on the milling machines at the shop i worked at before. 15' ladder with a broken third leg set up on a wet aluminum table, you're leaning over dicking arou.d with sensitive cables on a $20000 laser. Then again, being lifted up on a forklift to work on an overhead camera for a watwrjwt was a bit sketchy.

My fear of heights started after falling out of a tree as a kid. My little sister took advantage of this. She still talks about the time we were at Lynn Canyon on the north shore of BC. It was a tiny suspension bridge overtop a raging river. She ran out onto the middle of the bridge and started rocking it back and forth, i was scared #less she screamed out 'come on Dougie...lets go why are you so scared??' i was like 7 or 8 years old, she was like 5 or 6. She still makes fun of me over this.

originally posted by: dug88
a reply to: IAMTAT

Glad you're ok. Seen a guy fall off a ladder once. He landed on his back and started twitching and convulsing. He was alright but it was scary to see. Been a little bit freaked out by ladders ever since, despite being up many.

My alma had a midfield tradition as part of the pre-game at football games where either one of the yell leaders of one of the mascot's understudies would dress loosely like the opposing team mascot and stand on the midfield logo and pretend to jeer the crowd. Then our mascot would run out and tackle him.

The very last time that happened. The tackle went wrong and the poor guy slammed his head off the turf and ended up convulsing midfield while the rest of the pre-game went on around him. Finally, the head coach walked out to midfield and called on the trainers.

a reply to: IAMTAT

God bless you. You were lucky...but wait until tomorrow!

Hey, I? Stay away from ladders. Whats wrong w you?!???!!!😱

a reply to: IAMTAT

Did your life flash before your eyes on the way down? Had that happen once before, it is amazing how many memories can fit in such a short period of time. Or was it more just an ohh # moment once you realize there is no going back?

Glad to hear to are mostly ok. Might be a bit tender once the stress wears off.

a reply to: kwakakev

I only remember being aware of the falling and it seemed to take 2-3 times as long as it should've.

a reply to: IAMTAT

Did you ever learn breakfalls as a child, Judo and some other sports teach how to roll or hit the floor without injury.

Just intrigued. Not hitting your head is often the tell tale.

P

originally posted by: pheonix358
a reply to: IAMTAT

Did you ever learn breakfalls as a child, Judo and some other sports teach how to roll or hit the floor without injury.

Just intrigued. Not hitting your head is often the tell tale.

P

Karate and Judo as a kid...and classes with my boys when they were young.
Possible I did break the fall autonomically.