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Lucky Escapes

A baby girl has been found alive in a car more than 14 hours after the vehicle plunged into a river in Utah.

The 18-month-old was discovered hanging upside down above water in her car seat by a fisherman on Saturday afternoon, police said.

She was rushed to a hospital in Salt Lake City, where her condition has been upgraded from critical to stable.

The toddler's 25-year-old mother, named as Lynn Groesbeck from Springville, was found dead in the driver's seat. ...

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-31791086
 
This was lucky for the pilot, but not for the sheep...
Out on a walk to stumble across this wreckage: Pilot escapes unscathed from plane crash but three sheep killed
First published Saturday 7 March 2015
[Later updated with pics of the wrecked plane]
by Flora Thompson

A COUPLE out for a walk stumbled across this carnage in a field near their home.
Rachel Trusler was shocked to make the discovery when out for a stroll with her husband on Sunday morning.

A pilot escaped unscathed after whirling through the sky and crash landing the smoking plane in a field.
The man thought to be in his 30s took off from Shoreham Airport but his light aircraft landed in a heap minutes later after crashing through trees, a fence, a hedge, and killing three sheep.

The DA 40D Diamond Star plane also narrowly missed a pair of dog walkers as it hit the ground in a field behind the Lyons Farm Retail Park, off Lambley’s Lane, near St Mary’s Church in Sompting.
The couple alerted emergency services but as fire crews from Shoreham and Worthing arrived at 5pm on Saturday they found the man had already walked free from the wreckage totally uninjured.

Firefighter Andy Hockley, of Worthing Station, helped to make the scene safe and make sure no fuel was leaking.
He said: “We took fire extinguishers to the scene and offered first aid but everyone was OK, just a bit shaken up. “We’re told the pilot took off from Shoreham Airport but lost power as he flew over the sea, so he headed to the nearest green fields.
“He did a pirouette in the sky and crashed through a hedge, unfortunately killing three sheep.
“We think they didn’t hear him as he glided into the field. The plane was badly damaged at the
back, the wheels broken and one of the wings snapped but he got off scot free.”

etc...

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/1184...m_plane_crash_but_three_sheep_killed/?ref=rss
 
House destroyed in huge gas blast while family on Easter Sunday walk
Family avoids large gas blast that tears off entire rear wall of detached house in village of Theddlethorpe, rural Lincolnshire, leaving every room exposed
By Danny Boyle
3:51PM BST 06 Apr 2015

A family had a lucky escape when they went for an Easter Sunday walk shortly before their home was destroyed in a gas explosion.
The blast tore off the entire rear wall of the detached house in rural Lincolnshire, leaving every room exposed and substantial damage to the roof.

Emergency services were called to the property, in the village of Theddlethorpe, near Mablethorpe, following reports of a loud explosion at about 4.40pm.
The owners had gone for an afternoon walk and had a "lucky" escape, said fire service group manager Sean King.
He added: "It was a significant explosion caused, we think, by some kind of gas leak, but we haven't been able to determine the exact cause yet due to the extensive damage.
"Luckily they'd [the owners] gone for a walk and if they'd been in the house at the time it could have been a very different story."

etc...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/new...blast-while-family-on-Easter-Sunday-walk.html
 
... their home was destroyed in a gas explosion.
Expect a lot of these.

G4S took over the meter reading contract, promptly got rid of the experienced (well paid) meter readers, used agency staff at minimum wage, set targets that cannot be met, offered no support for reporting faulty gas or electric meters - oh and BG stopped paying bounties for spotting faulty meters.
 
11-year-old girl's miraculous survival after being pulled under a moving train at station

A SCHOOL girl aged 11 had a narrow escape when she fell onto the tracks as a train pulled into Camborne Railway Station.
The unnamed girl was flown to the Royal Cornwall Hospital by air ambulance after she was reported to have been dragged onto the tracks after grabbing a carriage door handle.
Devon and Cornwall Police said the girl was airlifted to hospital with minor back and leg injuries following the accident at around 4.50pm yesterday.

