Averted close calls...had any?

[CanuckSARTech]

I've had a bit of an epiphany. I even looked up how to spell that, I did. So bear with me here.

Now, to most of you here who have never met me, I'm a bit of a clown. Some may love me for it, others may detest me for it. And that's fine - that's a part of who I am. I have no problem at all trying to be a courteous chap, trying to "cheer up the party", or to be the self-deprecating schmuck who does whatever he can to ensure others have a good time. To me, this place is one huge party with over 7,000 family members, and I'm here to please. This place has grown on me, and for better or worse, I've grown on it.

And, in real life, I'm that guy most of the time. To those who I have had the occasion to have dinner with, to share drinks with, to talk and enjoy great conversation with, to occasionally puke with, and even to avoid the Cuban authorities with, they know that side of me. But those that know me in "the real world" also know a small window of the other side of me. The serious-as-a-heart-attack, politically-correct, cordial and courteous, almost business-like demeanor. The side that knows if there's something on the line, and a situation is not "cheerful", that other actions and words need to be put to use. The side that can be downright scary and ice-cold and detached sometimes.

That, for good or bad, that the happy-go-lucky part is trying to subjegate the serious side. And there's a reason...

In my past, I've had some very close experiences. In past private-security gigs in years gone by when I was young and dumb, I've actually been stabbed, been shot at, even held multiple people as they died of an overdose in my arms, and tearfully attempted to do what I could to avert their demise. Hell, as a teenager, I did missionary trips where I was literally in shock for days on end when I held babies as they died, mothers unable to care for their families and crying out for help that I couldn't fully provide, and dozens of people dying daily from something as simple as diarrhea. I've done search missions where the majority of outcomes have been grusome at best. I definitely haven't seen it all, but I've seen enough to know....that I've seen...stuff.

You might say I have a tendency to attract the dark clouds sometimes.

And even with all this in mind, I took a career path of law enforcement / armed forces...going right into the thick of things, into the unknown, every time I put a uniform on, whichever one it may be. I signed on a dotted line and took an oath knowing full well that someday may arrive when Lady Luck doesn't shelter me any more, when the mojo from my St. Michael's pendant may run out, and Hades may come calling.

But, none of this has mattered or scared me as much as the recent averted close call. And it wasn't even me....

I'm here, stuck away over 2000 kilometers from home. A handful of days ago, I get a tearful phone call...from my terrified wife. She was the victim of a needle stick. From an unknown-potential patient's IV line, and right through her gloves. As some of you know, she's a Registered Nurse. And, though she's got many years under her belt, and we knew it was a possibility in her career field, that there were inherent dangers there, it was still something that we always thought the cliched, "Oh, that can't happen to me/us." She followed her training, all policies and rules, had all the proper PPE in use - it was just a horribly unfortunate "accident". And it was a terrifying couple of days since then, while she was on special hinderance meds and working with the hospital's health team, and waiting on bloodwork and test results. Gawd, the sound of her crying into the phone to me for an hour, while I'm thousands of kilometers away, unable to really do anything, was heart-wrenching agony for me.

It's been some of the most stressful and terrifying days I've had in a long time, not knowing what could come of it, and me trying to suppress the fear. I was more fearful for something to happen to her than I've ever been when it's even been me directly on the line. I've been stable with the stresses at work, 2000 km away from my family, knowing that she is taking care of my children, and all will be okay. But the fact that things could maybe not be all okay terrified the begeesus out of me.

And I'm completely pleased and elated to say that after talking with her today, all is clear and good - HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, there's still further follow-up tests to be done in the months and years ahead now, but the danger is 99% gone. And I'm finding myself more stress-relieved, and more thankful, and more emotional now, finding out this blessed news, than I've ever been. Crisis averted, close call dodged. I can't imagine if things went the other way for us with this.

So, that's a horribly long story, and maybe too much personal insight. My apologies to those that have actually read this whole epitome. But it's got me to thinking about averted close calls - ironically enough, that it wasn't even one of my own directly that got me thinking about them.

Do we really learn from them? What is it about close calls that make us reflect on things, and make us alter our attitudes and actions? Can there be risks out there that are still worth, or not worth, taking? Does it matter if you have a family or not?

What are your thoughts? What close calls have you had? Are you the wiser and better prepared for it?

[REASON]

This is horribly frightening but I was very glad to hear the out come. I don't think I have any story that would be close to this.

[Rushman]

Many blessings on your family my friend. You and your wife both took professions serving the public. Here's to you! Very happy to hear she is in good shape from a risk perspective after that needle stick.

