Close Calls.........

[EPC Guy]

My closest call was in the early 80's when I was in college and working for a roofing company one summer...we were putting the roof on the Hyatt Regency hotel in Austin and one day because of rain and wind, we were not working a regular day. The wind was so high it was getting under the sheet of rubber roofing material and was flipping the gravel ballast over the side of the building and striking and cracking windows on the way down. The solution was to pull the gravel away from the perimeter and put down 2 ft. by 2ft. concrete paving stones around the edge. (The pavers were part of the project - but we hadn't got to the point where we were ready to install them yet.)

At any rate, I took a couple of laborers to the roof (17 stories up) and for ONCE put on a harness and safety line (I thought I was 10 feet tall and bullet-proof at the time).

I had the two other guys bring me the pavers from a pallet in the middle of the roof and as they handed them to me, I placed them at roof's edge. Things were fine for about 30 minutes, until I stood up just as a 50-60 mph wind gust hit me - and blew me right over the edge!

I fell about 10-12 feet before the safety line went tight - and I broke a window from the weight of my body hitting it so hard...my first real recollection after falling was looking up and seeing my two co-workers looking over the edge - asking me if I were OK...I remember yelling at them to stop looking at me and pull me the hell up!

I couldn't stop shaking for hours...

[EBCIII]

I have actually had 2 very close calls in my life.

Once while my family (Dad, Mom, and kids) were up in Maine for vacation. My brother and I were playing along the edge of a cliff at a tourist type house. The cliff was at least a 100' above the water. I slipped and fell over the cliff. At the spot I fell was a ledge about 5-6 feet down. I landed on that ledge. It was the only ledge on the cliff!

My 2nd narrow escape occured at my Mom and Dada home. It had snowed and they live on a hill. The driveway is asphalt and a natural for sledding. We were sleding down the hill. We were supposed to wait for the "all clear" from the bottom of the hill. This was because we were sledding into and across the main road in town. Well me not wanting to wait I went ahead. As I got near a truck was coming. I went right in front of the truck. The sled was destoryed, I was knocked out but ok. To this day I really do not remember any of it, Beale.

[Digging Fool]

Wow, The Good Lord has looked out for us, no doubt!

[The TINMAN]

Ridin Them motorcyckles and runnin with a the wrong groups gave me plenty of close calls but the one that sticks with me the most is when Some old guy came over to where i lived with a couple of other club members and Thinkin I was The one that Was Gettin His daughter to hang around bikes and work in The Bars... I opened the door and Got a 12 Gauge shot gun right in my face and watched him pull the Trigger and Nothin happened... Misfire. Gave me time to tell him He had the wrong Guy. He took off and I still shake when I think about it. Can't tell Me there is No God !

[Digging Fool]

WoW, Tinman.....That was a close one! Guns don't usually misfire unless the Good Lord has control of the weapon. That he did!