What's the scariest thing that's ever happened to you?

[shropshire 0]

Wow.. was that caused by spinning in freefall?

.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[Joellercoaster 6]

Hmm. Reading this thread, some of y'all have had some way more terrifying experiences than this, but:

I was about twelve, and ran through one of those old-skool plate glass windows. I ended up dangling suspended over a triangle of glass stuck in the frame, with another one of similar size wavering back and forth, point down over the back of my neck.

Instead of being disembowelled or beheaded, I came out with a cut on my knee and a thin laceration on my abdomen through my sweater where I'd been hanging over the spike. Almost no blood at all.

--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

[murps2000 86]

Yes, rapid onset of multiple G fom the spin. I guess fighter pilots would consider it negative G. I now fully understand the concept of "red-out". They didn't get that red right away, but that was maybe the 2nd day after.

[mnealtx 0]

Mine weren't anything compared to some of y'all's!!

Item 1: I was working down near Stuttgart and living in Mannheim. I was off for the weekend and driving home on the Autobahn.

3 lane highway, passing a line of trucks and being passed by a VERY high priced Mercedes when the right rear tire blew at 150kph (95mph). I *STILL* don't know exactly how I kept it in the lane....

Item 2: A couple years before the incident above... was working up near Nurnberg at Geibelstadt. Driving in to work, I hit a patch of black ice and sailed the rest of the way across the road. Bounced off the embankment on the other side and came back across the road, just in time to get T-boned by the semi that was coming the other way. Car rolled over and ended up on the right side. Now I knew how a demolition derby driver feels....

Item 3: In my previous skydiving life, would've been jump 7. Myself and another one of the guys are on 10 second delays. I go out first, do my delay and pull the ripcord. Just about the time I'm getting the full canopy and making my checks, here comes the other guy roaring past me about 30-40 feet away, with the pilot chute just lifting off. Evidently, he had keyed on me and ended up closing in on me during his delay.

Needless to say, he got a bit of a talking to from the instructors....

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[LearningTOfly 0]

I was flying about a year ago in a Cessna- cruising along at 2500' to keep out of a tersa. I give it a good look out to clear the area, then go heads down to do a ground speed calc. Few seconds later I hear the noise of a second engine.

Mind you, before the flight, I was sure I only had one engine attached- so I glance up (rather quickly) and look to the right... to see a 172 flying a heading about 110 degrees different compared to my track, and about 50 to 100 feet below me. He had passed fairly close to directly beneath me. 100 feet difference on either of our parts, and we would have been a spectacle.

It was certainly an event I will recall for a long time- and a point that I will teach my students- uncontrolled airspace is just that- keep your eyes peeled, and look twice if not thrice.

[skymedic 0]

scariest moment for me was I was a relatively new Paramedic and had a gun placed at my temple after I walked into a suburban house in chicago's near western burbs. the guy proceeded to say if we walked any further he'd blow our fucking head's off. this is after he shot his wife. his wife was able to dial 911 and say she was "hurt" but nothing further....after we left he proceeded to baracade him self in for the next 72hours or so....then started to shoot at passing motorists. good thing it was a shot gun and by the time the shots reached the car's...it was going just fast enough to chip glass.

the Copers then decided to raid the place and escort him to his maker sooner than later.

all in all one scary scary day...well several day's..but I went home after the first 23 hrs of the stand off part.

Marc
otherwise known as Mr.Fallinwoman....

[lawrocket 3]

December 1, 2003. I had sinus surgery. It turned out it was a polyp. A big polyp. A weird looking polyp. The doctor said it may be cancer. I got home and found out that day I was gonna be a daddy.

Two things that did not go together very well. I spent the next couple of days in pain and worry. On december 3, I get a call fron the doctor's office saying to hold for the doctor. This was a good sign. He wanted to talk to me by telephone (I knew if they wanted me to come in immediately it would be bad). Necrotic polyp. I was healthy. Whew...

THAT was the scariest...

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[skymedic 0]

I take that back...that was my second scariest moment of my life...first scariest moment of my life was in june of 1994...I graduated paramedic school that day. But in the morning I had gone to the doctor to talk to him about some "test results"...no big deal I thought.

Well....long story short...I walked out of his office with a note listing all the things I needed to do in the next few short months. one was make out a will. I was 20 yrs OLD!!! WTF...make funeral arangements...etc..etc..etc.. the fucker told me I had cancer of the lymph system...non hodgkins in nature. that I had less than 3 months to live and there was nothing any one could do.

worst part was I was alone.....was only sorrta dating this girl....was not on good terms with my mom at all(hadn't talked to her in over a year)....and my Dad lived in St.Louis(I was near chicago)


it sucked...I was scared to death!!! literaly.