---

I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=19.307838,-81.379114

[Nocoins]

My wife and I got struck by lightning because we were stupid and hiked into a thunderstorm on top of a mountain. We are lucky that a badly broken wrist and a little memory loss is all that resulted. There were multiple strikes all around us for several minutes. We could have been hit more than once. Lesson learned? Yeah. But I had always been curious -- what's it like to be right where the lightning strikes? Turns out that it's no place to be. It hurts, it stinks (quite literally, it smells bad), and generally I found the whole thing rather terrifying until it was over.

[Puros Y Vino]

Yikes! I'm glad she's OK Keith. As for close calls...been hit by a car twice in my lifetime.. Once as a kid crossing the street, unable to see past the piles of snow on the road. All I got was a bruise on my arm. But I was under that car. I still remember looking out from under. The second time I was hit was right after I graduated high school. I took a bike ride to my cousin's place not too far. On the way home I pulled out of a plaza to cross the road. Some moron at the intersection took off on the green and caught up with my back tire and sent me into a triple somersault. I landed on my hip hard, shot up..threw my bike on to the sidewalk and got out. I was in shock. I was yelling at the driver and pacing like a bull. It was a real pleasant experience being asked by people if I was OK and then in the same sentence, they couldn't be wintesses. The cops wanted to charge me even though there was a skidpad 30 feet long implicating that he was speeding. A couple of days rest and I was OK. I still cycle now and then, but drivers here just get worse, especially with cell phones at the ready. So I stick to trails as much as I can.

[LordAnubis]

Glad to hear all is well mate. My only close call has nothing to do with the emotions you have gone through.

Working at a gold mine in the processing plant, a maintenance fitter once started working on a pipe that he didn't know was still pressurised and had caustic cyanide running through it. As he cracked open the line the he got a face full of cyanide. I was working as an operator on the tanks at the time and i put on a gas mask and walked through the shower of cyanide to grab the guy and drag him to the nearest safety shower. After showering him down i got all my clothes off and showered myself. After the burning from all caustic stopped the only thing that happened to me out of it was that the caustic singed all the hair on my ball sack. The three bottles of oxygen gas the medics made me inhale was great too !! The maintenance guy lost partial vision in one eye and had minor burns on his face but was fine otherwise.

[CanuckSARTech]

....the only thing that happened to me out of it was that the caustic singed all the hair on my ball sack.

....***spits out rum and Coke***....

LOL. That's terrifying enough!!!!

Thanks for sharing. I needed that laugh! LOL.

[stogiecidal]

Very happy to hear everything is ok...met yourself and Erin at the TO herf last year and she is cool beans.

I'll see your long story Keith and raise you with one of my own

Haven't really shared this story in a minute and I dunno if this can be considered a close call or not, but roughly almost 11 years ago my then girlfriend was coming up to Montreal to visit me and was gonna make the drive on her own at night. Me being the guy that I am I decided to leave Montreal early that day and make the 7-8 hour bus ride to Toronto to meet her and make the drive back with her so she wouldn't have to go it alone.

Arrived in Toronto without a hitch and was picked up in a rental car at the bus station downtown. Grabbed a quick dinner and proceeded to head to Montreal probably within 2 hours of my arrival. Was raining the entire day but when we left Toronto the rain became a torrential downpour. The type that the highest wiper setting doesn't cut it and most people either slow down to a crawl or stop altogether and wait for it to lighten up.

She just kept going regardless of the weather at somewhat of a fast clip given the weather. Asked her multiple times if she wanted me to take over but she declined and repeatedly said she just wants to get to Montreal. I even recall her overtaking an OPP (Ontario Provincial Police). Now everyone that has driven the 401 highway knows that it's long, boring and at night, very dark in between rest stops and towns.

I recall it to be somewhere just west of Cornwall before the Irving truck stop. With the rain coming down really hard still, she managed to hit the serrated rumble strips at the side of the highway that warns motorists "you-are-about-to-drive-off-the-highway-and-into-a-ditch". She proceeds to panic and immediately wrenches the steering wheel left. Had the weather been fine I'm positive she would have got the rental cavalier under control. What ensued was the car beginning to fishtail due to the wet roads, crappy all season tires and a higher rate of speed. Struggling for control she slammed on the brakes which made us fishtail left and right a few more times until finally careening sideways off of the shoulder and into grassy area off the highway. Once we hit the grass the car proceeded roll sideways. I think we ended up rolling 1.5 times and landing on the passenger side down where I was sitting. I recall the roll, I remember seeing the airbag deploy but not hitting me as I was reclined further back. Was strange the fish tailing seemed to happen so fast and the roll like slow motion.

