Split-Second Decisions That Saved Someone's Life
Reddit user True_Egg_5685 asked: 'What split second decision have you made in your life, that if you hadn't made it you would have died?'
Life can be viewed as a series of moments in quick succession each influenced by a preceding event.
At any given time, things can go awry, but somehow things manage to fall in line much like an elaborate maze of dominos.
But one misplaced domino can cause the whole rigorous set-up to come to an unsatisfying end–unless the faulty piece is corrected just in time before the domino in front of it squarely taps it.
If you've been lucky, a last-minute decision in your life has been properly adjusted to avoid catastrophe.
Curious to hear about close-call situations from strangers online, Redditor True_Egg_5685e_Egg_5685 asked:
"What split second decision have you made in your life, that if you hadn't made it you would have died?"
Life can be treacherous in the fast lane.
Unwarranted Lane Change
"Driving 80 miles per hour on a lonely interstate in the middle of the night. Decided to change lanes for no reason, and ended up missing a crumpled car in the middle of the lane I just left. It looked like a professionally crushed car that had fallen off of a truck. No light lenses or reflectors."
– Upper-Job5130
Unseen Obstacle
"I was driving through Dallas on I-20 at like 2am once and had a similar experience. No other cars, just me doing 80mph, and I just absentmindedly changed from the middle to the right lane for no real reason. Suddenly there's a blacked out sedan just parked in the middle lane, no lights on and no people in sight. I thought I was hallucinating, it happened so fast."
– glum_hedgehog
Why Coffee Is Essential
"Fell asleep at the wheel, woke up and corrected my steering without panicking."
"Drowsy driving is just as dangerous as drunk driving. Never again !"
– Nielas_Aran_76
T"his happened to me when I was in my late teens. I was burning both ends of the stick and was driving home from working and falling asleep. I remember it so clearly. Nodding off, waking and being thankful I didn't crash and then nodding right back off again. I'm amazed I didn't kill myself. I did eventually hit a divider and popped two tires. I must've been going very fast. I don't know why I'm not dead."
– boringcranberry
You never know when a pedestrian is where they shouldn't be. Or when a car is traveling where it shouldn't.
Wayward Wanderer
"I'm from Northern Ireland and my brother and I were coming home from a night out, he was the designated driver. We were doing 70mph on the motorway and he moved into the fast lane and missed a guy walking on the motorway, dressed in black, by about a foot. So scary 😰."
– garymason74
Reckless Driver
"Grabbing a middle schooler's backpack as she was about to cross without looking and staying on the sidewalk instead of crossing the road. (I was in high school at the time)"
"The reason?"
"The red car that had almost ran me over a few weeks before was barrelling down the street at high speed."
"Car zooms past at the moment the kid and myself would have been in the middle of the road."
"Same driver. I recognized the shade of blonde hair."
– MerryMelody-Symphony
These people survived a terrorist attack.
At The Time Of Signing
"Was in a bombing. Knelt down to sign something when the detonation happened. Glass shards were a hair away from killing me. The person who gave me the paper to sign technically saved me, they’re fine too."
– PinkBedazzledLeotard
"Story time! My grandfathers family lived in Halifax at the time. My great uncle George was a newborn. They had him in his pram facing the window. For some reason my aunt went in and turned his pram around so it wasn't facing the window anymore, then she left the room. As she was leaving the room, the windows blew in. If she hadn't turned the pram he would have been shredded by glass."
– Lexifer31
These individuals continue counting their blessings.
Retrieving A Forgotten Item
"I went to ride my bike and almost forgot my helmet, I honestly debated grabbing it since I was only planning on doing a few miles; last minute I decided I might as well have it and then half a mile out I got hit by a car. Helmet was busted as hell but other than a concussion I was fine"
– SunfireElfAmaya
Narrow Missssssss
"Nowhere near as extreme as some of these, but I used to go for walks in a nature park right behind my neighborhood, usually with headphones. On one such walk, I happened to look down to see the foot I was currently stepping with was about 6 inches from coming down on a diamondback rattlesnake. It was arched back, ready to strike, rattle going, but I couldn't hear it over my music. Leapt back immediately and walked around it without issue, but holy crap, it gets my heart going just thinking about it."