An eyewitness told the BBC that the girl had grabbed the carriage door handle as the train pulled in and had been pulled underneath almost instantly.
Jade Willoughby, 21, said she heard a scream that went right through her and she didn't want to look down because she feared the worse. :eek:

The girl was pulled out from under the train by a man and flown to Royal Cornwall Hospital with Miss Willoughby where, after spending the night, she was released.
South Western Ambulance Service said the child was hit "at slow speed" as a train pulled into the station. British Transport Police (BTP) said they are investigating the incident which they are treating as an accident.

http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/new...being_pulled_under_a_moving_train_at_station/
 
Red Devils in Whitehaven Airshow mid-air parachute drama

A Red Devil parachutist had a lucky escape when his chute failed to open during an airshow - but a team-mate caught him in mid-air.
The Army freefall parachute display team was performing at the Whitehaven Air Show in Cumbria on Friday night when the parachute failed.
Pictures on social media show the men coming down together and crashing into the harbour waters.

A message on the show's Facebook page said both were all right.
It said: "We can confirm that the Red Devil parachutists are both safe and sound. For the first time in 25 years they had a parachute fail.
"One team member caught his team-mate and brought him into Queens Dock. Our safety procedures worked perfectly and a huge thank you to Whitehaven Marina for getting them out of the water so quickly."
An Army spokesman said it was investigating the incident
Lucy Milne, who was watching the display, said: "It seemed to go on for ages and it's just seeing the panic of everyone around you and seeing it on the parachute guys as well - the panic.
"And then all of a sudden he just started to go really quick and everyone was holding their breath and then all of a sudden they were in the water.
"Everyone was staring at the water for ages waiting for them both to pop up and then when eventually they did everyone clapped."

Chief executive of the Whitehaven Festival Gerard Richardson said: "It has to be pointed out that the skill and cool thinking of both team members to then manage to steer to safety was incredible.
"It's a testament to the training and the skill of the British Forces and we are just happy that last night's drama had a happy ending.
"Within ten minutes of landing the lads were tucking into pie and peas and a pint and there was an audible sigh of relief in the crowd when we were able to announce they were both safe." :)

etc...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-33209713

Pics and video on page.
 
Mother and baby survive Colombia jungle plane crash

A young mother and her baby have been found alive five days after their plane crashed in the jungle of western Colombia.
A Colombian Air Force chief described their survival as "a miracle".

Maria Nelly Murillo, 18, and her one-year-old son were found by rescuers near to where their small Cessna plane crashed in Choco province.
Ms Murillo had some injuries and burns while her baby appeared to be in good health.
The twin-engine plane had been flying from Quibdo, the capital of Choco, to the town of Nuqui on the Pacific coast when it crashed in the Alto Baudo region on Saturday. The cause of the crash is not yet known.

Rescuers reached the plane on Monday and found the pilot, Carlos Mario Ceballos, dead in the cockpit.
But the doors of the plane were ajar and Ms Murillo and her baby, Yudier Moreno, were not there.
A 14-person team scoured the jungle for three days before finding them.

"It's a miracle. It is a very wild area and it was a catastrophic accident," Colonel Hector Carrascal of the Colombian Air Force told AFP news agency.
Of the baby, he said: "His mother's spirit must have given him strength to survive."
The couple were airlifted to a hospital in Quibdo.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-33265943

Pics and map on page.
 
Mother and baby survive Colombia jungle plane crash

A young mother and her baby have been found alive five days after their plane crashed in the jungle of western Colombia.
A Colombian Air Force chief described their survival as "a miracle".

Maria Nelly Murillo, 18, and her one-year-old son were found by rescuers near to where their small Cessna plane crashed in Choco province.
Ms Murillo had some injuries and burns while her baby appeared to be in good health.
The twin-engine plane had been flying from Quibdo, the capital of Choco, to the town of Nuqui on the Pacific coast when it crashed in the Alto Baudo region on Saturday. The cause of the crash is not yet known.

Rescuers reached the plane on Monday and found the pilot, Carlos Mario Ceballos, dead in the cockpit.
But the doors of the plane were ajar and Ms Murillo and her baby, Yudier Moreno, were not there.
A 14-person team scoured the jungle for three days before finding them.

"It's a miracle. It is a very wild area and it was a catastrophic accident," Colonel Hector Carrascal of the Colombian Air Force told AFP news agency.
Of the baby, he said: "His mother's spirit must have given him strength to survive."
The couple were airlifted to a hospital in Quibdo.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-33265943

Pics and map on page.

