[Closed] Ever felt truly scared for your life?

Working in Ukraine a few years ago on a film. We got a local van transfer back from the village to the airport which kept stopping at various small villages in the middle of nowhere. Various blokes kept getting in and taking over the driving and we were nowhere near the airport.

There were 3 of us and a lot of kit.

We eventually did make it to the airport. But I was on edge for ages.

Kayaking, a few times. I was pinned to the river bottom in a kayak in Wales. paddling the Orchy on full flow we had an additional flash pulse of water in the gorge section under railway bridge - we decided to just sit in the eddy and wait, but the boils were so strong they would just open up and you went down...so we decided after a few underwater recirculating moments to press on and get out ASAP. It took 5 mins through standing waves the size of houses, and we bailed at the smokehouse - usually 20-30mins effort paddling. Being on a river, unable to see pals, fearing for myself and them, and seeing one on a poor line through trees was terrifying. Typically, 20 mins later the river reverted to normal high flow fun....

Climbing, yes, a few times where it was MTFU or you are coming off. Literally make the move stick or go 50/50 on some iffy gear....

Some very windy or wet scrambly days have been overly exciting - CribGoch in heavy rain, snow and sudden thunderstorm anyone? Lighting risers all round us, ice axes clattering with static and hair standing on end.... Run away....

.

Wasn't scared but genuinely thought it was the end.

Choked on a piece of chicken that went down the wrong way while at work. Managed to gulp a few breaths for a bit but then the airway was completely blocked. I remember blacking out while thinking 'Oh well.'. I didn't panic or freak out at all!! A colleague found me slumped on the floor and called an ambulance, luckily there was one at the doctor's surgery on the same estate as us and was there within a minute. All I remember is a big, burly guy throwing me around then blanking out again, then coming round in the back of an ambulance. Read the notes afterwards and the paramedic had tried multiple back slaps and heimlich things on me without success. He 'robustly' placed me in the back of the ambulance ready to put an airline in my throat. Actually he threw me in and I bounced off the back wall according to his colleague!! Whatever, it dislodged the chicken but I did not start breathing again so mouth-to-mouth was done. The notes said I started breathing two minutes after they go there.

Had a few days off work and just slept constantly. Never panicked or went into shock at all, it just felt like going to sleep. Really weird feeling, if that's what dying feels like I don't fear it.

dingy sailing with my father in the same weather that saw 20-30 dinghies and small yachts knocked over and the air-sea helicopter called and the lifeboat launched on the south coast, this would have '85-ish

we couldn't beach it as the wind keep blowing us along the coast, i think we were doing maybe 20knots (in a small wooden dingy it was enough) with just the jib aloft which he was trying to control and steer at the same time, and the wind would pull the wet sheet from his hands constantly.

My dad was wide eyed, and keep telling me we'd be OK, and I don't think he was doing that solely for my benefit, eventually the sailing club formed a human chain, and as we aimed for the beach again for about the 8th time, grabbed us as we came in close...My dad later told me that he was so tired he reckoned he couldn't have managed another go about and run in.

My first job was as a bank teller in South Africa. The guard who brought the cash daily thought he was being followed. A few days later, as he delivered the cash he got attacked at the door to our branch. They were going for the kill to stop him destroying the cash, but luckily just shot him in the arm. Lots if shots fired. While I wasn't directly affected, it was not much fun, and made me realize how little life means to criminals in SA.

Another was in evening class, chewing the back of my pen, I took a breath and the little plastic bit in the back popped out and went in my airway. I sat there for a few seconds trying to figure out what to do. I realized I had breath in my lungs so launched into a major coughing fit which dislodged it. The weirdest part was I emptied my lungs, and then paused as I was worried about attracting attention when I took my next breath, which was one of those massive, noisy, sucking in if air.