– pownij
Life-Saving Maneuver
"I was caught in a bar brawl. Tumbled to the bottom of a crowd and was pressed to the floor when some psycho was on my back choking me. Couldn't move and couldn't breathe. I thought that was it. I was gonna die on the floor of a New Jersey nightclub. Suddenly I remembered a move my wrestling coach taught us to break grips. I found his thumb, folded it like a fist and squeezed as hard as I could. It cracked like a stick. I could hear him scream in my ear and he hopped off. I pushed up and swung my way out. I was choked so hard that both of my eyes were full blood red, no whites and I cracked a molar. That was a close one and who knows what would have happened if I didn't recall that one random move or if I never wrestled to begin with. Scary."
– Ghostface5000
A moment that still sends shivers down my spine was when I nearly avoided a head-on collision with an 18-wheeler that had been zig-zagging between the different sides of a busy street.
The presumably drunk driver was speeding and towards me and I had to decide whether to swerve into the parked cars on the street or steer the other way and risk driving into cars careening toward me.
I decided for the former and turned the steering wheel towards the parked cars, just as the truck clipped the back corner of my Nissan Maxima.
My vehicle spun 180, but thankfully, I managed to slam onto the curb where no cars were parked.
The semi-kept going. It was a hit-and-run. And I count my blessings that I live to tell about the fact that I didn't steer my wheel towards the left which would've had me on a collision course, head-on, into the semi.
Life-Threatening Situations First Responders Wish People Knew How To Handle Better
Reddit user PeachMilkshake2319 asked: 'First Responders of Reddit what is a terrifying situation that you wish more people knew how to handle to result in less casualties?'
When I was about 16 months old, I fell asleep in my high chair with a piece of toast in my mouth. No one noticed I had a piece of toast in my mouth, so it was panic-inducing for my parents when I suddenly woke up because I was choking.
Luckily, my mom knew what to do in this situation and was able to make me cough it back up. When my mom told that story a few years later to her paramedic friend, the paramedic said she'd seen a lot of children in fatal situations because their parents weren't able to help them while they were choking.
First responders have seen a lot of bad situations that could've been avoided if people educated themselves to handle them better.
First responder Redditors know this all too well and are ready to share their advice.
It all started when Redditor PeachMilkshake2319 asked:
"First Responders of Reddit what is a terrifying situation that you wish more people knew how to handle to result in less casualties?"
Here I Am
"Have your address clearly marked & lit so responders can get to you quickly... every second counts."
– Ten7850
"So many of the tips here are wilderness survival, and I can't argue those will help."
"But coming from a kid that's suburban raised and city for the last dozen - this hit me hard."
– pnwWaiter
When You're Alone
"How to perform a heimlich on yourself, you're a goner without a doubt if you're by yourself and food gets too stuck."
– Personalberet49
"When I was 13 years old I was choking on a bit of hamburger in my grandparents house while both of them were out of the house. I had to get up against the lazy boy and give myself the Heimlich maneuver. Finished the burger though it was tasty."
– Mewtoy
"On this note, if you’re choking on something and coughing, lean forward over your knees with your head down. Let gravity help clear the blockage, rather than trying to fight it."
– Catfishers
Please, Make A Scene
"It is way too common to find people choked to death on toilet stalls at restaurant. By instinct they don't want to disturb others and seek a place where they try to get whatever is stuck on their throat out. Please, if you are choking, try to get help and let everyone know that you are in trouble."
""Oh I don't want to embarras myself and ruin peoples night, so I'll just die in the toilet" is a wrong mindset in that situation."
– timippa
"I’ve had 3 instructors mention that it’s mostly women who do this too. Women are (in general) raised to not make a scene and are more likely than men to go to the bathroom when choking."