Good part is....i kept going to doctors till I got the answer that I wanted....and now...I am alive.

and less than 80ish day's till i will be married.

it is a beautifull thing!!!!!

Marc
otherwise known as Mr.Fallinwoman....

[rhino 0]

The week my ex-wife kidnapped my son Daniel.

I went to Texas and she was to be a week behind me after closing on our house from Tennessee. 3 weeks later I filed missing persons reports on both of them...

Then a week later the phone call with my best friend in the world Daniel screaming in the background I want my daddy!!! daddy!!! DADDY!!!!

My ex telling me I would never see my son again.. Then saying oh.. By the way.. If I were you I would go to the health department and get an HIV test, I left a present for you..

That was scary... The HIV thing was just her fucking with me.. After that call I didn't hear from her again for 6 weeks. When I told he 6 weeks later I tested negative she said WELL I SUGGEST YOU GET TESTED AGAIN IN 6 WEEKS. I didn't hear from her again for another 3 weeks..

Talk about a fucked up and scary time of my life...

Sa La Vi!!

Rhino

[grue 1]

Quote

Quote

edit: Between your pic and your sig, you're trying to get me all randy on a lonely Friday, aren't you?

Who Me?? ...

Yes you!

cavete terrae.

[grue 1]

Quote

Yes. Eyes bleeding.

How many G's do you have to be pushing to have that happen?!

cavete terrae.

[rhino 0]

Quote

Well....long story short...I walked out of his office with a note listing all the things I needed to do in the next few short months. one was make out a will. I was 20 yrs OLD!!! WTF...make funeral arangements...etc..etc..etc.. the fucker told me I had cancer of the lymph system...non hodgkins in nature. that I had less than 3 months to live and there was nothing any one could do.

worst part was I was alone.....was only sorrta dating this girl....was not on good terms with my mom at all(hadn't talked to her in over a year)....and my Dad lived in St.Louis(I was near chicago)


it sucked...I was scared to death!!! literaly.

Good part is....i kept going to doctors till I got the answer that I wanted....and now...I am alive.

and less than 80ish day's till i will be married.

it is a beautifull thing!!!!!

Damn bro... I feel your pain..

[Daizey 0]

One night after a new years party. I went with my friend, we were probably about 11 years old. We had fun hanging out with all of the kids and counting down the new year. Got back into the car and realized after we pulled onto the road that my friends father was insanely drunk.

Scariest ride home of my life. We were sitting in the back and my friend and I werre contemplating how hurt we'd get if we jumped out the back. We were flying at 70mph so we decided against it. The car came to a stop at a stop sign and the mother tried to get him to let us out. She opened her door and he hit the gas and flew off so we couldnt get out.

The whole way home he told us he was gonna kill us if we tried to get out and when we got home he said hed try and kill us anyway. We made it to their house (they live on top of a mountain -its a long road with lots of turns). Luckily we made it alive. I remember running into the house and into a bedroom with my friend, her mother, her sister and another friend. We all huddled together with the door locked. Unfortunately we picked a room without a phone to call 911 with.

We listened to him trying to threaten us and throw things around the house. Finally it grew quiet and one by one we began to drift off asleep-except me-I lied awake for awhile.

I remember waking up -all 5 us snuggled together in a heep hearing the words, "Get out of there I have a gun." I think my heart stopped. He ended up running out of the house and running up the hill with it saying he was forgetting about us and going to kill himself instead.

The little sister started crying and so did my friend. Everyone freaked out. We went downstairs to see if he was really gone and I picked up the phone and called 911. The police came-a few cops stayed to protect us and the others went up to try and find her father. They found him on the far edge of the property (they live on a huge horse farm). He hadnt shot himself yet so they were trying to coax him down.

I called my mom and told her to come get me. I tried not to tell her why byt it was 730 in the morning and she knew what was up. Finally I told her my friends dad had a gun and the police were here and I needed her to come get me. So she did - and I took my friend, her sister and the other friend with us.

He never did kill himself-or anyone. And the mother didn't kick him out, file for divorce or anything. He still lives in the house-and I wont go there when he's home. I always thought he was such a cool person-hes a producer on broadway and always treated us to cool things-but now I'm petrified of him. And that night continues to haunt me even to this day.

*daizey*

[jumpergirl 0]

December 1998 - I got carbon monoxide poisoning VERY badly and should have died. I lived alone. I was able to call my boss, who was also one of my only friends at the time, who in turn called 911. I was TERRIFIED that I would never see my family again. I was in the ER on oxygen for 8 hours that day.