Kayaking for me too. Aged 12,at Eskdale. I capsized in a flowing river, the feeling of dread ,as I grabbed and failed to hold on to roots and branches, whilst whooshing down the river ,still gives me goosebumps.
Just as I thought I couldn't hold on any more ,I grabbed a branch and was rescued,500 metres down stream.
There was also a stag do in Amsterdam ..... 😯

I asked for advice on how to get out of a speeding ticket on here once...

Climbing, yes, a few times where it was MTFU or you are coming off. Literally make the move stick or go 50/50 on some iffy gear....

A few of these. Soloing a route onsight and finding the last move was much harder than expected and involved grovelling over a little overhang onto a sloping top-out. Felt the centre of gravity tip the wrong way at least twice during the process, just held it each time.

So much swearing when I eventually made it.

But quite a few moments when you're staring at the next hold, looking at the distance back to gear and calculating that you're decking out if you miss it.

Kids have put all that on the backburner.

100+ mph downhill on the A22 Caterham bypass into the bends on my ZX7-R and came round the corner to find rolls of turf all over the dial carriageway. No way out, it's all over the road, hit one square on with the bike cranked over (thought I'm dead at this point) bike picks itself up, slams back into the Tarmac, wobbles a bit and carries on. Got home, Mrs M asks why I'm white as a sheet and I proceed to drink all the booze in the house.....

Thankyou Mr Kawasaki.

but luckily just shot him in the arm

I know what you mean, but still 😯

I was on a flight to Canada, when I realised the cabin was going a bit "hazy/smokey". As it got a bit worse, the whole plane went silent, very eerie. I was quite calm, thinking that if the plane's on fire, there's very little that could be done, and this was it. The flight attendants then appeared and started going up each row speaking to passengers, which also didn't fill me with confidence, but I eventually found out they were saying the air conditioning unit had failed and we weren't going to die after all, just maybe get a bit warm!. Phew! never have I felt such a sense of relief.

The one thing I'm taking from this thread is, water, we've no place being in it.

I hate ladders. I've just been on a ladder upto my bedroom window. That was scary.

I've no phobia of heights, though it's "challenging." I've bungee jumped, thrown myself out of a perfectly serviceable aircraft, rock climbed way beyond my ability. But ladders give me the willies beyond reasonableness, I think because someone's just stuck it up rather than any sort of thought-about construction.

I trust the rock, I trust the parachute, I trust the rope, but ladders who knows.

At the time, there were a lot of ex liberation fighters who were merged into the army after apartheid. They eventually left the army and moved onto using their skills in armed robberies of cash transports.
This also happened inside of a shopping center. Going to work for the next while seeing all the bullet holes in the glass windows was a bit disconcerting.

South Africa is not a place I could live with my family.

For me was the 7.6 magnitude earthquake whilst living in Taiwan. It happened about 2am and as soon as it started I instinctively knew what it was and dragged Mrs Stern out of bed and down the wóbbling stone stairs. I wanted to bolt outside but when I opened the door I was confronted by the sight of our car bouncing around like one of those gangsta LA cars plus the huge car port had a glass roof so didn't think it was such a good idea trying to get out. In the back of my mind I had read somewhere that the safest place is under a door frame (which I later found out is total bullshit) so that is where we cowered for what seemed like an eternity which in fact was probably about 2 minutes. And boy was it loud. As soon as it finished we ran upstairs got dressed and went outside just in time to wítness the numerous aftershocks each one over 6.5. You could literally see the houses wobbling around. It wasn't until later that we realised that thousands had been killed not 50km from where we lived just how lucky we had been.

Later I became expert at rating the magnitude of earthquakes/after shocks and when they happened we used to place bets on the size and the next day you could check on the governement website and I usually won! 🙂

Yep had a few myself, notably in Afghanistan. One moment being surrounded in a compound by taliban with only one exit to get out of the compound and exposing ourselves before hiding in an alley and calling in a danger close apache strike to clear the path. Sat there hoping that we gave the right grid reference to the pilot and then hearing the rounds firing above and hitting the ground 50 metres in front of us. We all gave each other that awkward laugh and smile when we made it back to the checkpoint!

