Closest near miss /brush with death

DJS

Junior Member
Messages
76
Hi guys I m sure we ve all had close calls on the road over the years I know I have but last Monday at 10 pm on the M6 southbound I came within a whisker of possible death or at the very least life changing injuries . Even at that time there is a bit of traffic I had just joined at J 9 and passed a big truck so was in the middle lane cruising at 65 and saw a car well ahead indicating to go left - no worries he s changing lanes or so I thought but no this idiot had stopped in the middle lane in order to cut across to the M5 slip road .By the time I realised he was stationary it was too late to hit the brakes esp as the road was wet ,I had seconds to quickly check wing mirror for any car in the fast lane and I somehow managed to swerve around him - I swear I must have missed him by inches at that speed it would have been catastrophic - I did nt even have time to blast the horn I wish I had a dash cam because I would have reported it - what type of idiot thinks its ok to stop on a MW in order to not miss their exit - so I ve actually been having flash backs and I really dont know how I missed him I must have a guardian angel .
Anyone else have any near death road stories to share - just to add I was nt in my QP I was driving a Ford Connect van not known for their handling
 

Nayf

Member
Messages
2,734
Aside from car crashes there’s one time that really sticks in the mind. For a number of reasons I can’t go into the precise reasons why but it was what happened next. Probably one of the most profound and effecting moments of my life... my housemate and I realised the gravity of the situation, looked at each other and bid each other good night before heading to our respective rooms, unsure whether we’d wake up the next morning, and all the various stages of horrendous permutations leading up to that. Quite something, that feeling.

Apparently I very nearly died from as a result of Meckel's diverticulum, but I was about two so I can’t remember that. Thankfully, judging by the Wikipedia page. Sounds like a pain in the ****...
 

Scaf

Member
Messages
6,512
Glad you pulled off the manoeuvre without incident and got home safe, now go buy a lottery ticket !

Blasting your horn might have made you feel better but would have taught them nothing, some people need to be dragged out of their car and given a beating!
 

safrane

Member
Messages
16,748
Had three.
1) Aged 10 crossing the road safely, but my dopey friends were dawdling behind acting the fools. I made it to the other side and was walking down the road back to school however the other two were playing chicken. They were almost hit by a car whose driver decided to slam on the brakes and give them a deserved rollicking... unfortunately the artic behind him did not stop in time and hit his car which catapulted across the pavement and into the front room of a terrace house...running just over my feet.
My pals legged it and I was left there to be given a pasting by the car driver, and then the cane at school and a rollicking by the Police... until the lorry driver gave a statement which cleared me, but not the pain in my toes or backside.

2) head on crash as a passenger in a Taxi who decided to turn right across the path of an oncoming car sending me into the windscreen.

3) another head on as a passenger into a transit van in a Peugeot 106 which caught fire... three broken ribs, broken arm and concussion but I still did my night shift.

Also been stabbed twice at work but those were not life threatening... but most ex forces will have had more.

If I was a dog I would be called lucky!
 
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Gazcw

Member
Messages
7,696
Had three.
1) Aged 10 crossing the road safely, but my dopey friends were dawdling behind acting the fools. I made it to the other side and was walking down the road back to school however the other two were playing chicken. They were almost hit by a car whose driver decided to slam on the brakes and give them a deserved rollicking... unfortunately the artic behind him did not stop in time and hit his car which catapulted across the pavement and into the front room of a terrace house...running just over my feet.
My pals legged it and I was left there to be given a pasting by the car driver, and then the cane at school and a rollicking by the Police... until the lorry driver gave a statement which cleared me, but not the pain in my toes or backside.
  1. head on crash as a passenger in a Taxi who decided to turn right across the path of an oncoming car sending me into the windscreen.
  2. another head on as a passenger into a transit van in a Peugeot 106 which caught fire... three broken ribs, broken arm and concussion but I still did my night shift.
Also been stabbed twice at work but those were not life threatening.

If I was a dog I would be called lucky!
Don't ever ask me for lift Lucky!
 

Andyk

Member
Messages
61,038
No near death experience on the roads but I did have a girlfriend many years ago try to stab me.....That was definitely a near death experience.

So glad you missed him. Makes your heart race a tad when stuff like this happens and your bum twitch like a rabbits nose.
 
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allandwf

Member
Messages
10,958
40k miles a year, for over 15 years, you tend to see it all. You missed him so all good. :)
 

Wack61

Member
Messages
8,764
I've driven 60-80,000 miles a year for the last 25 years, thankfully I've never been in a near death situation

I did see the aftermath of a late lane changer once , coming off the A14 dual carriageway

He must've decided he really needed that junction so swerved in front of an artic , only he'd misjudged it and clipped the artic which put him on the grass , it rolled a number of times finishing up on the roof at the top of the banking
BMW obviously , it had the green privacy screen round it and multiple emergency service vehicles so I assume he was dead , all for the sake of a few miles up to the A1 and down to Brampton hut
 

Hawk13

Member
Messages
1,471
Unfortunately (or should that be fortunately?) I've had a few non fault incidents on motorbikes and cars and a couple that are non car related. I'm sat here in a cold sweat thinking about one of them (a near drowning) and can't bring myself to type out the details.

