Today's event tops the list. I thought my near-drowning experience last May was bad but today has shaken me up more than I care to admit.
Driving in my Dad's car on the way to buy a car for my brother and sell the car we were in after, we drove onto the motorway. It was raining heavily and there was water coating parts of the road, but naturally everyone still drove as though conditions were dry. Trying to move to the outside lane to pass someone, doing just 70mph, the car aquaplaned and the rear end swung around to the left. My Dad corrected but the water caught us again and sent us flying in a spin to the left, turning to face the traffic we were just ahead of, which too was travelling at 70mph. Right for us. Some quick thinking while we were still backwards and travelling at easily 50mph, my Dad gave it full right lock and swung us around to face forward again, catching us in the hard shoulder as two massive freight lorries hurled past.
We didn't hit anything nor anyone. It was a miracle to say the very least. Had we clipped something while going sideways the car would have rolled and that would have been the end of it. Had we been hit by a lorry while we were stationary, it would have been the end of it for my brother and I, possibly taking my Dad with us. I still watch it over and over in my mind, but I'm astonished we made it out without a scratch. Lesson learned: it can happen to anyone, especially in wet conditions. The rear wheel drive likely didn't help. I'll be looking out for clips of a Maserati GranTurismo spinning out on the motorway over the next few days.
Scariest thing that's ever happened to me.
Your turn.
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In 2002 the house I was living in, at university, burned down with me trapped inside. Run through the fire and escaped out an upstairs window. Naturally I threw my mac out the window bundled in a duvet to save my coursework. No joke.