– Anoif_sky
Don't Cut It Off!
"Limb amputations. Easy to save someone with a tourniquet. Keep a few in your car, know how to apply them. It can save your or someone else’s life. Tons and tons of blood dumps out of an amputation."
– tibearius1123
Better Safe Than Sorry
"Treat every gun as if it’s loaded."
– RangerDangerfield
Stumble And Fall
"Friend of mine is a police officer in his home city. If your friend is drunk get them a cab home. DO NOT leave them to take the train home. He always tells me 90 percent of the people he gets run over by trains are drunks who fall into the train tracks."
– Cool_loser69
No Water Please
"Caveat - do not drink water that smells or tastes rancid or contaminated. Chances are it will make you vomit, causing you to get even more dehydrated."
– KristjanKa
Verify, Don't Trust
"Also don't entrust a drunk/incapacitated person to the care of someone you don't know. Don't trust their tinder date or an uber driver to get them home safely. That's how people go missing or get assaulted."
– notreallylucy
Check, Never Assume
"Ex-EMT here. We’re talking 13 years ago."
"It’s not a great idea to put the pedal down as soon as the traffic light turns green. Wait a couple extra seconds. That first 2-3 seconds when the light turns green is a GREAT time to get nailed by some idiot blowing through a red light."
– CDC_
"The only assumption I make when driving is that everybody else on the road is an idiot."
"If you assume they're an idiot, you can be more prepared for stupid stuff they might do"
– Raxsah
"I’ve always said “assume every other driver doesn’t know what they’re doing, where they’re going, where they are, or how to operate their vehicle”. Thus far, it’s been a success."
– EveryFairyDies
"My dad always told me"
""75% of people on the road are blind and stupid. The other 25% are actively trying to kill you""
– WhiteWizardDD
Allergies Kill
"How to inject an epipen!"
– readitpaige
"Don't put your thumb on the end of the pen! Great way to stab yourself instead (although if you're stabbing yourself anyway an EpiPen to the thumb is still better than nothing)"
– TerribleIdea27
"Haha in my EMS class the day they passed around an EpiPen, my teacher was literally saying "and just so y'all know, that EpiPen is hot, so whatever you do, don't put your finger--" and got cut off by "OW!""
"Calm as a cucumber, he continued, "--and now yall're gonna practice vitals on our newest victim!""
– TrailMomKat
Be Prepared
"I’m not a first responder, but my wife was a trauma nurse (now PACU) and we’ve found ourselves in some not ideal situations in our travels."
"Take an AED/CPR/First Aid class, bonus points for Stop The Bleed (it’s often free!). That will prep you for the majority of stuff you’ll encounter. Have a good first aid kit on hand at home and in your car."
– hipsterasshipster
You Are Not Immune
"If everyone in a room/vehicle/building is unresponsive, DO NOT ENTER FOR ANY REASON. If you see someone collapse after entering a confined space, DO NOT ENTER FOR ANY REASON. If you see a person collapsed near a potential chemical spill, DO NOT ENTER FOR ANY REASON. Overall, if it killed them, it will kill you."
– garfieldlover3000
Strapped In
"Wear your f**king seat belt"
– Shamefullvaper
"And make sure others in the car also wear their seatbelt."
– FueledByFlan
"I literally won't move my car until everyone inside is buckled in. It's one of the few things I've been a stickler about my whole life."
– TUNGSTEN_WOOKIE
Some of these (especially that last one) seem simple, but they are all vitally important!
We've all found ourselves at a crossroads of some kind at one point in our life, which has resulted in our needing to make a hasty decision.
Without much time to think, we often feel the need to ignore logic, and simply go with our gut.
Generally speaking, these decisions aren't terribly consequential, even if we might come across some new information down the line which makes us feel better about our decision.
In some cases however, making a decision based purely on our instincts may have proven to be a life saving situation.
In spite of the fact that the life or death stakes were completely oblivious to us at the time.
"What’s a time where trusting your gut quite literally saved your life?"
