What's the closest you've ever come to death?

[Filo]

Obviously guessing here, but to my knowledge I reckon it might have been when I was about 18 years old.

A mate of mine had been presented with a brand new  MG BGT by his parents and was planning his first night out in it. He asked me and my (then) girlfriend to go with him, and his girlfriend to the hacienda pub near Sykehouse. We agreed and arranged to meet later. However we never made it, simply because my girlfriend had lost her house keys and couldn't get ready in time, because her parents weren't at home.

Later that night they were killed when their car left the road on a bend near Sykehouse.

What year would that be BB.

PS Hacienda was at Kirkhouse Green, THATS closer to Stainforth than Sykehouse. Just saying like.

The Hacienda was the nightclub of choice after the pubs shut in Stainy, I knew a few people that lost their lives on that road back to Stainy after a night in there. There used to be some good old battles with the Askern or Thorne lot in there as well

Very True Filo. Derek made a lot of money from that place, then lost the lot . Not many of the "Family" left now. Derek, Joan, Anton , John all gone to the great beyond. Vic, Stefan and Kieron remain, I think.

They had a couple of big cats, Panthers, I think, I wonder what happened to them?


It was a wierd place the Hacienda, Free and Easy with the organist until 10.30pm and then a nightclub after that time, it was strange getting there early and the place being full of pensioners and then an hour later not a pensioner in sight and full of young uns. Johnny Shields, Terry Papworth and Spud Shaw were three of the bouncers in them days

[Wild Rover]

It was a Puma ( Called Weasel ) Its mate was a huge Rottweiler ( Dieter). Yes, 3 likely lads there.

[Bentley Bullet]

Does anyone remember the picture on the wall that changed from daytime to night time? Quite fascinating in those days!

[Wild Rover]

The one in the "Owners Box"?

[Bentley Bullet]

The one in the "Owners Box"?

Not sure about that mate. It was on the wall to the right hand side of the bar, if my memory serves me right.

[RedRover45]

Is that the place that Johnny Wardle the ex Yorkshire cricketer owned ? I spent my 18th birthday in there in 1980.

[Wild Rover]

No. That was  the PONDEROSA . Derek Palmer was Hacienda owner, start to finish.

[Filo]

Is that the place that Johnny Wardle the ex Yorkshire cricketer owned ? I spent my 18th birthday in there in 1980.

The Ponderosa, just behind what used to be Hatfield Brick Ponds and next to where the Kingswood Golf Course is now located, there was lots of Yorkshire CCC memorabillia in the Ponderosa, in it's latter years it was a Lap Dancing Club

[Jenny]

I slammed my car into a concrete wall at about 50mph coming off a bend on the Leeds inner ring road a few years ago. I was very lucky to walk away from it (well, walk away after about 8 hours on a spinal board in A&E) relatively unscathed. I was lucky that the curb just before the wall had slowed me down slightly and turned the car so I hit it side on rather than head on.

I once thought I was going to die on a flight home from NYC on an overnight flight on 10th September a few years ago but that is a whole different story!

[Wild Rover]

Anyway, back to the question. I was once thrown into River Don, as a non swimmer at the time, that was fairly hairy.
Had an occurrence at work that came about as close as I want to death causing . Too long a story for here.
Involved concrete batch plant, Sticking sand in hoppers and a clever t**t who should have known better ( me ).

[Iberian Red]

Taking a couple of dodgy e's in The Room in Hull, turned out they were ket.

[Sheepskin Stu]

Stop horsing around

[Iberian Red]

Neigh

[Bentley Bullet]

I was riding a horse once when it tossed me off going round a corner. Next thing I was lying on the floor and it started urinating on me. I wasn't badly injured although I did end up in Horse piddle.

[Iberian Red]

I was riding a horse once when it tossed me off going round a corner. Next thing I was lying on the floor and it started urinating on me. I wasn't badly injured although I did end up in Horse piddle.

I've seen tHat film. I had to switch it off when you didn't close your mouth!

[LincsRover]

I was learning to ride horses as I had a burning ambition to ride over the grand national fences in the fox hunters chase at aintree - the 'amateurs grand national'. I bought a horse capable of running in it, I lost 4 stone to get down to 12st 7lb and I entered some point to points to get qualified for the race - you have to have finished in the first 4 of a suitable race to qualify.

In my 3rd race I thought I was AP McCoy and led the field over 3 fences going what felt like 90mph when Murphy, my mount, decided he couldn't get over the 4th and refused, planted his feet and stopped like a train hitting buffers! I went into orbit, hit the ground and rolled into a ball to avoid the 20 sets of iron clad hooves, fixed to half ton beasts coming at me at 30mph. All I could hear was shouts from other jockeys, thundering hooves hitting the ground all around me and complete confusion. As I looked up I saw a huge hunter chaser coming straight at me and it hit me full square on my forehead with one of its front legs. My head went back and hit the turf so hard I swear I saw stars. It was all slow motion and seemed to last minutes but probably all passed in less than 2 or 3 seconds!

Next thing I knew a St. John's ambulance chap was holding 3 (I think) fingers up, asking how many and if I was ok. I was shaking like a chivers jelly and my protective hat was about 6 feet away but, miraculously I was totally unhurt, just a bit dazed. How I wasn't killed, or at least paralysed, I will never know! Needless to say I have the greatest respect and regard for the complete nutters heroic individuals who make a living riding steeplechasers. AP McCoy - you are superhuman and make these namby pamby footballers look stupid!

