It’s a scary world out there, and no matter how many precautions we take,
the potential for danger is still all around us.
You never know when you could find yourself in a life-or-death situation.
When this happens though, every second is crucial, and you have to think fast.
Today, we’ll be looking at seven more terrifying close calls caught on camera.
Out of Nowhere
When we drive, we expect those around us to follow the rules of the road.
When they don’t, innocent people can be caught in terrifying situations.
On March 31, 2018, motorcyclist Malik Elizee was riding through Plano,
Texas, heading north on Custer Road, when he stopped at an intersection at McDermott Drive.
Malik could never have imagined what his helmet-mounted GoPro camera would capture,
right after the traffic light turned green.
As Malik drives through the intersection, a Camaro to his left runs a red light,
slamming into the SUV just feet in front of Elizee, instantly creating a dangerous pileup.
As the shocking footage shows, Malik is thrown off his motorcycle, but incredibly
manages to hold onto the overturned SUV as it skids forward.
He eventually runs to safety, collapsing in a grassy area beside the intersection.
Miraculously, no one involved in this harrowing incident was seriously injured. Even Elizee’s
motorcycle escaped with very little damage; and he actually rode the bike home after the accident.
Malik said of this experience: - "I was definitely lucky to get out without having to go to the
hospital, getting crushed between the two cars, or run over by the Camaro. That was a reality check."
He also explained how the SUV in front of him shielded him from harm:
quote "I grabbed it so it helped me have better forward momentum. As soon as the Camaro hit us,
you see my bike fly off so I'm basically in the air. I don't know how to describe what I did,
it was almost like I was flailing my legs to kind of run forward to avoid being crushed."
This incident was the third time in just two years that Malik had been hit by another vehicle
on his motorcycle. With three close calls on his record, he is definitely one lucky rider.
A Narrow Escape
Even when we aren’t behind the wheel, the road can be an incredibly dangerous place. One mother
in Ha Long City, Vietnam learned this lesson on December 10, 2018 when disaster struck.
Dashcam footage captured the woman, who was standing beside her parked car
and holding her young child. Without warning, the unthinkable happened:
As a large trailer truck on the opposite side of the road loses control,
it bursts through a concrete divider and comes hurtling toward the woman.
Clutching her child, the panicked mother somehow runs out of the way,
and misses being struck with only moments to spare.
The truck reportedly swerved to avoid another vehicle. It not only nearly hit the mother
and child, but also narrowly avoided colliding head-on with a silver Toyota.
While three vehicles were significantly damaged by this shocking accident, no injuries were reported.
This close call is a powerful reminder to always be aware of your surroundings.
Seconds to Spare
When it comes to live events, spectators are usually far safer than those they’re
watching. But that was not the case at the 2014 Jolly Rally in Italy’s Valle d’Aosta.
The popular racing event was quite memorable, for all the wrong reasons.
Footage from the rally shows multiple cars sliding around a particularly tight corner
before continuing along the track.
The footage also shows a Renault Clio Super 1600 barreling around the same corner.
However, this maneuver goes horribly wrong when the driver loses control of the speeding car,
and it goes flying off the track and directly toward a group of fans watching the race.
In an incredible stroke of luck, the group of nearly a dozen terrified spectators manage to
avoid being hit by the runaway car, some of them by mere inches as they scramble to safety.
Unbelievably, even as the vehicle flips over, no one is struck by the wreckage.
The vehicle’s driver and navigator, Piero Scavone and Diego D’Hérin,
were taken to the hospital following the crash, but neither was seriously injured.
One of the fans who barely escaped from the car’s path did faint from the experience,
but everyone involved was lucky to walk away from this near-fatal crash with their lives.
Damsel in Distress
Your wedding is meant to be the happiest event of your life, but celebrations
turned almost deadly for one unlucky bride who wanted to – “trash the dress.”
After getting married in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, Amy Zuno took part in a new tradition
of destroying a wedding dress after the big day. She opted to ruin her dress by jumping
into the ocean while wearing it. But the fun event quickly became a terrifying ordeal.
