Have you ever saved someone's life or found a dead body?

[aha2988]

Back in high school I was a life guard at a local pool. Every other Friday during the summer we would have a day care bring two rather large groups of children to come hang out for the day. Most of these kids had never even seen a pool let alone swam in anything deeper than 2-3 ft of water. So obviously we would have to preform a swim test for all the kids to enter any of the water areas that were deeper than three feet. The test was to have them jump in a section about 8-9 feet deep and swim across about 20 ft of pool width.

For the most part the kids that didnt know how to swim stayed away from the test or the deep water out of common since. There was always still a good hand full every friday that would try to tell you they were the next Olympic swimmer, and every friday they would jump in to take the swim test.. flop on top of the water for a second or two and then just sink to the bottom. Most of the time we could just hold out a pole in the water and as soon as it touched them they would latch on, allowing you to just pull them up. Every once in a while though I'd have to jump in to grab one. I never considered it much of a life threatening situation just because there were always guards on duty as well as the two guards running the swim tests so we kind of chuckled about it from time to time.

Flash forward a few more years I was a councilor at a scout camp for there high adventure group. We'd take a group of about 30 kids 14-18 years old, back packing, kayaking, rock climbing, and mountain biking for a 5 day period then turn around and get another group for the next week. Biggest life saving event of my life was on a trip with a group of these kids kayaking down the new river. We gave them ample instruction on how to react to swift water and made sure they were prepared for the few "rough" sections of the river. Even still though I had a little shit of a kid (and I say shit of kid because he wouldn't listen to anyone even to save his own life.. literally) We're yaking down the river making good time through just one mile and this kid decides he wants to stop paddling.. "I'm too tired" he says..

After fussing with him I finally wind up just tying off his kayak to mine an I picked up the rear of the group to finish up the trip. We'll we get half way through the 7 mile run to break for lunch an I tell the kid look your going to have to paddle to the edge and I proceed to untie his kayak from mine. He starts to paddle.. passes around me goes to turn into shore and rolls the kayak... (now at this point everyones on the bank just laugh historically) I'm kind of chuckling but waiting to see him pop up after pulling his skirt.. coupe seconds go buy an no sign of him.. I'm like oww shiittt. As well his kayak with him in it upside down are floating further away from me through some rapids we break for lunch at for our experience kayakers to surf the stoppers.

I catch a break in the chase to catch him when a rock stops his kayak.. race to him, come around the back side of the rock that stopped his boat tied off to it then was able to get on top of this rock and was able to reach the nose of his boat. I picked up on the nose of the kayak (kids STILL in his skirt latched onto the kayak) his head comes up out of the water an he takes a huge breath.. (relieved that he was breathing I was able to calm down a bit) Reached in and yelled at him "Remember you always pull your f'kn skirt when you roll!!! So this kid decides okay! pulls his skirt and falls head first back into the damn water... I was able to grab his PFD and yank him up on the rock.. Kids man they do the darndest things..

fortunately I've never came across a lifeless body

 

[ddnww]

kinda funny seeing this thread as i was just talking about this the other night.
But for some reason i have arrived first at scenes on many occasions. I have saved 5 people on 4 different occasions.

1 while rock climbing when i was younger, no safety gear. Bout a couple hundred feet up my friend lost grip and i grabbed him by his hair. He was dangling and it took all my strength to hold him till he can reclaim his grip to the rocks. Luckily he wasnt that big of a guy or he may not be here today.

2 while in high school i saved an elderly couple from their vw bug which caught on fire, they panicked and couldnt get the doors unlocked. I had to break a window and unlock the door and pull the couple out. I still made it in time for school.

3 between my home town and where i live now, its a stretch of two lane highway known to be very dangerous, curvy , through the mountains. It was night time and i came around a curve to a truck rolling to a stop that had smashed into the rock hill at side of road. I was the first on the scene. Again, the vehicle(chevy truck) had caught fire in the engine and smoke was bellowing into the cab. The doors were stuck nearly shut from the crash. Inside was man near my age (early 20s at the time). He was frantic like a wild chimp in a cage. He was screaming like a 10 year old girl. I grabbed the door with both hands and used the truck as leverage to pry the door open and rescue the guy.

4 Same stretch of highway, another night time accident. This time it was a head on collision and i was first on the scene as usual. Passenger in one car was ok, so i went to check on the other. It was a high school girl, she was in a panic , she couldnt get out, the dash had her legs pinned. THere was nothing i can do till they brought the jaws. So i just tried to keep her calm, i asked her what her name was, what grade, etc etc. She was a high school basketball player and was returning from an out of town game. I did calm her till the fire dept was able to rescue her.

 

[youngr]

I have found someone, and would like to think I've also saved 4 lives.

First, at 17 i was hanging out with friends after school when one decided to take off on a dirt bike he wasn't familiar with. After a while with no return we started getting worried. We searched ourselves for a while and eventually with darkness etc coming we had to let his parents know. Long story short after hours of searching and participating in the Montgomery County Search and Rescue teams we unfortunately stumbled upon my best friends body..... seems he straightened out a corner on a wooded road and had no helmet. Still miss him to this day.

Second, I was living and working in Midland, Texas and i was driving down the street when i saw a Toyota Camry coming directly across a 4 lane road from a parking lot with no regard to traffic in either direction. Everyone was slamming on their brakes and I noticed 3 small children in the back and one had the door open screaming "help my momma". Without actually thinking about it I left my car in the road and chased after them. I eventually made my way into the passenger window and inside the car with them. The car was headed for a bayou or drainage and the Mother was not coherent. Eventaually i was able to get the car stopped and someone had already called the Paramedics so by the time it was all over turns out the mother had apparently put the car in drive and began having a seizure all about the same time. I consider it to be a life saving event since the mom received treatment and the possible outcome if the car had continued to where it was headed.