“I Said My Goodbyes”: 72 Terrifying Close Calls People Will Probably Never Forget

I got stuck on a mountain about 400 feet up. My climbing partner dropped the rope with one pitch left. We were anchored in, so safe there. But no rope. It got dark and cold. Phones didn't work. We had to sleep there. Freezing cold. Just hoped if we yelled loud enough in the morning someone would hear us. Morning came and we discussed down climbing but that was impossible, down climb until we get to about 100 feet and then have to drop and probably break bones but might survive. We were out of water and out of snacks. We made the decision to free solo the last pitch. For any climbers out there it was about a 11.c. not super technical but still scary. He went first. Made it to the top and I followed after. Scary. Had to hike about 8 miles to get back down to our rope and another 5 miles to get to the car.

I was working alone at a bank, eating a hoagie in between customers in the drive through. The drive through was the only thing open; building was locked, no customers or other employees inside, no way for anyone to get inside unless I walked through the entire building and unlocked two sets of doors.

A customer pulled up riiiight after I’d just taken a big bite, so I tried to swallow it, and it got stuck. I started choking with the customer staring right at me through six inches of glass. I could see him yelling, but I couldn’t understand what he was saying, I couldn’t get the sandwich up or down, and I couldn’t even really think.

Eventually I guess my survival instinct kicked in, because I finally stumbled back into the break room, threw myself over a chair, and got the sandwich out. I hyperventilated for a few minutes, pulled myself back together, and…did four deposits for the customer, who was, of course, still there and still wanted to do his banking. At least he asked me if I was okay first?

I was floating down a river with some friends on inner-tubes. We tied them together so we wouldn’t drift apart. We hit rapids and everyone fell off. My right leg was tangled in the rope as well as a log. The rapids were quickly pulling me under. Dozens of people went by not understanding what was happening but one person jumped in and cut the rope with a knife. Saved my life as I was getting exhausted trying to stay afloat.

I was 19ish and dumb, driving back from a friends house about 100 miles away at 6am with no sleep.

Woke up about 50 feet away from a guardrail right in front of me. Hit the brakes, didn’t matter. 55mph right into a guardrail, no seatbelt. I genuinely thought [it was the end].

Somehow, I simply opened my door and got out, no injury except a sore hand and forehead bc the airbag made me smack myself.

I consider myself lucky every day.

Wear your seatbelt, and for the love of god pull over if you’re tired. Rather be an hour late.

At a water park as a kid. Some guy and his friends blocked the end of a large tunnel slide. There was no communication to the attendant and bodies just kept piling up in the pitch black, water filled tube. It was hot and people were on top of people swearing and panicking. There was probably 10-15 people all piled up and stuck in there before someone managed to kicked the guy hard enough to unblock the slide.

The first time I got covid. I got it during that "delta" wave that hit the US pretty bad. And from I can recall, there had been a wave of people getting sick at work but I didnt think much of it.

But then it got me. Started as a fever and general feeling of being unwell. And then it kept getting worse. Joint pain, coughing, chills, and a fever that ended up lasting 12 days. I remember by day 7 thinking I was never going to get better after seeing my temp spike to 103 degrees. Scariest time of my life.

Two times. 

One at a coheed and Cambria concert: I was pushed forward as they came on stage - we were squished and I got knocked down. I was pretty sure I was going to be trampled. Luckily a giant man scooped me up and I got outta there. - dear sir, if you were at a Coheed concert circa 2002 in Raleigh NC and you scooped up a 5’2 college student, thank you. 

Second time was on top of an active volcano in Guatemala when a thunder storm rolled in. Lava at my feet. Lightning bolts crashing around us. Blinding burning steam from the rain hitting the lava. It was terrifying.

Twice
The first doing some urban exploring. On a third story cat walk the railing gave way. I slide in slow motion trying to find my grip. I had managed to find it with 2/3 of my body dangling as my friends proceeded to drag me back up. That was the last time I did that though.

The second time I was on a hunting trip and hypothermia really sneaks up on you. I got wet and went ehh I’m not going to let that spoil my time. I shivered and thought oh that happens. I need to pull out another layer from my pack (rain gear) and wait to warm up. Finally I got really sleepy and really hot soon after. I was going to take off some of my layers and went oh I am in trouble. It felt like my legs weighed 100s of pounds each and that was the hardest short hike I’ve ever taken.


All in all though still alive and learned a thing or two from it.

I was sent to a wilderness program before I was documented to have several physical disabilities. 10+ miles a day over sand in the Utah sun with dysautonomia, Ehlers-Danlos, and a heart condition. I was throwing up 7-10 times a day without knowing why, and they wouldn't let me see a doctor. I got so, so sick in the middle of nowhere and it started going out the other end, too. I seriously thought that would be it. I was 17.

Trying to help a father and his small daughter caught in a rip in very heavy, messy surf. I quickly realised I was going to need everything I had just to make it back myself (they were safely rescued by off duty lifeguards).