Hidden By Grass
"I almost drove through a big patch of tall grass on my dirt bike just for fun, but at the last second hit the brakes and turned around."
"Didn't know why."
"Next time I went there, turns out there's a 75 foot cliff over a river right behind it that I would have just flew off at top speed."
"Because of the scenery, you couldn't tell at all looking head on to it."
"I still don't know what made me stop back then."- Quiet_Stranger_5622
Always Safety First
"I was working in the sales office at an engineering company."
"I was asked to record the serial numbers off a stack of large steel plates on the shop floor."
"I had to get someone with crane operating experience to lift the top plate so I could read the one underneath."
"The guy lifted it directly upwards about 6ft."
"I was just about to lean underneath the plate when a little voice inside my head said 'don't do that mate, get him to move the overhead plate to one side'."
"Just as I thought that, the clamp holding the plate failed and it fell to the ground, just in front of me.'
"It must've weighed about a tonne."
'If it'd fallen on my head, I'd have been killed instantly."- dineramallama
Hanging With The Wrong Crowd
"My GF met up with a work friend at a bar."
"This girl was with a guy who gave me seriously bad vibes."
"He was fake friendly but his eyes were crazy."
"My GF didn't see it."
"I wasn't having it."
"I told her I was leaving, and she really needed to come."
"We fought, I left, she came running after."
"Next morning, we find out the guy stabbed someone in the chest and killed the guy."
"I straight up said I told you so."
"He was f*cking crazy."
"Gfs friend spent the night in holding too."
"I don't know if it saved my life but it saved me one helluva bad time."- S_204
Active Robbery
"My boyfriend at the time and I were house sitting for his uncle."
"My boyfriend was at work and I was bathing our son before bed."
"I had the bathroom window (facing the backyard) very slightly cracked, and heard a cough from outside."
"This house was in a residential neighborhood so it could have been a neighbor, but I suddenly felt anxious and scared and something told me to go make sure the back door was locked."
"I left my two year old son alone in a towel in the bathroom and ran to the back door."
"As i placed my hand on the doorknob locking it, I came face to face with someone through the glass, who had his hand on the outside doorknob."
"He started pounding on the door and juggling the doorknob saying he was looking for someone and i just told him no, they're not here."
"He kept jiggling the doorknob and i ran to my son and grabbed my cell phone to call for help."
"Remember Im house sitting tho, and this was in 2004/2005 when they had those flip open phones, not a smart phone where you can just look at a map."
"So i had no idea what the address was, or where the house phone was."
"Anyways, i call 911 from the bathroom on my cell, while hearing loud pounding on the back door."
"The dispatchers tells me to find a house phone, piece of mail anything with address."
"I locate the house phone and call 911 from that. so have no idea how police got there so quickly, but just as I hear the back door glass break, the guy on the phone tells me to cover my sons head with a blanket and run out the front door into the backseat of the police car."
"I ran out the front door and saw 6 or more police cars all with guns drawn and straight into the waiting cruiser."
"After they arrested the guy, they ask me if the machete on the back porch belonged to the owners of the house."
"The guy had a machete and had I not trusted my gut that the cough sounded a little to close, and to check the back door, he would've walked right into an unlocked house to a 19 year old female and her young son alone."
"Turns out he had been robbing houses and had a backpack full of stolen things, and was high on meth."
"Anyways, super glad so followed my gut on that one."- Liketheweatherpnw
Listening To Nature
"One time I was hiking after a storm and my intuition told me to freeze."
"I listened and a large tree just fell down across the trail in front of me, right where I would have been if I didn't stop."- LogicalFallacyCat
Home Alone And Feeling Uneasy...
"I had a sense something was wrong in my house but no reason why."
"I went around looking but couldn’t find anything wrong or anyone in there."
"Felt so freaked I stayed at a friends place."
"Ended up being a carbon monoxide leak."
"Could’ve saved my life."- Responsible-Bet-7485
Questioning Unsafe Work Conditions
"Not necessarily saved my life, but saved me from getting seriously hurt."
