I Dodged a Bullet when,........
- Thread starter dmdom
- Start date
One 4th of July when I was 11 or 12, we were shooting bottle rockets at basically everything in town (all fireworks were illegal), we were aiming them at a couple of grain bins on the edge of town across from a friends house because when they went off the sound echoing off the bins was super loud. We had shot a few off and nearly hit some cars driving on the road between us and the bins, my buddy was supposed to watching to make sure the street was clear so I could fire a few off, he gives me the all clear but as soon as the rocket shoots from the tube, a car appears, a police car! To this day I'm not sure exactly how it happened but the bottle rocket buzzed the top of the cruiser, clearing it by maybe a couple of inches. I still blame my friend for being a crappy lookout and almost getting me sent to juvie.
When I was around 8 my family went on a vacation to Yellowstone. We went whitewater rafting as a family activity. At the conclusion of the ride some guys are taking care of getting the raft onto shore. Well I was impatient and wanted to get on dry land, so I hop out. Problem is, I get off on the downstream side of the raft so the current grabs me. Good thing I grabbed onto the string before I'm carried away because a few hundred feet downstream is a 10-12 foot drop.
When I was little, my family was at some lake where we rented paddle boats. My Mom and I got in and started going around the lake. There was a bridge over a part of the lake that I wanted to go under. It seemed like no big deal. As we got closer, we see a sign that said to not go under the bridge. We began to go closer until my Mom said no, so we turned around. We didn't know why, both my Mom and I why not to go under the bridge. There was no sound of anything bad. Later on, after we returned the paddle boats, we take the car on this bridge and turns out it was a huge waterfall.
Driving home from work in Omaha a couple years ago, I was the first car at a red light. Light turns green and I notice the car behind me hasn't pulled away from the light. I also notice the driver has their head buried in their phone (texting, I assume). I got the feeling that I should shift to the other lane so as not to be in front of this person. At the next red light I hear screeching tires and *BAM*, the texting driver rear ended the person in front of her, which would have been me. I can only assume she was still focused on the phone.
I've had multiple incidents like that. When I see someone looking at their phone, I get as far away as possible.
There aren't nearly enough lanes on the roads on my commute to get away from the phone addicted drivers on the roads.
saw someone sweeving between lanes on the way home the other night. Lots of traffic around them. I go to pass them and sure enough, head in phone. I was already too far past them otherwise I was going to honk at them.
When I was 6 my family went to Orlando for my older sister's AAU basketball tournament. I clearly wasn't the brightest kid as I got lost.. 3 times. The worst one being at one of the many water-parks. My group moved onto the next ride and I thought they left me (as it turned out, my siblings were behind me on the same ride). So my 6 year old logic said to run and find them. Well, I ran the wrong direction and ended up in the parking lot. I ended up finding our rented van (there were about 50 of the exact same van in the parking lot that day, but I peaked in the window and saw a towel that I forgot to bring into the park) and sat on the bumper until someone came out. I would guess I sat there for fifteen or twenty minutes but it felt like eternity. My brother ended up coming out to check the van and led me into the security room where my family was giving them my description.
Since then, I hate crowds, I hate traveling, and I always know exactly where my vehicle is parked.
Since then, I hate crowds, I hate traveling, and I always know exactly where my vehicle is parked.
oh yeah when I was like 5 I was in swimming lessons. At the end they'd let you go down the one slide or go off the diving board. I normally did the slide but one time I'm like ok, I'll go off the diving board. I'm not really sure what I was thinking, maybe that one of the instructors would be waiting below to catch me or something? It was 11ft in the deep end and I definitely couldn't swim yet.
My mom was recording this particular swimming lesson and commenting to one of her mom friends while taping. So you hear her say "is someone going to get into the pool and catch her? she can't swim" as I'm walking to the end of the board.
She keeps recording as I just pencil drop in. I remember hitting bottom, opening my eyes, looking up and thinking the surface seemed so very far away and not being sure how to get there. So I shoved off the bottom and could barely get my head out of the water far enough to say "help" before I went back under. You hear this on the video at which point my mom like drops the camera to start running to that end of the pool. They got me out pretty fast but not a real pleasant experience.
We still have that video and my brothers think it's fairly amusing but neither my mom or I really watch it.
My mom was recording this particular swimming lesson and commenting to one of her mom friends while taping. So you hear her say "is someone going to get into the pool and catch her? she can't swim" as I'm walking to the end of the board.
She keeps recording as I just pencil drop in. I remember hitting bottom, opening my eyes, looking up and thinking the surface seemed so very far away and not being sure how to get there. So I shoved off the bottom and could barely get my head out of the water far enough to say "help" before I went back under. You hear this on the video at which point my mom like drops the camera to start running to that end of the pool. They got me out pretty fast but not a real pleasant experience.
We still have that video and my brothers think it's fairly amusing but neither my mom or I really watch it.
A recent one was just this past December. I had been working a long week around Missouri Valley and the plan for that morning was to brief with the guys and cut everyone loose to get home early. Well that morning I receive a call asking for me and my crew to go out near Dow City to get a few things wrapped up prior to leaving. The road conditions on Highway 30 were fine near Mo Valley, but as we get to Dunlap the roads just turn into a 1 inch thick sheet of ice. As I try and make the turn north I start sliding and the semi behind me was following way too close nails the back of my truck. The driver behind the semi nails the Mansfield bar on the trailer and totals his brand new truck. Two things really saved it from being worse for me. 1) we were going about 20 due to the icy conditions and 2) I had left my ball in the receiver which took 99% of the impact. The ball bent up to about 45 degrees and the impact from the semi was dispersed through the frame and basically pushed me down the road. Ended up with minor whiplash but could've been a lot worse.
Hunting 2nd shotgun season with a buddy of mine who I wasnt quite sure I trusted yet, I put him over the hill safe as could be, Im in the draw over the hill pushing the deer to him . Well Buddy sees a deer runs to the top of hill and shoots once, I hear the whistle and branches start breaking all over me , I dropped the gun and run out of the timber hooting and hollering and thank god he only shot once. I then berated him about this is how people get ****ing killed and stuff. He felt awful about it , never hunted the rest of the season.
My wife and I were coming home from Chicago the day after the Duke-ISU game. As soon as we hit Iowa, I-80 was glazed over. I was doing 55 like most everyone else. A semi flew past me, and sucked the read end of my car left. Next thing, I am backwards in the left lane with another semi heading at me. My car went all the way around, and I made it to the left shoulder just as that semi whizzed by.
Within a mile was a rest stop. I pulled off to gather my wits, and this old guy knocked on the window. He said, "Are you Mario Andreotti? I told my wife he's probably pulling off to change his shorts!". Not far from the truth.
Within a mile was a rest stop. I pulled off to gather my wits, and this old guy knocked on the window. He said, "Are you Mario Andreotti? I told my wife he's probably pulling off to change his shorts!". Not far from the truth.
