What's The Closest You've Ever Come ...

Me too.  Been in a few car accidents that were all more like fender benders with no chance of death for anyone. 

Unless you count the times I stupidly drove when I shouldn't have in high school/college. 

No.  I got that part.  (that's why I chewed on it for a couple of days.)  The other side, want to "kill someone", sure, plenty.

I was trying to recount.......never been in an auto accident *knock, knock*  Can't think of anything in my younger days, Military, or Haight-Ashbury days that was significant enough to be lethal.   

I guess the closest I can come is the fact that I scanned someone who was later reported to have a pacemaker.   Still no resolution, as the pt. told me "no", but had some documentation otherwise.  I suppose, in theory, if he did, I could have killed him that day.

Fall of 1982, my best friend and I had just been released from boot camp, obligatory party ensued. For some reason we partied at the old Auburn bowling alley, I think it was because we knew someone who would serve us alcohol. I always had the hots for my buddies sister, back then she was gorgeous, dark hair, dark eyes, 5 foot 8 with just enough mixture of Filipino and Caucasian to drive any man mad.

We sat there for a few hours (maybe 2?) getting pleasantly numb, the whole time we were there her boyfriend, a tiny puke of a man with a very untreated case of lil' mans disease, kept calling her names, and I mean every name in the book. As I remember most of the people would just say "STFU Steve". We decided to go back to their apartment (Steve & Lori's), had some more booze (good call huh) and he kept at it...*fudge* you bitch...did you tell 'em about your smelly *vagina*...

...BOOM, I'm off the couch and I slammed that mother*fudge*er so hard against the wall his eyes rolled and he made a beautiful sound, a cross between losing your breath and whimpering, I'll never forget it.

And then I brought him to the floor, now I've got my full body weight on him and both my hands around his throat, and I'm whispering sweetly and gently into his ear "I've got your life now Steve, it's mine, it belongs to me, and if you ever say anything to Lori or hurt Lori I'm going to come back and finish this".

I looked up at my two buddies the brother, and our other buddy Steve (clearly we have too many Steve's in Auburn), and Steve just says "Don't do it, it ain't worth it". Before I let him go I looked up at Lori and said "Why don't you come with me, I'll take care of you".

The sad ending to the story is, they stayed together, got hooked on meth, lost there kids, she lost her family because she stole so much from them.

ALSO
Since I'm cleaning out the closet, Beirut, Lebanon 1983. Self defense. It's the only way I sleep at nights, telling myself it was self defense.

1985, in high school.  Driving (without a license) a couple of buddies who were too tipsey to drive.  Coming to an intersection I have the right-of-way.  Intersection to my right has a stop sign.  I see the guy coming from my right w/out his lights on going about 70 in a 25.  I slammed on brakes.  He doesn't even stop.   He jumps a curb and hits a house.  He jumps out of the car and tries to run away.  Caught by one of the guys in the car I was driving.  He was probably 17 years old and drunk out of his mind. 

Now that I think about it, we probably would have been killed and not him.

There's also this guy on another forum who I would...

Nevermind!!

Seamus, you story really touched me.
Just think, if she said yes, her whole life would have changed.

what makes you think it would be her life that changed? just curious. 

Thanks Jules, and BM makes a valid point. I think my buddy and I have talked about the incident only once since then, and it was maybe 3 or so years ago at his/their mother's wake (Lori showed up wasted), he said something like "she should have said yes to you that night".

It's funny the different roads we take in our lives, and if she would have said yes that night then my path would have changed also, and if that means not having this wonderful wife and these awesome kids, well then I'm sorry for her but I'm glad that she took a left instead of a right.

I was just saying, that for once in her life something good came along, who knows what would have happened if she said "yes".

Have you ever seen the movie "Sliding Doors".  excellent movie.