Times where you nearly 'bought the farm', had things been slightly different

[tomtomagain]

Aged 7 and travelling in a car with my mum ( driving ) , dad ( passenger ) and brother. My mum lost control of the car and crossed the central reservation into the on coming traffic on a dual carriage way.

We hit one car, turned over and narrowly avoided being ploughed into by a HGV.

My memories are of being suspended upside down by my seat-belt and then crawling out of the car onto the road through a broken window. We all got out without serious injury but my dad put his hand through the window and had most of his left thumb scrapped off. Miracle really, we could all of easily been dead.

oh : And the Police had to close the road to pick up my Lego.

[TestMangler]

In the 80's driving home from work in my Datsun 100A and the rear offside wishbone disintegrated, ending up with the car going down the road on its roof and hitting an oncomer. Car was a ball of mangled metal (well, tin foil, it was a 70's Datsun) and I crawled out the crushed front window hole without a scratch.

Three years ago, on a motor bike trip, doing a bit of silly tulip on a very bendy country road, mate struggling to keep up, I came round a tightening bend and ended up on the wrong side of the road. managed to stay on and luckily missed an oncoming car. Mate came round the same bend a few secs later and did the same, but ended up in the trees on the other side of the road. Dave, if you still use this forum.....I told you I was faster than you !

[clearedforlanding]

In the 80's driving home from work in my Datsun 100A and the rear offside wishbone disintegrated, ending up with the car going down the road on its roof and hitting an oncomer. Car was a ball of mangled metal (well, tin foil, it was a 70's Datsun) and I crawled out the crushed front window hole without a scratch.

Three years ago, on a motor bike trip, doing a bit of silly tulip on a very bendy country road, mate struggling to keep up, I came round a tightening bend and ended up on the wrong side of the road. managed to stay on and luckily missed an oncoming car. Mate came round the same bend a few secs later and did the same, but ended up in the trees on the other side of the road. Dave, if you still use this forum.....I told you I was faster than you !

Neither of you were counter steering. You over cooked it by steering with your weight, while a slight push on the LHS handle bar, knees gripping the tank, and weight on you LHS foot peg would have put you back on your side of the road. Your friend trying to keep up with you, lost confidence before the tires lost grip.

I may be guessing, but am usually right on this kind of tulip.

Always put the less experienced rider in front of you. Pace is everything on a ride and you should have followed his pace.

[vetran]

I was climbing little Chamonix with big burns on my fingers and I couldn't hold on, fell 20 feet and landed one leg either side of a sharp stone. I didn't fear for my life but future kids looked decidedly dodgy.

12 years old I was knocked off my bike and flung 10 feet, still have a 3 inch scar where I landed on my head.

about 18 I was washing up in a restaurant and my arm started swelling I was going into anaphylactic shock after an bite. My Dad got me to the hospital in time and they pumped me full of Piriton and antibiotics, always take some with me now. Not bad advice as it can come on later in life without warning.

[d000hg]

Nothing too exciting...


Commuting to work on a busy dual-carriageway I pulled into the slow lane with a huge gap in front of me, because the car in front was pootling along at ~55.

As I passed him and was about to pull back into the fast lane to overtake upcoming traffic in the slow lane, he decided to accelerate... and accelerate... each time I was safely in front he'd speed up.

I gave up and decided to leave him to it, but without realising had been focusing all my attention on his car next to me. As I turned my head back to the road ahead I realised I was hammering towards a much slower car directly in front of me and had to do virtually an emergency stop. Probably 1-2s longer before noticing and we'd have hit quite hard.

[mudskipper]

Nothing too exciting...


Commuting to work on a busy dual-carriageway I pulled into the slow lane with a huge gap in front of me, because the car in front was pootling along at ~55.

As I passed him and was about to pull back into the fast lane to overtake upcoming traffic in the slow lane, he decided to accelerate... and accelerate... each time I was safely in front he'd speed up.

I gave up and decided to leave him to it, but without realising had been focusing all my attention on his car next to me. As I turned my head back to the road ahead I realised I was hammering towards a much slower car directly in front of me and had to do virtually an emergency stop. Probably 1-2s longer before noticing and we'd have hit quite hard.

I did similar overtaking a lorry - except I slammed on the brakes, bounced into the lorry, bounced across the road, got hit by an oncoming car (whose wheel came off hitting another car) before coming to a controlled stop upside down in a ditch. Did the dangling in seatbelt thing for a bit. Minor cut on the leg was the only physical damage. I still hate going past lorries though!

[mudskipper]

I've had four of my cars written off. Two my fault, two not. Have had current car six years - must be heading for some sort of record.

[northernladuk]

I've had four of my cars written off. Two my fault, two not. Have had current car six years - must be heading for some sort of record.

And you are not even old yet!!!!

[mudskipper]

And you are not even old yet!!!!

[BrilloPad]

It was 1994. 10 days before I was getting married. My fiancée was due to come to Brands Hatch to watch me motor racing. But stayed in. At the circuit there was ice so no racing. So I went for a drive in my mazda mx5 brodie Brittan racing mark 3 - the first ever mark 3. In those days it was a company car. I was driving by London Golf club on A20 (under M20) and touched the throttle as I had dropped to 45mph in a 50 zone. The car just went sideways on ice. I was over the other side of the road, over verge and then a terrific bang. The passenger door was next to the gear stick - quite a bit of engine in the passenger well too. If my fiancée had been there I would have got very messy. Every car panel damaged apart from passenger door.

I had hit my head on the steering wheel and had 2 black eyes for the wedding.

It was in Mauritius and when we flew in the island had been wrecked by a hurricane.

What starts badly, ends badly.

And the insurers refused to pay up. After haggling they offered £13k for a £22k car. Solicitor involvement took that to £17k. They charged £400 - the only time I have seen a solicitor offer good value.