That baby could have grown up as the new Tarzan! ..
 
The swinging through the trees would be very slooooowww...
 
Nearly a classic Horror Story:

Devonport workers entombed in submarine ballast tank
By Jonathan Morris BBC News, Plymouth

Two workers were accidentally entombed inside the ballast tank of a nuclear submarine, it has emerged.
Colleagues had mistakenly sealed the tank at Devonport base in Plymouth, where Britain's nuclear submarines are refitted.
The desperate electricians hammered on the tank with a drill and were saved when they got a faint signal on a mobile phone.
The Unite union called it "an extremely unpleasant situation".

A report said the submarine was in dry dock last December and the two men were checking sonar gear inside the ballast tank.
When they tried to leave they found a seal had been placed over the entrance in preparation for an air tightness test.
It said: "In an attempt to raise the alarm they used the only thing they had to hand - a battery powered drill to hammer against the tank boundary but to no avail.
"There was no-one in the dock bottom to hear them.
"They switched on their mobile phones but there was no signal at the bottom of the tank so they progressively climbed to the upper reaches of the tank until fortunately one phone managed to get a one bar signal."
Twenty minutes after their ordeal started, the men were freed "shaken but unhurt".

Unite said: "We feel for the men involved and what they had to go through because it must have been an extremely unpleasant situation.
"The incident was actually caused by poor management and poor communication.
"We are disappointed it was not in line with Babcock's normal standards."

Babcock said it was "continually focused on delivering and maintaining the highest standards of safety procedures and practices".
It said an internal investigation was carried out and "changes to work control arrangements have been made".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-33601712
 
Siri saves Tennessee teen who was pinned under truck
14 August 2015

Siri - Apple's voice-activated assistant - may have saved the life of Tennessee teenager after he was pinned underneath his truck and unable to reach his phone.
Sam Ray was alone when the truck he was fixing fell on him, but he remembered his phone was in his back pocket.
Mr Ray used his bottom to activate Siri, which called emergency services.
The dispatcher thought it was mistaken call at first but soon heard Mr Ray's cries for help.

"I could feel myself slipping," Ray told his local newspaper the Tennessean on Friday. "I was starting to accept that I wouldn't get out."
The dispatcher was able to locate Mr Ray's home in a suburb of Nashville by triangulating the signal from his mobile phone.
Rescue workers pulled Mr Ray from underneath the truck, and he quickly was airlifted to a nearby hospital.
He was seriously hurt in the July incident, suffering several broken ribs, a bruised kidney, cuts, a concussion and burns to his left arm. He has since recovered.

Mr Ray had been thinking about getting a Samsung Galaxy phone, but the accident has changed things.
"I guess I'm stuck with an iPhone for the rest of my life," Mr Ray said. "I owe them that."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-33942098
 
I'm waiting for Apple to release a 'bottom-activation' update off the back of that story. And looking forward to seeing all the trendies and hipsters immediately using it, all the time.
 
[Video]
Car crash near miss for Newquay guesthouse man
2 October 2015 Last updated at 20:22 BST

A Newquay visitor had a lucky escape when two cars collided sending one careering towards him as he sat outside a guesthouse.
The car was only stopped by a concrete pillar outside the Raj Kirribilli guesthouse in Mount Wise.
Andrew Morgan, from Gosport, Hampshire, who was sitting outside after having breakfast, escaped unscathed.

Guesthouse owner Raj Odera said: "He had a very lucky escape, if it wasn't for the concrete pillar he could have been wiped out. He had angels either side of him."

Both drivers suffered fractured ribs.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-34429083
 
A lucky escape for a trapped elderly couple:
Saltash delivery driver hailed a hero after saving lives of elderly couple trapped in car in floods
By CGAlex | Posted: December 30, 2015

A Saltash based delivery driver risked his life to rescue an elderly couple trapped in their car in rising floodwater

Firefighters have hailed APC Overnight driver Gary Brewer a hero after he waded through chest-high water to reach the stricken Renault Clio car shortly before noon today.
The car had become trapped by the rising waters on the road between Sparkwell and Venton in Devon, with police reporting that water levels reached up to around 5ft in some areas.