And, for anyone who is interested, I gave up my ambition of riding over national fences, and concentrated on backing national winners instead. I still ride occasionally but only for fun and only over small obstacles or on very flat beaches. I know my limitations!

 

[IDM]

I transited through Kings Cross underground station in exactly the same place and time of day as the fire there in the late 80's - but 24 hours earlier. 

[not on facebook]

I was riding a horse once when it tossed me off going round a corner. Next thing I was lying on the floor and it started urinating on me. I wasn't badly injured although I did end up in Horse piddle.

Aka the golden  shower

[BillyStubbsTears]

Just had my closest one yet, yesterday morning.

Away with work. On a country lane in Wiltshire. Big f**king construction wagon came round a bend too fast, wheels a foot over the double white lines. Nowhere for me to go and only a split second to react anyway. The f**ker's wheel scraped down the driver's side of my car from front to back. How the f**k he didn't wipe me out I'll never know, but if he'd been 3 inches further over, you wouldn't have had the joy of my calm, balanced and erudite posts ever again.

And the bas**rd didn't stop either. By the time I found somewhere to pull over and calm down, it was too late to chase him.

Just shows you. Doesn't matter how good a driver you are if there's a Kitson coming towards you.

[eastender]

Obviously guessing here, but to my knowledge I reckon it might have been when I was about 18 years old.

A mate of mine had been presented with a brand new  MG BGT by his parents and was planning his first night out in it. He asked me and my (then) girlfriend to go with him, and his girlfriend to the hacienda pub near Sykehouse. We agreed and arranged to meet later. However we never made it, simply because my girlfriend had lost her house keys and couldn't get ready in time, because her parents weren't at home.

Later that night they were killed when their car left the road on a bend near Sykehouse.

Guardian angel mate not girl friend.  

[River Don]

I suppose the closest I've come to it must've been the morning of 7th July 2005.

I was running a bit late for work, at the time I was living in North London and commuted in to town everyday. When my train pulled into Finsbury Park it was stopped from going into Kings Cross. There was chaos on the platforms but I made my way down to the underground which was also closed. Very odd, I asked a member of staff what was up, he told me there had been a power surge and it had shut the entire network down! A powersurge? Says I, how does that close the overland as well? Can't help you mate. It became clear something very odd was happening because the busses weren't running either. Then we started hearing rumours of a bomb and they evacuated the station.

If I had been on my usual train, there is ever chance I could have been on the Victoria line when that bomb was detonated.

So quite close to death but not that close.

[jonrover]

What are the symptons Of that mate

I had a high tempearature, was short of breath and had an intense pain in my back (at the bottom of my lung). I started to feel ill on a Friday, coped (not very well) through the weekend and saw my doctor first thing on Monday. He sent me straight to hospital.

I had Pneumonia back in 2011. Very bizarre; I woke up Sunday morning basically feeling like I couldn't get my head off my pillow and just felt like I had a really bad dose of flu without the runny nose, fever, headache ect. Didn't want to eat either. I went back to bed in the afternoon and that's when the pain started, right at the base of my left ribcage, shocking it was.
Got through Sunday and went to the quacks Monday and the only reason I got sent to DRI was because I told the Dr I hadn't taken a piss since the previous morning and she was afraid my kidneys were packing up.
Luckily our lass was off work because if she hadn't been there to take me, being a tight get I'd have got the bus and not a taxi. Half hour later in the waiting room at the assessment centre at DRI I started shaking like a dog shitting razorblades, sweat was leaking out of me and I went a nice shade of grey. The Dr at the hospital took one look at me and wheeled me straight to a bed, got me on oxygen and a drip. I was daft really and argued like mad to get out of hospital and I was reluctantly discharged after 3 nights. Unfortunately I was back in inside a week with pleurisy for another few days. It took me a good 18 months to feel properly OK again. Horrible illness, wouldn't wish it on anyone.

[Bentley Bullet]

Have I mentioned my knee injury? I know that it seems trivial compared to some of the stories above but when my footy career was over I thought my life was too.

[Filo]

OK, in view of the tragic event on Saturday, I think it's appropriate to lock this thread for the time being.

RIP to the 5 teenagers whose lives were tragically cut short and condolences to all their families and to all who knew them.

[RobTheRover]

I suppose the closest I've come to it must've been the morning of 7th July 2005.

I was running a bit late for work, at the time I was living in North London and commuted in to town everyday. When my train pulled into Finsbury Park it was stopped from going into Kings Cross. There was chaos on the platforms but I made my way down to the underground which was also closed. Very odd, I asked a member of staff what was up, he told me there had been a power surge and it had shut the entire network down! A powersurge? Says I, how does that close the overland as well? Can't help you mate. It became clear something very odd was happening because the busses weren't running either. Then we started hearing rumours of a bomb and they evacuated the station.

If I had been on my usual train, there is ever chance I could have been on the Victoria line when that bomb was detonated.

So quite close to death but not that close.

I was in a meeting in York on the 22nd July when news came through of the shooting of one of the suspects from the previous day's failed bombings (which subsequently turned out to be innocent Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes).  I'd travelled in on the train from Donny, and never gave it a moment's thought.  Left the meeting at 5pm and headed back to the station, only to be met with great swathes of police armed to the teeth and looking at everyone with grim suspicion in their eyes.  It was incredibly intimidating, and you could see everyone else eyeing each other up with suspicion, especially anyone with a middle-eastern complexion or those wearing backpacks.  I remember thinking all it would take would be someone to shout "Its him! Him there, with the backpack" and the bullets would have been flying.

[RobTheRover]

Given the recent events in Conisbrough this thread is now locked.