What was the scariest moment of your life?

[Alba Badger]

That Great White shark thread and some of the interesting posts about people’s experiences got me to me to thinking…. What was the scariest moment of your life? Near death experience or just something that was hit fear factor 10. I bet there are some great stories ready to be shared.

 

[Southern Scouse]

Being kidnapped at gunpoint for 7 hours.

 

[Perkino]

Having Meningitis as a 15 year old and loosing the ability to speak was pretty scary although I was asleep for most of my time in hospital and have managed to blank out most of the experience. But for a while I thought I was deteriorating so quickly that death was imminent.

That was 16 years ago and I'd like to confirm I have made a full recovery

 

[Weststander]

When (on separate occasions) our young kids were struggling desparately to breathe, very ill, whilst we waited for the arrival of an ambulence.

 

[Taybha]

I do

 

[Is it PotG?]

When I read this in May

 

[FatSuperman]

Being kidnapped at gunpoint for 7 hours.

Details please?

 

[Jam The Man]

The moment my 3 year old daughter nearly choked to death in my arms.

She choked at something she had eaten, and within seconds went blue so I hauled her out of her chair and tried to whack her back hard enough to dislodge whatever was in there - no joy.
I tried a mini Heimlich on her - no joy
I hit her again, nearly upside down - no joy
Even though I know it's not advisable, I carefully put my little finger in her mouth to sweep for anything - no joy

I held her in my arms as my wife (on the phone to 999) and eldest were screaming, and I also just screamed my wife's name... and then my baby went limp and lifeless, and nearly fell out of my arms..
I started crying, but had enough presence of mind to hit her back again - still no joy, so I though 'screw it' - in with my forefinger, and managed this time to dislodge a huge piece of chicken.
I held her up and she gasped a huge breath and burst into tears. I screamed at her to "say something..." - and she simply said "Daddy!"

At which point I collapsed with total and utter relief and felt like I'd never have any energy again.


The ambulance said "all's well them - just take her to hospital to get checked out" (the hospital staff were livid with that!), and the hospital staff actually initially gave me a bollocking for using my finger, but soon after congratulated me for saving her life.

Me and my wife cried for days at the thought of what might have happened...Truly the scariest moment of my life and I hope no-one ever has to go through it.

 

[Hillian1]

For me it was the moment the consultant told us that if the treatment being given to our daughter didn’t work there was nothing else they could do.

It worked.

 

[Whoislloydy]

Surfing in Byron Bay on the main beach back in 2013, all of a sudden the warning sirens on the beach went off (shark warning, not German bombers) and the life guards start shouting for everyone to get out of the water. Everyone starts making a dash for the shore.

I was with a dutch guy but there was about 4 other people near us, all locals. Turn around and there was a 3 meter Bull shark swimming behind us and it started circling us. Problem being that we were right out the back of the break trying to catch sets further out so couldn't get back to shore easily.

Luckily the Aussie guys kept their cool and told us not to panic and not to start thrashing around paddling trying to get to shore, they spotted a set of waves coming in so told us to just ride the waves back on our stomachs, don't even attempt to stand in case we bailed and went under.

Safe to say I didn't go back in the water for about a week.

 

[OzMike]

Being called by the hospital in the middle of the night and told that my eldest daughter was in intensive care.
Driving nearly an hour to get there and being told by the consultant that if she ever did come round not to expect too much.
Stayed there for two days and nights till they brought her out of the induced coma and took her off the ventilator, she recognised us straight away and has been on the road to full recovery ever since.
Living with us now, getting to grips with life and starting to enjoy everything like it was new, smiling and enthusiastic again with what seems like no after affects.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Spear Fishing and having a 10ft Bronze Whaler Shark come from out of my line of sight and swim under me 6ft away.

 

[carteater]

Nearly drowning in a swimming pool as a kid, on multiple occasions.

 

[Alba Badger]

The moment my 3 year old daughter nearly choked to death in my arms.

