I'm Alive! And I didn't break anything!

Did time appear to slow down for you?

Reason I'm asking is that I survived a serious crash some years ago, and also without a scratch. I was driving a van, and hit a patch of ice. The van slid towards some high hedges, then toppled over them. There was a steep decline on the other side, and the van continued to roll. Both the passenger and myself were wearing seat belts, so weren't thrown about. A more serious outcome was only averted when a fallen tree smashed through the windscreen and brought the van to a halt several yards before it reached an even steeper drop.

We were left hanging upside down, suspended by our belts. Neither of us could see the other because of the tree. Neither of us spoke for several seconds either, and then I hesitantly asked my passenger if he was all right. He just as hesitantly replied that he was, and then I said 'then let's get the f**k out of here.' Or words to that effect.

It could only have lasted a few brief seconds, but it seemed like ages, seemed like everything had slowed down. I'd always thought I might be frightened or anxious in a situation like that, but it didn't happen. It was more like a feeling of calm and resigned acceptance of whatever the outcome might be.

Funny thing is (if there is any humour in such a situation), my passenger had just recovered from a fall off a roof, had been off his work and in traction for several weeks. This was his first day back to 'normality', so to speak, and he was a fumbling wreck for a short while after we'd escaped the vehicle.

The van radio was still blaring out, hadn't been damaged. And I turned to my mate and said, 'you want get back in there and switch that radio off. The battery might run flat.' Then we both burst out laughing, and just sort of wandered about enjoying the experience of having survived the incident. It was a weird feeling.

Whew! I went to high school in country where we called them snow machines too and I have seen my share of deaths on those monsters! I'm glad you came out of this on the right side of the long tunnel.

Maprilynne

Glad you're ok!

Next time, try knitting instead!

Well done! That's no excuse to go try it again tomorrow though!

Matt, I'm so glad you came out of that okay! A machine can be replaced (yeah, I know, a lot of money, but still....). You can't be replaced.

xhouseboy, your description is great, though there too, you could have been killed. Glad you and your friend were all right. Interesting about the slow-motion sort of thing.

MidnightMuse said:

Next time, try knitting instead!

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Okay, that got me laughing! Gotta turn my keyboard over now to get the coffee to drain from it.

Glad ya made it, Matt! I've been there, myself, but with a motorcycle rather than a snowmobile. No fun. Were your leggs rubbery when you stood back up?

Matt, Very glad you weren't injured! You too, houseboy.

stormie said:

Interesting about the slow-motion sort of thing.

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It's interested me ever since. That's why I was curious as to whether Matt also experienced something similar after his lucky escape. I recall reading somewhere that there's a theory attributing this to a sort of survival instinct mode kicking in. The perception of relative time slows in order for the victim to opt for the most appropriate course of action in his/her given situation.

I'm not too keen to be testing it again, though.

Good to hear you're okay, Matt. I used to live in Montana, and it seemed like at least one person would get killed in a snowmobile accident every winter in our town. BE CAREFUL!

Glad to hear good news out of this!

Once young, dumb, and full of...well, you know, I wrecked my motorcycle. The odd thing is, once certain that I was not mortally wounded, I burst out in hysterical fits of laughter. Probably not the standard response of one who had just been turned into a human frisbee and landed next to a foot long piece of rebar sticking straight up out of the ground. It was bizarre to know -- "wow, I could've just died" -- yet all I could do was laugh uncontrollably.

Glad to hear you're okay.

This is my experience from a foor-wheeler accident 7 days after I got it brand new. Maybe 10 or so of us kids (ages 14-16) were riding four-wheelers after Christmas one year, and I let my friend drive my brand new one. We had loads of fun outrunning everyone else. She was a year younger than me, but had grown up on a farm all her life, so, naturally, I thought she was the better driver. When suddenly every turned down a path, we followed, I squeezed my eyes shut, squeezed her ribs tighter, felt the roller coaster feeling in my stomach, (you know when it flops upsidedown), and looked up to find her sitting on my lap, just as we were. Only we were on the side of a canal ditch (about 6 ft. deep) and all I saw was 4 wheel spinning just above water. I don't remember after that, just everyone seemed to be prepared for accidents and after ropes fell into the pit, my brand new four-wheeler was pulled out of the pit in no time. Needless to say, I drove the way back home. We rode straight, then every so often, where the fender was bent, we humped. We were only about 5 miles from homes, but it took over an hour, dreaded every minute we were getting closer. I was more scared of my father that I was of the accident. I came out with scratches and she had a couple of broken ribs, they say from flipping over the handle bars. Friends say we were attatched the whole time to each other, but for the life of me, I don't remember flipping over the handle bars. But 15 years later, we laugh at the things we put that poor four-wheeler through.

Geez, I'll stick to playing bingo!