"I was a temp worker at a warehouse, worst 9 months of my life, I wanted to die."
"One day, my boss who had no training on the forklift told me to climb up on a ladder and move something out of the way of the forklift, and my gut said 'tell her to turn the forklift off first' so I did."
"She scoffed and said it was unnecessary so she got this other guy to do it because I was being 'difficult'."
"Well, she moved the fork up and smashed his fingers against the ceiling breaking every finger on his hand besides his thumb."
"The badass just went 'ow!' and was like eh, bout time i retire anyways, huh?"
"He was like 70."- xarthos
When In Doubt, See A Doctor
"Extreme pain went to ER."
"Gangrenous appendicitis."
"Could have died."
"Thanks gut."- SternLecture
If You Can't Trust Your Gut, You Can At Least Trust Your Dog
"I had gotten my first black lab."
"He was about 10 months old when we went to a local park early in the morning to walk the trails."
"We had just finished a long trail and were resting."
"I was sitting on a bench."
"My dog's hair stood up and he started to growl."
"When I looked up, I saw a man walking towards me."
"His eyes didn't look right."
"I knew he was high."
"When my dog growled, he stopped."
"He gave a smirky smile and asked if my dog would bite."
"I told him he definitely would if the guy came any closer."
"He hesitated for a moment, and then he turned and walked away."
"To this day I am certain he meant to harm me."
"If I hadn't trusted my dog, I hate to think what would have happened."
"I gave him lots of hugs and treats that day."
"He died many years ago, but I think of him often."
"And I believe that when I cross over, he will be there waiting for me."
"He was the best dog I ever had."
"I still love and miss him greatly."- angelangelica16
It's never a fun feeling when you have to make a decision without any real time to think.
But if your gut is steering you in one direction, it's probably the right thing o head that way.
As sometimes there's nothing you can trust more than the hairs on the back of your neck.
The Best 'Just To Be Safe' Precautions People Have Taken That Actually Saved Their Butts
Some of us always err on the side of caution.
And as such, we will triple check dates of our travel or dinner reservations, take a picture of the stove before leaving the house, to ensure we didn't leave it off, or check in with our babysitters every half hour (or less!) to ensure that the kids are alright.
In most cases, we needn't have worried, as everything was fine, and was always going to be fine.
It was just our own, neurotic instincts getting the better of us.
In other cases, however, doing what seemed like a simple little dummy check may have been far more valuable than we would have thought, as it may have ended up being a life-saving measure.
Figuratively or literally.
What "you know what, just to be safe..." thing you did ended up saving you later?
Clarity Is Important
"I was an expediter at a restaurant."
'It was super busy and I was trying to get runners for food."
"Was about to send out a stack of dim sum when I looked at the ticket again with a note that said 'no peanuts on the tempura tofu'."
"I had read it earlier and didn't sprinkle peanuts on it."
"Another server was about to run it to the table when I told him to wait and get the actual server for the table."
"We were slammed and he was kinda pissed but went and got him."
"The actual server comes back and he's all frustrated when I ask him 'Does your 'no peanuts' guy not like peanuts or is he allergic to them?'"
"Server responds with 'he's very allergic to them, that's why I put no peanuts on the ticket!'"
"He was all being sh*tty with me."
"I told him 'well the f*cking tempura tofu is fried in fucking peanut oil!'"
"Didn't realize the head chef was behind me and heard the whole thing."
"Server didn't know we only used peanut oil. It was an Asian fusion really nice upscale restaurant."
"Needless to say she, the head chef, f*cking reamed this guy."
"I was a half second from sending that food out too."
"Would have been bad."- Leftpaw
peanuts lol GIF by gifnewsGiphy"Safety" Is Not Just Part Of Their Name...
"Safety glasses."
"When working away it's easy to talk yourself into doing something really quick without them and there is always a voice in your head yelling at you to put them on."
"Stopped grinding the thing I was working on got my glasses came back, and then this chunk flies up and cracks the right lense."
