Life's moments passing by ....

[Major Tom]

Came close to being trampled underfoot in a crowd of ~60,000 on a New Years Eve in Trafalgar Square in ~1982/1983. Just as the crowds were swarming over me, and I realized there was no chance of getting up on my own, a benevolent skinhead with a Union Jack tattooed into his scalp pulled me out. No life flashing before my eyes - just the thought, "Oh crap, this is probably it." Heard on BBC radio later that people had died in that crush. In subsequent years, crowd barriers were used to break the crowd up on NYE in Trafalgar Square.

Another time, I gave chase to a couple of robbers in Hollywood. A getaway car pulled up, they jumped into it, the passenger door opened, and I found myself staring down the barrel of a revolver, as the fellow brandishing the gun* told me to "Back off, motherf*&$er." I did, and the car sped away. Once again, no life flashing before my eyes, but the whole scene did seem to happen in slow-motion, like some kind of Tarantino flick. Afterwards, I told my friend how "cool" it all seemed, due to the slow-motion feel and that the fact that it didn't seem real. Their response was, "Are you crazy? You could have died!" but for some reason, the reality of that possibility never did sink in. Perhaps it was some kind of mental defense mechanism. Not the first time I came face to face with someone who threatened my life in Hollywood. Another time, a guy in an unlit side street who I had chased and challenged told me to back off, or he would kill me. So I did the prudent thing, and backed off (long story and I'll spare the details.)

Nowadays, I live a quiet life with 3 adorable kitty companions. It's nowhere near as dangerous, but it's my kind of life

*A detective later told me the gun had been loaded.

 

[Maenad]

Nitpicking does that.

 

[CaliforniaMan]

I had two slow motion events in my life. One time a car ran a stop sign just as I was starting into the intersection. My maneuvering to try to avoid him, and the subsequent collision all seemed to happen in slow motion.

Another time was similar, a car ignored a stop exiting the freeway in front of me, and I recall maneuvering the steering and pump braking to avoid a skid, and to avoid him (which was successful this time) and that seemed to happen in slow motion too. I recall feeling the heightened intesity of my thinking during that time.

Don't know why but suspect the feeling of slow motion was because the brain was operating at faster speed or higher intensity, which made time seem to slow down.

 

[omni550]

When I was 18, I was walking on a sidewalk on campus. As I looked over towards the street, I spotted a '63 Pontiac Catalina (aka a "land barge") headed directly towards me. I took off running (perpendicular to the path of the car).

At that point, everything appeared to be moving in slow motion -- me running and the approaching vehicle getting ever closer. As I looked over at him, I could see the driver bearing down on me, knocking me down with the driver's side front corner, then running over me with the 2 tires on his side of the car, then the car hitting a nearby building and rolling backwards, finally stopping with the rear tire literally parked on top of my ankle.

As nearby onlookers came running to see what had happened and to offer help, the first words I uttered were, "Contrary to popular belief, your life does not flash before your eyes."

As a result of this incident, I acquired some major tire tracks (which impressed the interns in the hospital ER) on the back of my miniskirt and a whole lot of colorful bruises. Miraculously, I basically escaped unscathed.

omni

 

[robnplunder]

Seems like life flashing before your eyes is more rare occasion than things happening in slow mo.

BTW, I had slow mo thing happening to me as well. It was one of my boxing matches. On a critical final round, my legs were really getting tired. In a mad exchange, I saw my opponent's punch coming straight at my nose and it appeared to be in slow mo. I knew I have to defend against it but just could not. The punch landed on my nose and I lost a close decision. The flurry of exchange happened in less than 1 or 2 seconds but the punch seemed to take forever to find my nose .

 

[Surfdaddy]

No flashing for me.

I had been sick for a couple of days in 2007, and somehow woke up in the ER. I didn't know how I'd gotten there or been doing prior to getting there. I was dazed and my temp was 104, heart rate 190, and bp falling. I was having convulsions. I had no remembrance of my wife calling 911 or the ambulance ride. I was in septic shock (which has a 50% mortality rate). I didn't know what was wrong but I knew it was bad. I was 51 years old at the time, and my only reaction was astonishment that this couldn't be happening. My wife showed up as I was drifting in and out of consciousness. I told her I loved her. I remember wishing to God that only I survive.

Luckily I did just that after 4 days in ICU and a week in the hospital. No lasting injuries. It changes your life, for the better. No more taking anything for granted.