The other was at the checkpoint, second to last day of the tour and doing my sentry in a watch tower. Took a glance out and everything seemed fine initially but seconds after felt that eerie feeling that something wasn't quite right, it's hard to explain. Looked out again and as I turned away a sniper round hit me in the shoulder, went through my chest and out of my back. Dropped to the floor like a sack of shit, blood started pouring heavily out of my mouth every time I breathed out and I laid there thinking, shit, this is this how it's going to end? Took a few seconds to realise I may be able to sort myself out if I relax and don't panic, took my helmet off, through it down the stairs and it caught the attention of one of the sergeants in the checkpoint where he came and found me gargling away. Needless to say, I was that was it. Had the Americans come in and get me, woke up 4 weeks later in a right state!

Apologies if that was a bit overkill!! Sure I'm not the only one with stories like that on here. I know cos I ride with a few!

Not my life, but sitting with 3 young kids on a passenger hovercraft that was on fire and thinking that if Mrs crikey took one child, could I manage the other two with one life vest per adult...
...at night...
...in a choppy sea...
...in autumn...

I watched the crew kit up in fire fighting equipment and disappear for what seemed like 500 years while holding my sons with a death grip.

That's why we go on holiday to Stockport.

Bloody hell braddersm. If you don't win the internet with that, you win my respect...

Blimey. So not warfare type stuff but I firmly believed our car was going to end up under an artic lorry..

Driving home up the A1 with Mrs RRR and mini RRR, in the left lane behind a lorry and indicating ready to leave at the Worksop slip road. Aforementioned lorry was also indicating left.

However at the last second he slammed on the brakes pulled hard right (I assume he realised he had the wrong turn), he then ended up not back on the A1 but hammering down the dividing line between the road and the slip road towards an Armco barrier. He then realised he was going to smash into and pulled hard left back into the slip road.

I remember my wife shouting "Dan!" in a blood chillingly terrified scream. By this point the lorry was a few feet in front of me and I had zero time to brake. My reaction was to hoik on the wheel, bury the car into the dirt to the left of the slip road and go round it. It sounds dramatic but my wife's cries stay with me! We then composed ourselves and followed the lorry whilst ringing the police. I've no idea why he wouldn't stop nor what the hell he was trying to do :-/

Oh and the fire on the plane to turkey (the ovens caught fire)... Annoying thing was that I could smell burning at take off and my Mrs RRR told me to shut up. It was only at about 23000 feet that the cabin crew realised the ovens were alight.

.. Oh and when I was 13 my parents trusted me to fix their old cyclinder mower. After tinkering I started it, heard a bang and felt something fly through my hair.

Once I'd turned the engine off I found what had gone through my hair - a pound lump of cast iron flywheel / clutch mechanism .. In the flower bed 30 feet away :-S

Never been to war, thankfully, respect to all of you who's job is to put yourself in harms way.

The only time I really though I was going to die was about 35 metres down, when I was guiding a group through a wreck. I went down the missile loading hatch too fast and got a bit narced.

It was the first time it have ever happened to me and when you do your training you get the impression that you're going to die if you get it and I definitely had the "WTF have you done here Jimbo" moment.

What actually happened was I took a few breaths and came back to feeling normal again.

Out chasing poachers came round a corner for one of them to turn round and point a shotgun at me.

Needless to say we let them get away. A few years later the guy who had had the shotgun was done for murder makes me wonder how close he was for pulling the trigger on me!

Haha thanks matt_outandabout, appreciate it. I've spent my life doing stupid things and putting myself in awkward predicaments, just that time wasn't a sporting activity.

