Reply to: Have you ever thought you're about to die?

[KentPhilip]

.. actions of a hero ..

Well done!

Maybe you should become an armed robber now that you've got some experience

[MyUserName]

Yep, couple of times:

Stared down the barrel of a gun after refusing to hand over money.

Blimey - tell us more about that one..

Between my first and second year at university I was working as a cashier in the only 24 petrol station in the town (the town I grew up in was very rough, I might have mentioned that on some other posts ;-))

One night at about 2am I was collecting stock in the back room when I heard someone knocking the glass. I came out to serve them and found that they were pointing a shotgun at me through the window. What I remember most of all was how amazingly cold I suddenly felt and the fact I simply could not believe it was happening, I thought it must be a joke or something.

He said "Give me the *cough* money"

I simply stared at him and realised that being as nothing ever happened I had not bother doing
any safe drops so there was more money in the till than there should be (there should be a £50 max and there was probably about £150) and I knew that the company would make me pay it back, which I could not afford to do as I was a student. I reasoned that if he knew I had pressed the alarm then he would run for it and shooting me would be pointless as he still would not be able to get the money so I walked forward and pressed the alarm and told him "I have pressed the alarm. Now the police are coming"

We stood there for a few seconds and it occured to me that he might just shoot me out of spite or he might be smashed on drugs or something. Suddenly my strategy looked like it might have a few logical holes which could well be joined by some extra ones in my head. After a few seconds he said "I was only joking anyway" and walked off, he stood across the street chatting with his mates.

Within a few minutes there were police coming from everywhere, the moment they saw him they jumped him and threw him in the van. Then they came over and asked what he had done. I refused to let CID cordon off the drawer to investigate as I had to serve customers, he suggested I opened the door and serve them that way but I refused as it was against regulations. Eventually we agreed that they could examine the drawer and take evidence as long as they left a police officer in the shop and signed the accident report agreeing they were responsible - they were actually very nice about it, I think they realised I was in shock.

I was temporarily a mini celebrity in the town, I was in the local paper etc. It was amazing how many people thought it was funny to point their fingers at me and say "give me the money" - it seriously weirded me out why someone would think that was funny.

He made death threats from prison and I almost got pounded by a bunch of his mates when they saw me at a nightclub but I walked out of the club straight into a taxi and missed the ambush (did not find out about that for a while).

A year or two later I saw him in a pub and he did not do anything.

[KentPhilip]

my main thoughts were how I was going to extract the entrails of the person who told me it was safe.

shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit !

[minestrone]

Lived in the most republican place in NI for a long time, oddly it was probably the safest place I have been in the UK, Keys were left in the door, no police, get out of line and the IRA would exact revenge so there was never crossing the line. I always felt safer ther than I do in Glasgow.

[Andy Hallett]

Have you ever thought you're about to die?

Was playing with mates on a railway, didn't know it was electrified.
Caught in a rip tide in South Africa and was pulled under
Avoided the Paddington rail smash as I had a meeting moved forward
Knocked off a bike at 25 mph and landed on my head, no helmet
Wore my Saints shirt in Commercial Road, Portsmouth

[Cliphead]

At least you pay your tax.

Is there any other way?

[minestrone]

Being pished and calling them c**** might actually reduce yer chances of survival. I didn't like being called a fenian basturt just because I was driving a car with Irish plates.

At least you pay your tax.

[Cliphead]

Didn't count that, checkpoints & so on you sort of expect to live. Maybe being naive.

Not ex squaddie just travelled.

Being pished and calling them c**** might actually reduce yer chances of survival. I didn't like being called a fenian basturt just because I was driving a car with Irish plates.

[vetran]

Forgot about that. Had a gun pointed at me several times (actually more rifles), not much fun even if they were army at checkpoints in the middle of the night in the north of Ireland.

Didn't count that, checkpoints & so on you sort of expect to live. Maybe being naive.

Not ex squaddie just travelled.

[minestrone]

In free Kilwilkie they never got within a mile till the cease fire.

[Cliphead]

Forgot about that. Had a gun pointed at me several times (actually more rifles), not much fun even if they were army at checkpoints in the middle of the night in the north of Ireland.

[SimonMac]

Been shot at once.
Had a gun pointed me out of a car window at 100mph
Been held at gunpoint by Police in Nepal
Been in a fight at 2am in the middle of Khatmandu with 2 drug dealers during a curfew
Been chased down a hill by a Burmese farmer waving a machete
Been stabbed in the leg when a teenager
Got glassed in a nightclub when at Uni, nice patchwork on my skull and elbow.

Ever get the feeling that people just don't like you?!

[No2politics]

Have you ever thought you're about to die?

I had a big car crash once - hit a lorry, bounced across the carriageway and got hit by an oncoming car. Rolled and ended upside down in a ditch. As it was all happening, I was thinking about the effect on my insurance premiums.

Ha I just laughed out loud there!

[No2politics]

Have you ever thought you're about to die?

I love that song, but god it's depressing if you stop and think about the lyrics.

Can anyone recommend a pink floyd album? Not really listened to them before but that song is great

[minestrone]

Nowhere's safe though. I nearly died of heatstroke a couple of weeks ago, when I put an extra duvet on the bed during that cold snap, but forgot that the radiator by the bed came on at full blast at 2am

Marathon de sable heatstroke videos are pretty brutal on youtube.

Although, I am Scottish, I get heat stroke when the wife sets the thermostat to 16.