Anywho once we stopped rolling, quicker than a snap I sprang into action. She was dangling sideways in shock and held in place by her seat belt above me. I freed myself and stood on the door window and confirmed she was conscious and ok, thankfully she was but in shock. I turned off the car ignition and told her we need to get out of the car in case it was on fire (watch a lot of movies lol). I tried to open the driver side door but it wouldn't open from the inside. Rolled down the driver window and attempted to open from the outside but no dice. Unhooked the seat belt and hoisted her out through the window and followed after her.

We tried to hail down any motorists or trucks for help but no one stopped or slowed and all they did was spray us with rain water as they sped along. After a few minutes I spotted a row of houses on the 401 west side of the highway so we ran across the 401 east, jumped a fence in the middle, and then ran across the 401 west.

We ended up knocking on the door of a grey brick house with what seemed to have red trim. I remember it vividly in my mind. Once I rang the doorbell I heard big dogs barking and a very nice older lady opened the door. I proceeded to tell her my girlfriend and I just crashed on the other side of the highway and if she could kindly call the police for us (our cell phones were left in the car). She let us in, offered us a cup of tea as we were soaked to the bone and called the police. She must have had 5 large dogs, 5 cats, a bunch of birds, hamsters, guinea pigs...she told us as her husband is a trucker the animals kept her company. After calling 911 she told us that a trucker already radioed it in and the OPP was already in transit. Few minutes later the cops arrived, we thanked our host who I do not recall her name for the life of me, and headed back to the car with the cops to collect our belongings.

Sorry to be super long winded but the point of my story is we could have lost out lives that night but didn't. We both walked away relatively unscathed save for a few minor bumps but nothing at all serious. Very thankful for that. My then girlfriend became my wife 5 years after that and have been married now for 5 and a half years with 3 beautiful daughters. From that day we've learnt to take one thing at a time and simply enjoy each others company. I've learnt to plan things more thoroughly and take all factors and risks into consideration. Almost see things happen before they do and take action from there.

As for the lady that helped us...I have driven on the 401 a vast number of times since then and for the life of me I have not been able to locate her house....as if it was never there. Some people might attest this to shock, the night and rain etc...I see this as a sign from God (or a higher power) to live and love life and pay the kindness forward if ever I can...

[LordAnubis]

Ahahah i may have had an excuse for the hot nurse to check out my junk for a few days afterwards too

[cigcars]

Whoa, wow, all you guys! Main thing I wanna say is that we're ALL glad as hell that you're all okay and still with us. Only close call I've had other than my finger tip being partially amputated in a truck accident and re-attached while in the military, was when I was in a foot chase w/somebody during my police officer days and my partner telling me that he saw another guy reaching into his shirt like he was gonna pull out a gun on me, but suddenly stopped when he ran up past him to help in the chase. What I didn't know at that time I refused to let get to me when advised afterwards. Again, so glad you all are okay, Keith and company

[investandprosper]

Wow Keith, so glad your wife is ok!

My wife and I just moved to Chicago. Last week she was waiting at a crosswalk, and just as she got the signal to cross she received a text from the babysitter. She stopped to answer the text, and a second later a car ploughed through the intersection at 40 miles an hour running the red light. Right where my wife would have been. I thank The Lord she stopped to answer that text!

[olotti]

Long story short hopefully this event was when I was 18 and a passenger in a mercury tracer that my friend the driver just had given to him by his parents so this was 1994 and it had the automatic shoulder belts that came back when you shut the passenger door. Well after a night of light boozing underage ofcourse we go to Taco Bell, where else, then as hes taking me home we went down a couple side streets to get to my parents house and he decides to crank the new House of Pain cd. He gets all fired up blows through 4 stop signs, this is at about 2am anyway luckily no traffic on the side streets, prob going 50mph and comes to a bend in the road where it veers left, and as Im yelling at him to slow down he hits the brakes way to hard slides through the stop sign and we start heading towards a parked car in the street he turns the wheel we fishtail and the back R bumper hits a van in the street spinning the car 180 deg and into a GIANT oak tree across the street which slammed into my side of the car which then spun us again almost onto the porch of the house and the back end of the car wiped out a lampost and a huge bush on the other side of the porch. Car came to rest in their front lawn, I tasted the fiberglass from the airbags, I neglected to put my lapbelt on feeling safe with the shoulder belt. Well and this is what I felt saved my life plus luck, I had my window down and as we flew into the tree that spun us it was like slow motion I put my hands over my head and moved my body away from the window and towards the center armrest or consol as we hit I felt my hands hit the roof of the car but it was real quick. Car stops, horns blasting, cops show up and give me a ride home with nothing more than a dirt stain on my sweatshirt. My buddy who amazingly was just sent home with no ticket went to see his car in the impound the next day and the intrusion to the passenger side ie my side was almost a foot and the window was shattered all the damage and impact was on my side of the car. I feel had I not moved to the center of the vehicle I may have been cought being thrown outside the open passenger window and getting crushed between the car and the tree. Amazing we both walked away unharmed, now I'm a paramedic and run into burning buildings for a living, and have been in a few situations with fire also. Go figure.