She choked at something she had eaten, and within seconds went blue so I hauled her out of her chair and tried to whack her back hard enough to dislodge whatever was in there - no joy.
I tried a mini Heimlich on her - no joy
I hit her again, nearly upside down - no joy
Even though I know it's not advisable, I carefully put my little finger in her mouth to sweep for anything - no joy

I held her in my arms as my wife (on the phone to 999) and eldest were screaming, and I also just screamed my wife's name... and then my baby went limp and lifeless, and nearly fell out of my arms..
I started crying, but had enough presence of mind to hit her back again - still no joy, so I though 'screw it' - in with my forefinger, and managed this time to dislodge a huge piece of chicken.
I held her up and she gasped a huge breath and burst into tears. I screamed at her to "say something..." - and she simply said "Daddy!"

At which point I collapsed with total and utter relief and felt like I'd never have any energy again.


The ambulance said "all's well them - just take her to hospital to get checked out" (the hospital staff were livid with that!), and the hospital staff actually initially gave me a bollocking for using my finger, but soon after congratulated me for saving her life.

Me and my wife cried for days at the thought of what might have happened...Truly the scariest moment of my life and I hope no-one ever has to go through it.

Wow, I was welling up reading that. Thank (Insert god of choice) that you had the presence of mind to do what you did. That’s some Superdad stuff right there.

 

[Common as Mook]

The moment my 3 year old daughter nearly choked to death in my arms.

She choked at something she had eaten, and within seconds went blue so I hauled her out of her chair and tried to whack her back hard enough to dislodge whatever was in there - no joy.
I tried a mini Heimlich on her - no joy
I hit her again, nearly upside down - no joy
Even though I know it's not advisable, I carefully put my little finger in her mouth to sweep for anything - no joy

I held her in my arms as my wife (on the phone to 999) and eldest were screaming, and I also just screamed my wife's name... and then my baby went limp and lifeless, and nearly fell out of my arms..
I started crying, but had enough presence of mind to hit her back again - still no joy, so I though 'screw it' - in with my forefinger, and managed this time to dislodge a huge piece of chicken.
I held her up and she gasped a huge breath and burst into tears. I screamed at her to "say something..." - and she simply said "Daddy!"

At which point I collapsed with total and utter relief and felt like I'd never have any energy again.


The ambulance said "all's well them - just take her to hospital to get checked out" (the hospital staff were livid with that!), and the hospital staff actually initially gave me a bollocking for using my finger, but soon after congratulated me for saving her life.

Me and my wife cried for days at the thought of what might have happened...Truly the scariest moment of my life and I hope no-one ever has to go through it.

As a parent myself, that has me welling up. It absolutely terrifies me. So glad it all ended well

 

[Gabbafella]

More of a thankful to be alive really.

I was at a party one Christmas, all friends of my dad's from his local. Obviously lots of drinking and as it got later my dad left and I stayed on. I ended up sleeping on the sofa.
While I was asleep, the mental ex-boyfriend of one of the women, broke in, found me asleep on the sofa and decided that I must have been there to sleep with his ex so proceeded to stamp all over my head, punch me every time I went to get up, ripped the back of my ear where he tried to rip it off my head. I managed to get hold of his arm and twisted his wrist which made him run off.
Police couldn't press charges as there was little evidence and the people in the house, for unknown reasons, decided not to give statements, so he walked.
6 weeks later, my dad called me at work to tell me that the same guy had just been sent down for life as he had repeatedly stabbed someone to death on their doorstep!
I always think about how lucky I was that evening, so easily could've played out differently.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

I broke the zip on my trousers ahead of a meeting so had to spend the whole day tactically placing folders in front of my crotch or always being turned slightly away or sitting down behind a desk at every opportunity.

Never known fear like it.

 

[Springal]

Being in the square the Russians attacked in Marseille was pretty scary. Never seen trouble like that at football before.

 

[Alba Badger]

I broke the zip on my trousers ahead of a meeting so had to spend the whole day tactically placing folders in front of my crotch or always being turned slightly away or sitting down behind a desk at every opportunity.

Never known fear like it.

Had you gone comando that day?

 

[aberllefenni]

Not so a scary moment for me but for a friends mother. Said friend had his drink spiked with GHB or something similar and was hospitalised. His mother made the 300 mile journey to visit him but by the time she'd arrived my friend had been discharged. She was unaware or this and when she enquired about him the nurse replied "he's gone". Not the best choice of phrase.