The moment Amy hits the water, her gown envelops and clings to her body,
hiding her face from view and preventing her from reaching the surface of the water.
As Amy’s new husband Eric and their friends realize what’s happened, they swim to her aid,
racing against time to find an opening in the ballooned mass of the wedding gown.
Just in the nick of time, the group managed to uncover the bride’s face, and while she was
shaken from the experience, she was not harmed. This newlywed couple could never have imagined
such a harrowing incident could take place just hours after their wedding. In this case,
“trashing the dress” turned into a near-drowning, and a bride barely escaping with her life.
A Dangerous Crossing
There’s something to be said for following the rules. Early in the morning on May 5,
2020, a man in Enfield, England broke the rules, and it almost cost him his life.
Surveillance footage from the Brimsdown Level Crossing in the Enfield borough of London shows
the man ignoring warning signs and forcing his way through the barriers that have been lowered to
signify the approach of a train. After squeezing himself through, he ambles across the tracks,
all the while clearly misjudging the distance between himself and the oncoming train.
In a nail-biting final moment, the man clears the tracks just seconds before the train barrels past.
He escapes with his life by merely a footstep.
The British Transport Police were not able to immediately identify the man,
but publicized his near miss with a warning about public safety. Inspector Stephen Webster said,
“This was a completely needless incident, and one that requires our attention and an investigation
at a time when officers could be supporting the latest guidance around Covid-19,
and helping to keep the travelling public safe. The warning signs,
barriers and flashing lights are all there for a reason.”
This careless man almost lost his life in an attempt to save only a few minutes – But
others who have crossed the tracks at the wrong time have reportedly not been so lucky.
A Mother’s Reflex
Sometimes, the strong connection between a mother and her child
can save the day — especially when a normal situation quickly becomes extreme.
On June 19, 2019, a mother entered the Laureles Colonial office building
in Medellin, Colombia with her young son. As the pair waited to be buzzed
into the office of construction company Monserrate, the unthinkable happened.
CCTV footage shows the pair waiting outside the office doors. As the mother looks at her
cell phone, the young boy lets go of her hand and wanders over to a railing overlooking the
building’s staircase. Thinking there is a glass panel in the railing, the boy kneels down and
stretches his palms outwards to steady himself, only to fall through the glassless opening.
With lightning-fast reflexes, the mother lunges toward her son
and, incredibly, manages to catch him by the ankle
before he plummets to the floors below. A courier standing nearby quickly springs to action,
along with other witnesses in the building, who help the woman pull her son back up to safety.
It’s not known if the young boy was injured at all by his almost-fall,
but it’s certain that his mother’s quick reaction saved him from being seriously injured,
or even killed. In this case, motherly instinct and rapid reflexes likely saved a child’s life.
Terror on the Road
August 31, 2013 was a stormy day in northern Taiwan. As drivers navigated Beining Road amid
heavy rain and darkening skies, they had no idea of the shock that was in store for them.
Dashcam video shows a white sedan driving carefully along the slick streets,
briefly edging into the opposite lane to avoid a deep puddle of stormwater.
As the sedan rounds a gentle curve, a sudden shower of mud and debris
comes hurtling down the mountain to the right, spilling into the road.
The force of the mudslide knocks the car across the road to the opposite shoulder, and just
seconds later, an enormous boulder lands in the space where the sedan has just been. The giant
rock even teeters on the brink of rolling into the car, but incredibly, the vehicle is untouched.
The man who captured the shocking dashboard video,
Lai Hong-Wei, reported that the white car’s driver and passenger
suffered only minor injuries. Tropical storm Kong-Rey had loosened the soil on the mountain,
and landslide warnings were in effect in the area where the video was taken. In fact, at the start
of the video, the boulder can be seen as it begins to fall down the side of the mountain.
If it weren’t for the initial surge of mud and rock knocking the car aside, it surely would have been crushed.
This was an incredible escape, all thanks to the powerful force of nature.
Which one of these videos was your favorite?
Have you ever been involved in a terrifying close call of your own?
Share your story with us in the comments below. And as always, thanks for watching!