Had a similar moment on the road as some others. Came flying out the back of some woods when I was about 15 on the BMX onto a dual carriage way crossing point. Saw a gap in the cars through the trees and thought yeah I've got this. I didn't have this, instead I panicked, stop dead in the road and froze as the guy kind of skidded around me (luckily no traffic following up). He pulled into the layby and ran up the road to me. Thought I was going to get an earful so was ready to shoot off again but he was genuinely concerned for us. Must have scared the bejesus out of him. He might follow up with a comment on here haha, though was many moons ago.

Another similar surfing incident as to some others. I'm a terrible surfer really but had been going for a few months fairly consistenly and felt I could deal with some bigger conditions. I followed the reports for Bantham and it was looking good and big down there. Got there and kitted up, straight in and used the rip to get 'out back'. The problem was, I couldn't get out of the rip. Had the locals come over telling me to paddle out etc and I played it down that I was ok. I paddled and paddled but kept getting sucked towards the rocks, getting smashed off my board every wave, coming up and gasping for air before getting smashed again. Bearing in mind this is about 7-8 months after my injury so had the lung capacity of a sparrow and no shoulder strength. I burnt up pretty quick and was just exhausted, laid there on the board and was thinking the options are go with it or try and jump onto the rocks on top of a wave. So took that option! A few minutes later back on shore, battered board, wetsuit, and body and sat there on the beach thinking bloody hell. Went home that night and felt so ill from it. Chose my surfing days wisely after that and wound my neck in a bit

Apologies if that was a bit overkill!!

@bradders that may be the stupidest thing anyone has ever posted here. "Apologies" not necessary !! Massive fespect and appreciation for your service.

Been in a few Alpine scenarios which have been quite sketchy. Not least when we ducked the ropes onto a closed off-piste area. Was closed for a good reason. Never done that again. Having skied for 35 years I'd certainly say the summer and biking is more dangerous, numerous walking trail routes where a fall is terminal. Given I suffer from heights its an issue as I loose motor function and hand gets so sweaty I can't grip properly.

Certainly had a few dodgy incidents sailing. Been dragged along feet first with a rope (spinnaker sheet) caught round my foot, crew mates hauled me back on board but if they hadn't been so prompt couod have been very ugly.. Dismasted in Fastnet race in bad weather my crew mate was very quick witted to avoid getting hit with falling mast (likely fatal ?) he was then totally spooked and non functional wanted to get in the life raft which would not have been a good plan. Spent an uncomfortable hour trying to get sails / etc back aboard so we could start the engine. Bits of rigging flying around at head height. Seriously moby-dick, lashing with rain and big waves pitch black night. Called the coast guard / RNLI and got towed in. Had a good swim in Lake Geneva after tiller snapped and I went in as I was braced against it, local marine police turned up as they'd had a report of a man in distress !

Off sailing on Thrusday 🙂

EDIT: one very dodgy flight landing, appaling weather in the Bahamas, two aborted lanings and got in on the third, didn't see the ground till we where 50 feet up. Bumpy as hell rain and lightening. All subsequent fights where diverted. Ancient Air Bahamas plane.

10 msec before i hit the side of a 4x4 at 20 mph, i though "this is going to hurt". The two white van men who got to me thought i was dead. Came around 25 minutes later having not heard the air ambulance land.

Rode over a huge pothole on a night ride and thought "that was close". A week later the rider next to me did the same and wasnt so lucky. He never stood a chance. 10 seconds earlier and it would have been me who died instead.

[quote=the-muffin-man ]How do surfers manage to get back in against currents? Is a surfboard a lot easier to paddle? Can it be taught or is it just experience?

Not quite sure if this has been covered properly - you seem to have realised you were in a rip, surfers get back in by getting out of the rip rather than trying to fight it. As others have commented, it may be easier said than done to swim sideways out of a rip, but that's what you have to do. It's pretty unusual for the whole beach to form an outwards current.