A crew from Camels Head fire station in Plymouth were called to the incident, along with paramedics from South Western Ambulance Service.

Blue Watch manager Ben Weedon, from Camels Head fire station praised the efforts of Mr Brewer, saying the elderly couple "would have drowned" if the delivery driver had not reached the car when he did, broken and window and freed them from the vehicle.
He said: "The couple were elderly and vulnerable and had become trapped in their vehicle and couldn't get out.
"The water was within eight inches of the top of the roof at the time he rescued them.
"We may not have been looking at such a fortunate result otherwise.

"Once we arrived fairly soon after our role was to establish the vehicle was clear and provide first aid until paramedics took over.
"All three were suffering a level of hypothermia due to the cold water.
"The chap made a major difference today."

Mark Frearson, managing director at APC Overnight's Plymouth branch, based in Saltash, said he was proud of the bravery shown by his driver who had to be taken to Derriford Hospital for treatment.
Mark said: "From my understanding when he called me just afterwards he injured himself doing it.
"He slashed his arms up as he broke the window to get to the couple.

"He's a good lad and we're calling Dins a hero."
Mark said Gary got his nickname 'Dins' because he was "loud and hilarious, he's a bit of a character".
He added: "If you knew him, you would know he wouldn't have hesitated. Well done to Dins.

...

http://www.cornishguardian.co.uk/Sa...saving-lives/story-28442223-detail/story.html
 
Woman survives after driving off the fourth floor of parking garage – video
Source: Reuters

Thursday 24 March 2016 18.34 GMT

A 23-year-old motorist is lucky to be alive after driving off the fourth floor of a parking garage in Towson, Maryland. Surveillance footage released by Baltimore County police shows Lindsay Taylor Cook crashing to the ground in her vehicle on 14 March, after attempting to pull into a parking space. Cook, who landed upside down in the car, escaped with minor injuries.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2016/mar/24/car-falls-parking-garage-towson-maryland-video
 
Woman survives after driving off the fourth floor of parking garage – video
Source: Reuters

Thursday 24 March 2016 18.34 GMT

A 23-year-old motorist is lucky to be alive after driving off the fourth floor of a parking garage in Towson, Maryland. Surveillance footage released by Baltimore County police shows Lindsay Taylor Cook crashing to the ground in her vehicle on 14 March, after attempting to pull into a parking space. Cook, who landed upside down in the car, escaped with minor injuries.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2016/mar/24/car-falls-parking-garage-towson-maryland-video
That's some bad parking ..
 
This one happened back in WWII, and is taken from a recent obituary in a local paper:
Tributes paid to war hero nicknamed "the man who fell out of the sky"
By WBCaroline | Posted: April 10, 2016

A SECOND World War veteran, nicknamed "the man who fell out of the sky" and who became a respected and popular dairy farmer, has died.
Tributes have been paid to Cornishman Henry Lloyd Lyne – known as Lloyd – who passed away at Mountford House nursing home, aged 93, on March 21.
Despite his near death experience, aged just 20 years old, he went on to live a full and happy life for a further 73 years.

The Bugle-born grandfather's experience during the Second World War as an RAF bomb aimer read like something straight from a film script.
He was sent on a mission with 178 Squadron, which was based in Italy, on August 13, 1944, to drop supplies to the Polish.
The seven-man Liberator was shot down over Warsaw and the aircraft exploded. He was thrown from the warplane and witnesses described seeing him fall to the ground before he landed on a small muddy island in the middle of a lake. :eek:
Mr Lyne was the only survivor from the wreckage and was picked up by German soldiers in a rowing boat and, badly burned, taken to hospital.

After two weeks of recuperating, he became a prisoner of war. At one point during his interrogation he was accused of being a spy and threatened with being passed to the Gestapo.
Mr Lyne spent nearly a year as a prisoner at Stalag Luft 1 until he was released by Cossacks on horseback and flown home in a Boeing B17 Flying Fortress.
...

http://www.westbriton.co.uk/8203-Tr...med-man-fell/story-29076237-detail/story.html
 
I read about that man's fall from the sky years ago (I think it was the same man). Fascinating tale.
 