"Spidy senses 1 Murphy's law 0."- Turtlemonk92
Being "Itsy" and "Bitsy" Makes Them Good At Hiding
"I knock out my shoes and squeeze the toes for good measure."
"Hi Mr. BROWN RECLUSE!"
"Only happened once, but once was enough to convince me it was a good habit to have."- ilikeitsharp
They Should Really Think Of A Different Name Than "Dummy" Check...
"Arrive in San Francisco a week into a trip."
"As we gather our things during a moment of downtime I go back to check the bus cause, you know, it never hurts."
"Found my passport, which I had no idea I'd dropped."- gy6fswyihgtvhivr
Celebrate 90 Day Fiance GIF by TLCGiphyNot So Different Than A Cave, If You Think About It
"Was about to put a new load of laundry into my washing machine in the dark, saw what looked to be a large sock still in the washing machine"
" Put my hand halfway into the washing machine then pulled my hand back up and thought huh, I usually don't leave things in my washing machine."
"Turned on the light, and it was a bat sitting in there."
"Never touched him, put him in some Tupperware and brought him outside."
"Left the container open and left him a bag of Doritos and he was gone in the morning."- mikechief411
Machinery Can't Always Be Trusted...
"I had a car sitting on jack stands because I needed to do some transmission work."
"Before climbing under it, I thought it'd be a good idea to rock the car around."
"One of the jack stands was not in the right spot and the car slipped off it, slamming down on the front disk brakes."
"Would have killed me."- Goyteamsix
A Sneaky Test...
"This is from 30 years ago, so some details may be different these days."
"After enlisting in the Army recruits get a list of everything they must bring to boot camp."
"On this list was a padlock."
"During 'processing', the five or so days before the real training starts, recruits are given their military equipment including duffel bags and told to put their things, they brought with them, in the duffel bag."
"After finally getting everything in I was left with just the padlock."
"I had no idea what to do with it, but I noticed if I closed my duffel bag in a certain way, I could close the lock on the hook."
"So when we get to the training unit and off the 'cattle trucks' and a few hundred drill sergeants are yelling and screaming and telling us to line up, which we do, with our duffel bags in front of us."
"The drill sergeants then proceed to check if the bags are locked and if not they grabbed them at the bottom and whirled them around flinging the entire contents on the ground."
"Everyone in the entire company had their stuff dumped except for me and one other guy."
"Only because locking my duffel bag was the only thing I thought of doing."
"Putting it in my pocket was not an option because they were very clear about not having any 'civilian' items in our uniform pockets."- Berlin_Blues
Safety Security GIF by DrawifyGiphyYou Never Know When You Might Need It...
"I was going on a road trip."
"We packed everything in the trunk."
"Then I realized that I forgot to check the air in the spare tire."
"Faced with unpacking the and repacking, I thought 'What are the odds? We've had the car for years, never had a flat, we probably won't have a flat now'."
"Then I thought 'screw that' and tossed the floor pump I use for my bicycle into the trunk, 'just in case'."
"Got a flat in the middle of f*cking nowhere."
"Spare was too flat to drive on."
"Floor pump saved my a**."
'It gets packed on every trip now."- Zorkeldschorken
It Helps To Have It In Writing
"Saved an email where a lead developer told me to do something stupid."
"A couple years later, him, now a manager who liked to yell at his subordinates."
"We were talking about this stupid behavior and he yelled, 'Well, why did you do that?!'"
"I pulled up his email, clearly instructing me to do just that."
"He sputtered and walked off, speechless."
"This guy is one of the reasons I still have trust issues with management, even after a string of really competent, caring, trustworthy managers."- thuktun
Working Hurry Up GIF by SNICKERSGiphyOr Twenty...
"Take 10 before you send has saved me countless times."
"Means take 10 seconds to re-read your email/post/whatever written communication before you send."
"Emails, especially in the workplace, last forever."- Meaningless_Is_Life
You Never Know When It Might Work In Your Favor...