[olotti]

Wow Keith, so glad your wife is ok!

My wife and I just moved to Chicago. Last week she was waiting at a crosswalk, and just as she got the signal to cross she received a text from the babysitter. She stopped to answer the text, and a second later a car ploughed through the intersection at 40 miles an hour running the red light. Right where my wife would have been. I thank The Lord she stopped to answer that text!

First I want to say thank the Lord she is ok and second for the first time ever texting may have saved a life instead of taken one.

[cigcars]

First I want to say thank the Lord she is ok and second for the first time ever texting may have saved a life instead of taken one.

yes

[Phillys]

That is a horrible story (OP) glad it turned out ok.

I have had 2 close calls: First one as a teenager, I was crossing the street on a red light (stupid I know and have scars to remind me) There was a bus waiting on my side of the road so I could not see what was coming but I could see past the bus. Waited 5 seconds... no car, so I proceed to run out in the street for quick cross. When I do, all I see is the ram on those old Dodges about 4 feet away and I am in the middle of the truck ( right in front of the ram) and he is coming way too fast. I instinctively jump back and cover my face with my arms. The next think I know I see glass shatter, hear tires screech and the truck do a fishtail stop across the street. I was still on my feet and to my surprise still alive, wondering what had just happened. Then the pain hits in my hand, I do one of those moves when you hurt your hand and I see a slash of blood on the street. I look and see all my muscles and whatnot. the trucks mirror had ripped the skin between my thumb and index finger. The guy felt bad because he was speeding but I was in the wrong so nothing came of it.

He told me that all he saw was a guy in front of him then no guy and glass shatter. The glass did not cut me, it was the force of impact between my hand and the back of the mirror, good old Metal ones. The force was so hard that it ripped the skin. Turns out I have great reflex and when I pulled back I slammed into the bus so hard that my whole back and behind my arms where bruised purple and black. My hands where about 4 inches from my face, a witness said there was about 1 foot between the truck and the waiting bus. 8 stitches, maximum anesthetic injection dose a full grown adult can take (I was about 6 feet tall then) and no lingering hand problems afterward. That was my first close call but not the last.

Second time, we are vacationing in Maui (Kihei on the West coast), and I am in the ocean and the waves are BIG in Hawaii. Then undertow is ridiculously strong. So I am having fun jumping in the waves and a one point turn my back to the beach (big mistake). It must not have been too long but I notice the water level getting deeper and deeper. All of a sudden, I turn back and the beach is pretty far out, next thing I know when I am at the bottom of the wave I do not touch the ground. And I am talking about 8-10 feet waves maybe a little more.

That is when the fun stopped. the beach was in a little bay and I noticed that I was at the edge of the bay and then passed it. At that moment I tried to swim to shore, but that damn undertow is taking me further out with every wave. When I do manage to gain a little ground, I catch a wave the wrong way and tumble underwater and swallow some. At one point I kind of lost hope, I thought I was doomed, but this rage too over me and I swam like I had never swam before. When I got to shore, my Dad was just arriving back from the condo and just flat out collapsed flat on my face and I am a big guy, 6'5'' 220 pounds maybe a little shorter and lighter back then. My Dad sees me and rushes towards me and the life guard too. I had passed out, when I came too and everything was ok, the lifeguard was panicking because he did not see me and did not do his job properly. I have not to this day even came close to using my body and strength as I did that day, will to live I guess.