For a couple of minutes I came close to panicking, the surf was huge and the current was pulling me out at an incredible speed. I briefly tried to swim back in, and that was when I thought "this might be it". I might as well have tried to swim upstream in a river and I started to tire fast.

After a while I remembered what you're supposed to do, forced myself to calm down, and lay on my back. Once I'd caught my breath I just backstroked parallel to the beach until I was out of the rip, but by then I was the furthest out at sea I've ever been when swimming. People were just tiny dots on the beach and I couldn't hear anything. It's a very wild, kind of desolate coastline in that area and I don't think I've ever felt as small and alone as I did in that moment.

It took a long time, but I was able to swim back, and body surf in without incident. The off duty lifeguard met me as I walked out of the water and said 'hey buddy you should prob stay a bit further in than that' and I just started at him, like you thought I did that on purpose?? lol.

I was in the Army for 21 years and have been in multiple crashes in Blackhawk helicopters. Some were bad, some were minor. I never received any major injury. I thought [it was the ends] on several of these incidents.

Hawaii- 2018- my husband and I went to Maui for our baby moon. This is when someone accidentally sent out the alert to everyone that there was an incoming ballistic missile inbound for Hawaii and for all of us to seek immediate shelter.

We were on the beach at the resort and people started screaming. We thought there was an active shooter at first.. then looked at our phones. All of the resort employees were like byeeee.

We walked towards the hotel and everyone was being ushered into a huge convention room. We looked at each other and decided we didn’t want to [go] like that and went back out to the empty beach while refreshing our phones looking for an update and calling loved ones.

38 minutes and 13 seconds later we got another emergency alert saying it was a false alarm.

I was 20 on a canoe trip with my friends and brother. There is a part of the river where the marsh on either side is so thick you can't get off it. We planned for that and had a public dock marked out on the map. We missed it in the early evening and the current pushed us further downstream.

It was about midnight, we couldn't see a thing, the water was getting rougher, and a thunderstorm blew up. The weird part was by that point I was too cold and wet to really care. I wasn't afraid until the next morning.

I fell into a fast moving icy river at age 7, my "friend" was just laughing and pointing at me. I was somehow able to swim back out against the current without ending up under the ice.

Ex GF with BPD holding me at gunpoint after I accepted her dumping me.

When I had to suddenly stop because the car in front of me did but the one behind came full speed and stopped on me. It lasted just a few seconds but I remember it so well. I was told that when I woke up I was screaming. That I do not remember.

Was in the Peace Corps many years ago. One day had a normal morning like always, ate eggs like I always did, drank filtered water like usual, coffee like usual. Same old routine I’d had for months. Took the shuttle to where me and my cohort were meeting for lesson planning that day and felt off, like I couldn’t focus or think, just a cloudiness. Went to get some water and walk around for a bit and my legs just felt weak.

Went over to our doctor on site and she gave me some electrolytes and had me relax. I was profusely sweating shortly thereafter and shaking like I had seen a ghost, I couldn’t stop chattering and felt so uncomfortable. She took my temperature and it was somewhere around 102, and a heart rate in the 120’s. She gave me a bit shot of antihistamines and I’m not quite sure what happened but I just passed out. Came to a bit later and re took my vitals and everything just sort of flipped, my heart rate had plummeted and my temperature had as well. Was immediately rushed to my countries’ best medical center and started to receive more [medicine] and attention and just passed out again.

I remember coming to about a day later and my doctor was just talking to me, I don’t even remember what about but I remember being unable to keep my eyes open or move my hands or legs or anything, I could see them respond to me trying to move them so I felt like it wasn’t brain related, but I didn’t have the strength. I could just feel how weak my body was and my inability to keep conscious for any stretch of time was mortifying.

I basically just slept non-stop for a few days and had a couple procedures and treatments done and finally started feeling normal 3 days later. Ended up being an infection that just ran roughshod through me… no clue what ended up being the cause but man that was a scary time, was medically separated from the org a day later from the risk and made it back home safe and sound fortunately.

In spite of that all, would recommend the Peace Corps to anyone with the time and will, it was a life changing and beautiful experience.

I had routine day surgery and they wanted to keep an eye on me so they kept me in. There was just two patients in overnight and I get the impression they don't expect much to happen so they don't put their experienced doctors on to supervise this.

Well I fell ill overnight and as the doctor desperately scrabbled to understand what was wrong I could see in his eyes that he was completely out of ideas and fully rabbit in the headlights.

I thought I was on the way out.

When the staff changed over at 6am the new doctor physically squeezed two units of blood into me and got me straight into emergency surgery.

Turns out I had internal bleeding and had lost half my blood.

Seeing headliner Paul McCartney in the pit in front of the stage at a festival after being in the hot desert sun all day (plus too much booze, not enough water or actual food, etc.) As soon as he came on there was a massive rush to the stage. I thought I was going to pass out and be crushed/trampled. Paul himself was great but I never want to experience that again.

When I had a gallstone episode for the first time, I thought this is it.