I think the one where I can recall thinking at the time this could be it also involved water and also kayaking. Took out my surfski for a trip around Caldey Island. I knew it was blowing a bit, but launching off South Beach at Tenby conditions seemed OK. They were OK until I rounded the West tip of the island - at which point I encountered much, much bigger seas. If I'd been sensible I'd have turned around at that point, but turning around involved pointing the surfski in directions where the waves would have caused me more problems, so I decided the best thing was simply to carry on. It didn't get easier - I was side on to the waves now, with the waves sweeping towards sheer cliffs. By this point I'd realised that if I got tipped in there was no way I was going to be able to remount, so contemplating how long I had before getting washed onto the cliffs, and how quickly a lifeboat would be able to get there (there is a station at Tenby, but even so) - I am at least sensible enough to carry a VHF radio. Figured if I put my feet in the water it would make me more stable, but that not only meant I now had no control over the rudder, I was also slowed down enough that I couldn't stay away from the cliffs. Nothing to do but go for it - in theory it's a more stable with speed, though still the compromise if trying to be prepared to brace whilst pushing on as fast as possible to get out of the danger zone. Only about 1km of cliffs, but it felt like a lot more than that. Relief to finally round the corner and get the sea behind me and all of a sudden it's an easy surf back in.

Being chased through a field by a herd of cows.
Running so fast it feels like your heads about to snap off!
I remember vaulting over the gate too...

My pals laughed at my predicament, saying that cows don't chase people and went into the field themselves.
Moments later I could see their heads rapidly moving along the hedgeline, each with a look of outright terror.
They lived to tell the tale!

Fooling about swimming/treading water 20ft out at Perran Bay (out of season)

Things changed very quickly. Heard shouts from friend moments before sucked out by mother of rip currents (friend was struggling to return even in the kayak)

I swam hard 10-15 mins until arms exhausted. Had no education/experience of rips so made the classic mistake attempting swimming straight back for shore. And got exactly nowhere. So now treading water and can feel the pull. Sun-kissed carefree joy had become mild panic in colder, darker water. Things can change so fast.

By now I see our little party as ants on the distant beach. I'm dipping under small waves and drawing level with the headland/Ligger Point, heading out to open sea. No lifeguards. No mobiles. The mild panic becomes gasping, gulping horror. Drift out some more. Swallow water. Now it becomes icy cold realisation that my arms are exhausted and I'm going to drown. It sinks in fully. ' I'm twenty five years old and I'm going to f____ die alone in cold water.' This is the weird bit - it all changes in just a couple of thoughts. I first feel that wretched flush of mortal terror and helpless certainty. Then I go really calm. Then this anger. Real determined rage. I process thoughts methodically amd calmly. 'What can I do, I'm going to live. I'm sinking. I'm a cyclist. Wait - I have strong legs... So. '

I roll onto my back with arms limp and just kick. Big powerful churning kicks. Have no idea where, I just want to keep moving. After 15-20 mims of this I realise now I'm taking a big slow arc S/E instead of N/W. The beach looks closer.

Obviously I escaped by more luck than judgement. When got to the beach I was dragged out by friends and my lungs were sucking in huge air making noises like a distressed seal. I felt as an observer and remember thinking 'what's that awful noise???'. I learned to swim properly since then. And also educated self about currents.

Ancient Air Bahamas

Some of these stories are situations where the writers life was genuinely at risk. Others are times when they got scared and convinced themselves (often retrospectively) that their life was at risk. It's easy to confuse the two.

Some of these stories are situations where the writers life was genuinely at risk. Others are times when they got scared and convinced themselves that their life was at risk.

Ever felt truly scared for your life?

It seems for some the closer to the disaster/severity actually blanks the fear/reality a bit.

That's my experience, at least when the incident is a sudden onset one like a fall.

I'm not belittling people's accounts just pointing out that we tend to big up the severity of a situation in the aftermath or over estimate it in the first place. For example, true 'fall you die' terrain is incredibly rare on even the most extreme mountain bike routes but people often talk about it.