The next day I found out 2 things, my dad left for two hours (I was old enough, so did not need supervision) and I went in when he left. So I figure it took me about 1h45 to swim back to shore and it did not seem that long. Second, the next day I was at a surf shop in town and the owner told me that the tide is so strong there that it is nearly impossible to swim back without a surfboard when you pass the two rock points and that I was extremely lucky to be alive he said I must have been one hell of a swimmer (and I was not THAT great). He told me that he was happy that I was there talking to him at that moment, shook my hand and told me never to go out that far without a board.

For these two reasons but mainly the second one, I am truly thankful to be alive today, because drowning seemed like one terrible way to die.

Wow guess I wrote a novel too, did not see that one coming.

[Rushman]

No story I have compares. I've had multiple close calls on motorized two wheeled vehicles and have come through with only a broken bone or so. The time I wrecked a golf cart was scary as hell. I broke my wrist but the scariest part was my best friend (and dentist) was in cart next to me and all I could envision as we were crashing is ruining his career with some sort of hand or arm injury. As it turns out, he didn't even spill his drink.

Not two months ago, one of our construction workers here in Cayman was using a pneumatic jackhammer only to discover, rather violently a 14,000 + volt main line just 14 inches down. Doesn't sound like code does it. Flames and sparks shot up as tall as he was. He was obviously freaked out but didn't sustain any electrical shock.

---

I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=19.307821,-81.379106

[Fuzz]

Glad your wife is okay Keith.

As for me, too many close calls in my late teens to write up. Took one too many trips across the wrong side of the line and nearly ended up paying for it with my life. On the bright side, the last event made me fly straight, but at the cost of a couple of cracked ribs and a slightly fractured skull.

[Perla]

So glad and happy and relieved that you wife Erin is okay.

The "unknown" or what will happened next situation or being far away/or close and can not do anything is really the worst part.

[Duxnutz]

Wow, interesting background and glad your wife is ok. I was just thinking the other day as we were flying along across the Pacific and nothing out there except blackness and occasional shooting star/meteorite; how precarious life is and how short a time we have on this planet....

As to the close calls. I like many other young guys in the world got my first flying job in the far north part of Australia and to this day can't help but look back in wonder I'm still in one piece. Managed to walk away from a plane crash (engine failure on takeoff) after waking up with Avgas pouring all over me, had carbon monoxide poisoning and almost had the crap beaten out of me by Aboriginals on a few occasions.

Time to make my bucket list, 40 is fast approaching!

[Nino]

Keith,

so happy for Erin and you that all is well !!

Must have been terrible not being there to comfort and give strength.

There's a big good man behind that clown facade Keith and I enjoyed getting to know you and share time together.

As for close calls, a few - a mountain in Cali/Colombia that was higher than our DC 10 was flying, somersaulting over the handlebar of the motorbike in Bali after running into a jeep, falling off a tractor and cutting my knee open to the bone....

The worst and closest was being almost electrocuted, exploded and burned plus poisoned by smoke inhalation by a ... burning refrigerator at 03 am in the safety of ... home - long story.

We'll talk about the details over a bottle of Mulata in that small living room in Havana :-)

Stay well Keith and best for Erin !!

[Guest rob]

Life definitly has ways of throwing curve balls at us.... And its our abiltity to deal with stress that can make us stronger. I'm glad it all worked out Keith. Very fortunate and euphoric to have good news after the stress of bad news!

[canadianbeaver]

These stories are so great to read and thank God everyone is OK.

Thank you for taking the time to share and have to agree, the ball sack story will mess up a lot of laptop screens today!

[Cohiba Stevie]

Growing up in belfast i have had my fair share...

First one was being only yards away from a car bomb left by paramilitarys on the famous falls road, blew me and my sister backwards about twenty feet and cut us up quite badly. I lost hearing in my right ear for two weeks. If i had have been closer it probably would have killed me.

[Squarehead]

Keith, it's good to read that Erin is ok.Also for all the others which survived from weird and not so weird incidents.My own close encounter came in the early 1950's,I think it was in 1953 when I stayed with my grandparents and older cousin.My grandfather took me and my cousin to the Circus which was in town at that time.There I ate a sandwich which must have been bad.The next morning I wanted to get out of bed and collapsed.My lights were out for 2 weeks and I was in hospital for 6 weeks.Every day I had to endure numerous test but nothing ever came out of it.Whatever it was I came out if it without any sideeffects besides being mischieveous.

[CanuckSARTech]

....We'll talk about the details over a bottle of Mulata in that small living room in Havana :-)

LOL. Sounds good, Nino. I'll hold you to that, too - sounds like some interesting stories. I'll bring the Legendario too!

I do miss that living room so. HAS (Edit for Nino) such a wonderful caretaker.....