How did driver survive this crash? Teacher's 'miracle' escape after her car is crushed between two lorries
Telegraph Reporters
22 July 2016 • 9:23am

A teacher has told how she cheated death when her car was crushed beyond recognition between two lorries.
Katie Holt's VW Golf was mangled into such a small space that the emergency services did not realise it was there at first - let alone that there was a survivor trapped inside. :eek:

The 39-year-old was cut from the wreckage and flown to hospital, where she was treated for skull and back fractures as well as a broken left arm.
She spent 10 days in hospital before returning home and it took around two months for her to get her memory back and learn to walk.

The driver of the skip hire truck that hit Mrs Holt pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention and was given six penalty points.

Mrs Holt, who has recently become a mother for the first time, has now received an undisclosed settlement from the insurers of the skip company after bosses admitted liability.
She has recovered enough to return to work, but in a less senior role. The money will be used to help her cope with vision and hearing problems, severe headaches and memory loss.

Speaking for the first time about her escape, Mrs Holt, from Colchester, Essex, said: "I'm lucky to be here.
"When I saw the photos of the crash I was astonished. It's amazing what the human body can do. I put 100 per cent into my recovery and it has not been easy.
"Doctors said that because of the extent of the collision, they were surprised I hadn't severed the tendons from my skull to my shoulders.
"But they said it wasn't as bad as it could have been because I was quite muscly and robust, and that I was 'clearly in good nick'."

She added: "I still have no recollection of the crash and can only remember coming round in the hospital. After seeing the pictures of the accident I feel incredibly lucky to be here.

"I can only hope what happened to me will illustrate to drivers, particularly those driving large vehicles, of the long-term consequences of even a slight lapse in concentration on the road."

etc...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...ve-this-crash-teachers-micracle-escape-after/

The pictures on page show her car folded up between the front of the skip lorry and the rear wheels of the other lorry. You wouldn't expect Houdini to get out of that one!
 
This car crashed into a house in Bodmin and narrowly missed an elderly woman
By C_Becquart | Posted: October 18, 2016

15624624-large.jpg


On Monday evening, a 90-year-old woman was sitting in the front room of her home in Bodmin when an empty car crashed into her house. She avoided the crash by just inches, according to a witness.
The accident happened in the Hillside area at around 8pm last night. Reports suggest that the car was parked behind the Garland Ox Inn when the handbrake failed and it rolled down a steep embankment towards a row of bungalows.

Ash Jacko said the elderly owner of the house was at home at the time - and she was miraculously missed by a fraction.
A spokeswoman for Devon and Cornwall police said: "Police were called to Hill Side Park at 7.40pm after reports that a car had collided with a house. It seems as if the car was on the A389 and rolled down. There was no one in the vehicle at the time and at this stage the cause seems to be a mechanical failure."

"Luckily no one was injured though there has been substantial damage to the property. The local council were called to make the property safe and the occupant of the house was rehoused for the evening with family."
"The car is still in situ as we are currently waiting for structural information from the council."

Witness Ash Jacko said he understood that the owner of the car was playing darts in the pub when it happened.

http://www.westbriton.co.uk/car-crashed-into-house-in-bodmin/story-29818165-detail/story.html

More pics on page.
 
Car leaves road, jumps fence, then bursts into flames in Cornwall; amazingly driver survives
By CGAlex | Posted: November 04, 2016

15663228-large.jpg

The car crashed, jumped a fence, then burst into flames

A driver is lucky to have survived after their car left the road, jumped a fence - and then caught fire near Wadebridge.
Pictures released by Wadebridge Fire and Rescue Service show the front end of a black Peugeot car had completely crumpled in the crash, and the roof had caved in.
After "jumping a fence," the car then burst into flames in a field.

Somehow, the driver managed to escape without any injuries. :cool:

Firefighters say the occupant had a "lucky escape" after the car hurtled over a fence, then rolled 50 metres into a nearby field.
The incident is understood to have happened near the A39, on the road that runs alongside the St Breock Wind Farm, near Hustyn, at around 10.30pm on Thursday.
Emergency services attended the scene to make the area safe.

http://www.westbriton.co.uk/car-lea...ver-survives/story-29868251-detail/story.html
 
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