For example, true 'fall you die' terrain is incredibly rare on even the most extreme mountain bike routes but people often talk about it.

and very sadly this bit of trail or just around the corner turns out to be a lot more serious than we all really pretend
[img] [/img] Never even considered the conequence until some of the accident stories

Just because someone died on it doesn't make it fall you die terrain. People die falling in the bath. My point is that we like to say "if I'd fallen I'd have died" when the reality is "if I'd fallen there could have been serious consequences."

The Champery WC track (the one danny hart destroyed in the wet)

Terrifying

I'm not sure exactly how close to death I was (I'm sure there are statistics for it) but I did a parachute jump a few years ago when it was considered ok to jump out of a plane at 2000 feet. We were told (not sure how true) that from that height we would hit the ground in about 10 seconds. After exiting the plane, we had to count to 3 then check the chute, then in the remaining 7 seconds, work out what was wrong, decide to pull the reserve, and hope it deployed.
I guess I was young and didn't look at the risks but I wouldn't do it again (I'm not sure if this is still an option for a first jump.)

I was sailing when about 15 in a 29'er dinghy. We were doing something as in the picture when we catapulted forwards. A sailing OTB. I was caught in ropes about 2m underwater and my lifejacket was making it impossible to free myself.

This knife saved my life. I was half way through the side of the jacket and about to pass out when someone from a safety boat dived down and finished the job. I had time to think 'this is it - and I'm still a virgin!'

Always kept my sailing knife razor-sharp after that.

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

I'm trying to pluck up the courage to tell MrsMC I'm about to buy a new bike.

If someone could keep an eye on my posting history, and contact the Police if I'm not back on here by Wednesday. Ta.

Come on MoreCash, it's not worth dying for! Ditch the wife and buy the bike risk free 😉

Several times in the hills, all my own bloody fault. Abbed off Jammed Boulder Gully in Llanberis pass. Looked won to see that the double rope that should have been Italian hitched through the harness Krab was now just a single strand clipped in once. Dimwit twist lock krab. Managed to shove the axe in and take enough weight to get a prussick on.
"Swimming" in the waterfalls above Llanberis. Going under a submerged boulder was always fun but once I got snagged and couldn't move either way. Was just about sucking water when I was dragged out.
Both axes pulled when seconding the last pitch of Moonlight Flit in the Rivals. I knew there was only my mate with his feet down the proverbial rabbit holes for a belay. Dunno how I didn't lose my balance. Apparently he didn't even know I was off.

I seem to remember that the last was the most scary, perhaps because it was potential death rather than approaching.

Pulmonary edema at 6000 meters in Argentina... It was so bad that I was air lifted off the mountain... I'd been through all the stages and was "happily" coughing up blood when the helicopter arrived....

[quote=Spin ]Some of these stories are situations where the writers life was genuinely at risk. Others are times when they got scared and convinced themselves (often retrospectively) that their life was at risk. It's easy to confuse the two.

well, seeing as the stories were it didn't work out aren't here to tell the tale we are getting a biased view...

Some of these stories are situations where the writers life was genuinely at risk. Others are times when they got scared and convinced themselves (often retrospectively) that their life was at risk. It's easy to confuse the two.

By the same token, every time you get in your car or on your bike and go to the shops, you're potentially only seconds and a change in circumstances away from death. That lorry I overtook on the M25 earlier *could* have pulled out on me and squashed me into the barriers but it didn't.

All perception isn't it, but getting in your car is probably the most dangerous thing most of us will ever do, at least statistically.

Another water one for me, canoeing on the Wharfe in March as a kid.
Ended up in the water, wasn't too bothered so tried to swim for the edge but lost all ability to move as the water was so cold.

Luckily had a life jacket and but even then it was deep and fast moving with odd under currents, so had a worried moment. I'm nervous around water now - cold rivers are a million miles from swimming in nice warm pools.

Also driven in Bradford - the land the DVLA forgot.