November 2001 - Bad spot over trees and a small lake/large pond. I set up for a tree landing and realized that I could clip the tops of some trees and make it between them and land on the other side between two hangers. I had no idea there were power lines right there. I flew through the V of the trees and through the top and bottom power lines only to get caught and stuck in the lines. 30 minutes later, and at least 1,000 pictures by EVERYONE at the dz that day, I was safely on the ground with no problems. 30 minutes after that I was on the sunset load.

[murps2000 86]

How many G's do you have to be pushing to have that happen?!
***

I really don't know. I didn't have G-meter or anything. Although I wonder myself. It was enough, several I'm sure. It was serious.

[pseudonym 0]

not in the sky (though my first tandem was scary as hell ).

Any number of climbing routes when the pro(tection) runs out or the only placements you can find are purely psychological (and you know it ).

But more specifically (also when climbing) a good friend of mine fell while clipping the third bolt on a route in the blue mountains. Happened so quick next thing I know she is swinging, in a horizontal position literally maybe 20cm above the ground (after a good 6-8m fall). Thought she was hurt but turns out she did not make any contact at all with mother earth. I was on belay and packing bricks

Gad I love climbing

Colin

Because it's there - Mallory

[Dougiefresh 0]

I was born. Been terrified ever since.

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. --Douglas Adams

[Icon134 0]

When ever I'm even considering asking a girl out... I'm scared sh*tless...

Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife...

[dixieskydiver 0]

I watched an at-the-time girlfriend, and good friend who was her jump master, on her 8th jump have a cypress fire about two miles from the dropzone and then it took about 30 minutes to find them and make sure they were ok. Someone had thoughtfully prepared everclear shots for that day´s football game the night before.

Dixie
HISPA #56 Facil Rodriguez
"Scientific research has shown that 60% of the time, it works every time."

[photofly 0]

Happened not to long ago (1 year ) and has been a long recovery. Good to be alive and will be able to jump soon.

[propilot 0]

First time I adjusted my legstraps under canopy..


I grabbed both adjusters and pulled up.

I must have dropped 6 inches...felt like a foot.

I screamed like a ***** for about 2 seconds..thought I had fallen out of my harness!

[tbrown 26]

Scariest thing EVER was taking LSD when I was 14 years old, having a bad trip and not coming down for 3 days. Thought I was going to be one of those acid casualty mental cases. Hard thing to take at that age, especially when I didn't feel I could talk to any adults about it. 1970 was a year full of acid flashbacks, no fun at all. Thanks to God and the Jefferson Airplane for coming to town and helping to lift my mood.

Skydiving, it's a toss up. Used to pack student T-10 canopies for a dollar apiece, until one day when a first jump student had to chop a streamer. The JM went psycho on me in the plane and started knocking me around. He was a bit of a headcase himself. Records showed I was not the packer of the streamered canopy and the student made a successful cutaway and reserve deployment. He also dropped his gear in place on landing, told the DZO to go fuck himself, then got in his car and drove away. This was 1976. But thinking that I MIGHT have packed his mal made me sick to my stomach and I never packed student gear again.

Finally, my first cutaway in 1979, I went head down and felt the reserve pilot chute hit my foot when I pulled. This was a round reserve - no freebag. I could almost feel my hair turning snow white until I got line stretch and realized I was going to live after all.

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

[Ugali 0]

Level 4 AFF

Went into dense cloud with another AFF student heading straight for me
couldnt see a thing
buried left brake and spiraled down untill i saw the ground again
nothing happpened but by far the scariest moment to date

Tom, Tom Tom, Tommy, Tom Love

[Peej 0]

Getting mugged, trying to fight back and taking a bullet. Thanks to crappy 9mm ammunition and a stroke of luck it wasn't serious.
The slug missed my femur by an inch or two and went through the muscle in the right thigh, in one side and out the other.

It wasn't all that scary at the time but it scared the hell out of me afterward when i realised that the gunman drew blindly and fired. He was just intending to hit me, it didn't matter where. I was standing with my right side exposed and he could have hit me in the kidneys or a nimber of any other places.

Advertisio Rodriguez / Sky

[JohnRich 4]

- Getting drafted during the Vietnam War.

- Becoming a father!

- Attempted murder: survived six shotgun blasts to the side of my car without getting so much as a scratch (photo attached). Well, I did get a lot of shattered chunks of tempered glass all over me. It's a good thing they made 6,000 lb. cars back then! The shooter went on to injure 12 other people, and kill 6. I was one of the few lucky ones...