"I bought a used Subaru Baja that was 5 years old at the time and had 75k miles for $12k."
"The salesman offered an extended warranty that covered the engine for $2500, would last 3 years/36k miles."
"That was kind of a lot, and I usually don't buy those."
"I don't know what got into me that day, but I said sure."
"One month and 750 miles later after an oil change at a mechanic shop, oil started shooting into the pistons?"
"I'm not good with cars, oil went where it wasn't supposed to go."
"Completely ruined the engine and turbo."
"The dealer had to keep it for 3 weeks, the warranty company flew someone out to inspect the car, and eventually approved a replacement engine, turbo, and any other affected parts."
"Total repairs cost almost $11k, and the warranty then applied to all the new parts too."
"Car drove like it was brand new! "
"Later discovered the car had 5 previous owners before me, but I couldn't find any accident or serious repair history."
"This is probably the only time buying an extended warranty on something actually worked out in my favor."- Comicspedia
homer simpson road GIFGiphyThere are those of us, myself included, who are almost never able to let our minds rest easy and are constantly worried that we forgot about something.
However, next time someone accuses you of being a worry wort, think of all these stories.
And every time your instinct to double, triple or quadruple check ended up paying off for you.
Life can be full of scary things, including fatal injuries or situations. That's why it's so important for human beings to tap into their creative side, and listen to other human beings.
Redditors are a great example of creative and information-sharing human beings. They've posted many, many crazy facts that could actually save a life!
We have Redditor hazard35 to thank for this, who asked:
"What are some real but crazy facts that could save your life?"
Call The Hospital
"Not too crazy but if someone is acting drunk but didnt had any alcohol, ask them to smile, if one side of their mouth is down, take them to a doctor cause they are having or will have a stroke"
– Simecrafter
Good Advice
"If you sit down to sh*t in prison, remove one foot completely from your pants so you can get up and fight if attacked."
– shoognite
Crushed!
"Car jacks are for lifting, not holding."
– SmackedWithARuler
"So f*ckin true. The amount of people that go under their cars while its on a jack is astounding. Jack stands arent even that expensive; there is no excuse to not have them"
– TurretX
Sweating Your Life Away
"If you find yourself stranded in a desert, ration sweat, not water. Of course don’t drink all of your water in one go, but the rate a which you’ll dehydrate and overheat if exerting yourself (e.g. walking/hiking too fast or climbing over obstacles in the heat of the day) will kill you much quicker. Many people are found dead, with water, which is terrifying."
– kfnola
Household Hospital
"Teabags stop bleeding. They have an acid called tannic which is a natural clotting agent."
– kerryseven
Disaster Is Coming
"If the forest suddenly falls silent stop and listen. More often than not it means apex predator is near."
– Accurate_Western_346
"Or earthquake or some other natural disasters is incoming QUICK. This happened to me before a 5.(something) in California. The forest got deathly silent, creeped the hell outa me."
– SsjAndromeda
In The Meantime
"A non-permeable snack bag, like a potato chip bag, and duct tape can be used to seal a sucking chest wound long enough to get the victim to a hospital."
– HeinzThorvald
"Would imagine though, it would be best to ensure the side covered in flaming hot cheeto dust is on the outside"
– things_U_choose_2_b
""Dude your breath totally smells like cool ranch""
""Drive me to the hospital a**hole""
– 4nalBlitzkrieg
Who Knew?
"If you see a male who’s been in an accident and he has a massive b*ner; then he likely has spinal damage. You should not move him in the slightest, unless otherwise directed."
– __Osiris__
Wow.
"If your house smells like fish for absolutely no reason, 9 times out of 10 it means that there is an electrical fire. The other time it means you need to take a shower."
– graipape
Lightning Strikes
"If it’s cloudy outside and you suddenly feel static run down your body and your hairs raise. Better pucker them cheeks and drop to the ground. Lightning is about to hit dangerously close to you."
– pruflaas
I just learned 10 new facts that will help me to save a life. Of course, I hope I never have to!