Lucky to be alive! Alaska Elk

[hunting_Ben]

Crazy story

 

[White Falcon]

Yep lucky!

 

[Conky]

Following

 

[esoreny]

crazy story, glad you made it out.

 

[NevadaMike]

I am sitting here at my place in Alaska enjoying my coffee and looking across Clarence Straight at Etolin island. Even though its just right there and logistically easy for me no part of me wants to apply for that tag again!

 

[pluckem]

Great story, glad it turned out for the better

 

[SDArcher7]

Now THAT is a story!! You had an angel with you that day. The big question- are you going back???

 

[7 rem mag]

Crazy story

 

[Elkhy]

Buddy, that's insane! Glad you're alive, bro!

 

[Kmartinusa]

First, thank you for taking the time to share.

I was in a boating accident on a fishing trip- we went on this trip for 20+years straight.

We departed from Biloxi, usually at midnight on our “home” for 2 or 3 nights, a 120’ converted crew boat, usually asleep by the time Captain Dennis (usually) hauled us out there. We’d drop anchor, the crew unload the skiffs and we fished 30 or so miles out, around the Chandelier Islands. We made this trip at least once/yr, and we began doing this trip well before Katrina and after…talk about night and day. Large grass beds were wiped out, covered with what were sand dunes. Very few spots even looked the same after, total devastation.

BTW, that whole trip is a memory now, not due to my accident so much as the degradation of grass and the intense competition. We were often alone or close to it early on these trips, today it’s like going to the mall, “motherships”, two camps and skiffs/boats EVERYWHERE. It’s in LA coastal waters so there are fairly liberal limits, meaning there are a LOT of fish coming out of those waters every day. Not sure it can handle the pressure either- resources that seem infinite simply are not, but that’s another discussion.

My last trip was not my accident, it was the next to last. My accident involved being thrown from my skiff during an unplanned, unwanted and uncontrolled sharp left turn. Imagine being on a jet ski, running fairly fast and cutting it- you go one way, the jet ski goes another, only in this case the motor/prop was turned at as close to a right angle as you can manage at full throttle, so the boat made a sharp turn as I was in the air, it was on me in no time flat, and all I could do was get under the prop…even as a competitive swimmer in college, I could not do so fast enough, it cut a chunk of my left leg and left forearm, just above my wrist, severed both arteries in my forearm. I had no way to know this at the time, I refused to look at it. I should have bled out.

We don’t plan for these things to happen to us. Sure, we hear stories, but unless we are LE or EMS or search/rescue or otherwise handle victims, it’s unlikely that we ever see stuff like this, and it’ll never happen to us. It became very real, very quickly, but rather than panic, I immediately slowed my thinking, my breathing and my emotions, clamped down just below my elbow with my right hand and concentrated on staying afloat as long as I could physically do so.

It’s a much longer story, full of “coincidences” and a series of statistically impossible events that boggles the mind, for example…try staying afloat fully clothed with no life jacket, clamping down on your left arm as hard as you can while wearing neoprene zip-up wade boots (maybe also used in diving, I don’t know.).

If I’ve learned nothing else, I’ve learned that when our job is finished…that’s when we go. It wasn’t my turn that day. And this wasn’t yours. Reverse the situation…I’d probably never have the strength to fight the boulder off as you did and you likely wouldn’t have the ability to stay afloat for 30-45m with no help.

I know how it feels, brother- even years later, as this is. I think my accident was 11yrs ago- we went with a newer captain…interestingly, he never called the Coast Guard, never even reported it. We believe we know why now, but I was on narcotic pain killers for 4-6 months and wasn’t thinking clearly. I wish I’d pushed…I’m not sure about a lawsuit, that’s not an avenue I’m interested in (the statute of limitations for lawsuits of this kind is 1yr in LA anyway), I’m just interested in the truth and I believe I know the truth today. He should have called for assistance, had I not survived, he likely would have at least served time, would never drive a boat as a captain again either. But he was my friend…or so I thought, and we doesn’t sue people unless forced, especially “friends”.

I’m particularly happy you took the time to write your story, blow by blow as quickly as you did. I did the same…I just started writing one night, I think it was the 3rd one. I remember watching the OKC Thunder in a playoff game as I started, and when I was finished, I looked at the clock on the wall in my hospital room- it was 3am. I now have it in writing. Memories fade, as a story is retold little details inadvertently change too, and at some point your story is close but it’s not what happened anymore. I’ve got it saved on two clouds, two hard drives and printed/bound- I don’t know why, probably for me. Or my kids someday. I’ve been asked and have told the story in detail in many churches and for many audiences so I guess people get something from it, I believe that the message most get is reinforcement, or perhaps renewing or validation of their faith…that we are passengers, we do the peddling, let our Creator do the steering and things just go better all the way around.

I always end the talk with some version of, “If you find yourself swimming upstream, constantly fighting for whatever it is…flip over and float, ask for guidance, listen and follow. Things will get better.” In my experience, my worst days always become my best; but it’s always been in the rear view mirror. Every time I take the wheel, I screw something up.

I’m only responding years after you shared this to thank you and to point out that it may be good to come back here from time to time, refresh your memory because I’ve found that even after telling it many times- my version is always a bit off, not on purpose- it’s just how it is.

God clearly blessed you, you in turn have blessed every reader with a very real example of what can and does happen, a guide in how to react to an emergency situation, and an example that screams we aren’t running this thing.

Who knows, perhaps some detail of this might just save someone else from a similar experience at some point.

Thanks again for sharing.

-Kevin