I also found myself having to take refuge on Mont Blanc after a descent turned nasty. At the time (we were 17) it didn't seem that bad but with hindsight we were very very lucky and I was reckless.
 

mjheathcote

Centenary Club
Messages
9,033
When I was 18 was erecting the aluminium mast on my Hobbie catamaran on the beach. It wasn't secured correctly and the mast fell down straight onto the top of my head. I wasn't looking in the direction and didn't see it fall. It just bounced off the top of my head.
It should have smashed my scull or at least knocked me out unconscious, but nothing, no even a lump, and it was the top of the mast too!
Had few silly snow skiing near misses when young, ignoring closed pistes signs and finding myself on the side of a steep mountain with no snow.
Only time I've been in a situation really shared for my life was on the top of Crib Goch, in the cold, near zero viability. I'll never forgive the 'experienced' friend who put me in that situation, never done anything like it before or afterwards. Just before reaching the summit passed a poor guy that had just died from a heart attack, and the RAF medic was having to leave him with his friend, to wait for maintain rescue, as the Sea King helicopter was running low on fuel.
 

Scaf

Member
Messages
6,512
My closest encounter with death on the road was when I was 19, driving like a complete plank with 4 mates in my Capri.
Racing another car down country roads I lost it, side swiped a huge tree we rolled over.
Damage to the rear quarter was so bad the wheel and drive shaft was ripped out and the fuel tank ruptured.
No fire and no injuries -
 

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Wanderer

Member
Messages
5,791
This is mine, front seat passenger, car was on its roof so we had to crawl out of the windows. Flipped over about three times. Speeding, 80mph in a 30. ******** driver showing off his lack of ability.

1985, one week before Live Aid!

76235
 

Silvercat

Member
Messages
1,166
I used to drive between 45-50k mile's per year for 16 years on the motorway network and had a couple of scary moments. One was on the M6 on the Thelwall viaduct driving in the fast lane. One dark winters morning I came across a lorry cab roof fairing sitting in the fast lane. I managed to swerve into the middle lane to avoid hitting it and missed it by inches at 75mph. Think it would have made a mess if I had hit it. Another one was when driving back up the M61 from Manchester in my Audi; approaching a flat bed truck in the middle lane. A brick suddenly fell off the truck and came bouncing towards me. Luckily it hit the passenger door. I was doing about 70mph at the time. Made one **** of a bang and put a massive dent in the door. It was so bad the door had to be replaced at a cost of £1600. Certainly gets your heart pumping!
 

Wanderer

Member
Messages
5,791
I once ran over a tiny wee rabbit, little baby one, b'dump, b'dump, got it with both tyres. Then half a mile on tw@tted a bird joining the M74. Coming back home no sign of the bird (wrong side) but saw the squashed bunny.

I while back too on the M50 a pigeon swooped down in front of me and bounce off the floorpan, emerging out the back (rear view mirror) in a cloud of feathers and then an hour or so later on the M5 a pre-squashed rabbit (truck in front of me) hit my windscreen. No damage thought the rabbit was a write-off...
 

GeoffCapes

Member
Messages
14,000
I've a few.

Last year when I got food poisoning and spent a week in hospital. Don't remember much about it, I was in and out of consciouness for 3 days, apparently the doc's said I was 50/50 for a while (only found this out about a month ago!).

When I was 19 I rolled my car over a roundabout with 4 mates in it. The bit where my head should have been was crushed down to where my rib cage was.

When I was a teenager I was cycling down a busy main road and my pedal snapped off (whilst travelling quite quickly) and I ended up going over the handlebars onto incoming traffic.
I came to with my head an inch from the from tyre of a Ford Sierra with a hysterical woman screaming that she'd killed me.
Fortunately she didn't.
 

PaulCambio

Member
Messages
480
I have at least one a week. Well, that's what I tell the idiots who phone me regularly saying "I understand you've had a recent accident that wasn't your fault" Normally goes along the lines of 'I was driving my Bugatti Veyron up the M23 when a LaFerarri came flying down the wrong carriageway and hit me head on killing me instantly. Fortunately I was reincarnated just as you called'.
 

MarkMas

Chief pedant
Messages
8,795
Sounds very scary.

Mine was about 20 years ago. Overtaking someone on a nice straight bit of the A46, someone else pulled out of a tiny lane up ahead on the right, without stopping or looking left. We passed three abreast. Red car stationary and terrified. Blue car doing 50 and edging into the ditch. And me (green Subaru Imprezza Turbo) under full breaking down from maybe 90-60.

76247
 

BennyD

Sea Urchin Pate
Messages
14,994
I was having a razz on my R1 about 15 years ago. It was dry and crispy cold with light traffic. I was accelerating hard in a long, gentle right hand bend and felt the front forks compress and the engine start to labour. I looked down at the speedo which was showing 139mph. The next millisecond I saw tarmac and sparks hitting my visor. I pirouetted down the road for about 70 yards on my front before I came to a stop. I got up and found the bike had f*cked off another 50 yards beyond me, got airborne and buried itself in a ditch at the bottom of a bank. Damage to me was a set of shredded biking gear and my left little finger broken in 5 places. Reason for the excursion; due to a new brake lever from an earlier R1 the front brakes were permanently touching the disc and eventually the heat caused a lock up. It took me a week to get beyond 140 on my other bike, but that was because I couldn't pull the clutch lever in with a broken finger. Happy days.
 

Wattie

Member
Messages
8,640
Well, reading this thread I can understand how the yoof of today are paying a lot for their motor and bike insurance.