# Half a Second to Live - What Would You Do? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 20, 2015, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-a-second-to-live-what-would-you-do/710348 "2015-01-20T02:40:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-a-second-to-live-what-would-you-do/710348/1 "2015-01-20T02:40:52Z")
. _ **WARNING** _ The following post is extremely graphic and nasty and there is a good chance it will turn your stomach. So do not read after eating a large meal! We had a lot of snow in my city during the past week and it got me to remembering an incident from my childhood. I was 11 years old and living in Montreal. They get more snow in Montreal than hardly any other big city that I know. I guess some big cities in Russia would get more snow. But in Montreal they get huge snow drifts and snow banks. My family moved to Montreal when I was ten and I had never seen or imagined the kind of huge snow falls they had in Montreal. To continue, they have these huge machines there called “snow blowers”. You’ve probably seen the versions that you can buy to clear the snow off your driveway. Think about comparing a pebble to the Rock of Gibraltar. That is similar to comparing a home usage snow blower to the kind they use in Montreal to clear the snow from city streets. They are a big huge truck - the kind they use to haul sand and gravel during the summer for construction projects. Then they bolt a huge “blower” on the front. It is a big kind of plow with spinning blades. On the front, there are huge spinning blades that spin in 90 degrees opposed to the wheels of the truck. Then, behind those blades there is another rotary blade that spins in 90 degrees opposed to the first blades and suck up the remnants from the first blades and blow it up and over the truck and then out into the truck’s dumper. My point is these things are just MASSIVE and when they are in operation, they have a man walking in front of the truck constantly waving a red flag because it is so dangerous. If you think the buildup to this post has been unusually long, the reason is that I’m now going to tell you the story that caused a law to be passed that compels someone to walk in front of that moving monster waving a red flag. They never used to have such a man when I first moved to Montreal. But, then, one day … A young child (younger than my 11 years) was playing on a snowbank with some friends when this snow blower happened by. I guess the young child was engrossed in the game he was playing and like most any young child, he was not aware of just how dangerous these trucks could be. \*\*\*\* OK. Now is the time that sensitive readers are warned to turn away from this story because it is about to get enormously horrible here. \*\*\*\* Anyway, this young boy (about 8 or 9) slipped and fell into the path of the truck and before anyone could react, he was sucked into the front end of the truck. I bet you can’t imagine what came out of the back end. These monster machines take a young child and chop him up into thousands of pieces, just like those machines at the butcher store that make chopped hamburger. I can’t even begin to tell you how horrible things got after that. \*\*\*\* OK. Now is the time that just about any reader should be warned to turn away unless you feel you can take an extremely grotesque description that will leave you heart broken and crying for weeks on end. I was a young boy but I was crying for weeks on end. The reason? Well, it was close to dinner time and his mother was looking for him to come into the house for dinner. She came out of the house just as what was left of her son (his name was “Danny” and I’ll never forget that name) and she was calling, “Danny? Danny? Where are you Danny?” The driver of the truck smelled of liquor (I was just passing by at the time of this incident) and the fuckhead driver figured it would be a good idea for him to try to comfort the mother. So he walked up to her and put his arms around her and said in a barely understandable English (because he was French), “Oh Madame, I am so sorry. So sorry. There was nothing I could do. Your foolish boy just fell down right into my snow blower.” The mother stopped as if she was struck by lightning and looked up to the heavens and exclaimed, “Oh God, No! That can’t be Danny. Get away from me you stupid man. Danny? Oh, Danny? Where are you Danny? That can’t be my sweet Danny. What are you talking about? Danny. Come home for dinner, Danny.” Finally, she had to slap the driver across his face. The sound of that slap reverberated throughout our little suburb just like a clap of thunder. The stupid driver rubbed his chin and said to the mother, “You know, that really hurt, Madame. You didn’t have to hit me so hard like that.” Someone should have gotten a shotgun and blown his head off. But I guess no one had a shotgun in their home. Anyway, this just went on until they finally had to take the mother away in a straight jacket and I’m sure you can understand why. Now, here is the point of this thread. I want to ask you all just what you think would go through a person’s mind, when they fall and see this massive snow blower with all its massive blades about to suck them in. They know this must be the end and they know they only have a second or less to live. So, what is it that goes through their mind when they only have a second or so to live? I think my first thought would be something like, “Oh No. I really screwed up this time. This will not have a very good outcome.” But what comes next? You only have half a second or so to live. What would go through your mind in that time? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-a-second-to-live-what-would-you-do/710348/2 "2015-01-20T02:42:52Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > . > You only have half a second or so to live. What would go through your mind in that time? Oh, shi ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-a-second-to-live-what-would-you-do/710348/3 "2015-01-20T02:45:07Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Oh, shi Yes, of course. But what comes after that? I suppose you might turn that thought into a reality. But I’d like to know what your next thought might be? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-a-second-to-live-what-would-you-do/710348/4 "2015-01-20T02:45:51Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > Yes, of course. > > But what comes after that? I suppose you might turn that thought into a reality. But I’d like to know what your next thought might be? You said a half second. That’s it. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-a-second-to-live-what-would-you-do/710348/5 "2015-01-20T02:46:38Z")
OK. Thank you for answering my question. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-a-second-to-live-what-would-you-do/710348/6 "2015-01-20T02:58:26Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > What would go through your mind in that time? A snowblower blade, obviously. HEY-YO!!! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-a-second-to-live-what-would-you-do/710348/7 "2015-01-20T03:40:34Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > Yes, of course. > > But what comes after that? I suppose you might turn that thought into a reality. But I’d like to know what your next thought might be? Go get yourself a stopwatch and time one half of a second, and realize that not only is there no “after that”, there was probably no “previously to that”, either. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-a-second-to-live-what-would-you-do/710348/8 "2015-01-20T03:49:00Z")
I don’t think you’d have time for more than “Oh shi-” before your brain becomes hamburger meat. It would be instantaneous panic, then nothingness. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-a-second-to-live-what-would-you-do/710348/9 "2015-01-20T04:16:32Z")
OK. I guess I got the timing wrong. I’m sorry. Make it 3 or 5 seconds then. I hope that would make it easier? Thanks for letting me know the problem. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-a-second-to-live-what-would-you-do/710348/10 "2015-01-20T04:25:12Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > OK. I guess I got the timing wrong. I’m sorry. > > Make it 3 or 5 seconds then. I hope that would make it easier? Thanks for letting me know the problem. Now that’s enough time to make that last call to my wife and make sure my life insurance is up to date. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-a-second-to-live-what-would-you-do/710348/11 "2015-01-20T04:43:17Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > OK. I guess I got the timing wrong. I’m sorry. > > Make it 3 or 5 seconds then. I hope that would make it easier? Thanks for letting me know the problem. Oh, shit, I’m gonna di- ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-a-second-to-live-what-would-you-do/710348/12 "2015-01-20T04:54:02Z")
I guess “don’t eat the yellow snow” wouldn’t apply here, eh? ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-a-second-to-live-what-would-you-do/710348/13 "2015-01-20T06:00:05Z")
3-5 seconds? I’d be scanning frantically for an escape route, trying to process options and ways out of it. If I ended up coming to the realisation that I was screwed before the blades hit me, that’s about as far as I’d get. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-a-second-to-live-what-would-you-do/710348/14 "2015-01-20T06:00:45Z")
Even with _2 minutes_ to live, I couldn’t get through that long-winded post. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-a-second-to-live-what-would-you-do/710348/15 "2015-01-20T06:09:59Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > OK. Thank you for answering my question. > > 🙂 > [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > Thanks for letting me know the problem. By golly, you are one A-OK guy in my book, Mr. Wayne! It’s refreshing to hear such honest-to-goodness awe and wonder at the many marvels and mundane machinery our daily lives are filled with. And you’re just so caring and empathetic to the well being of complete strangers! To _be_ so big-hearted and well meaning, that’s what _I’ve_ striven for ever since this awesome frickin genius-type loner came on Board here. And that influential man (presumably) goes by the name of **Charlie Wayne**. I think everyone here would agree that we would be all so honored if you ever decided to post a pic of yourself, to please link to it here. Do so because you’ve provided some sage wisdom in your relatively short time here, and putting a face to all that wisdom would all draw us closer as a community. I say do it!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-a-second-to-live-what-would-you-do/710348/16 "2015-01-20T07:14:24Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > I guess “don’t eat the yellow snow” wouldn’t apply here, eh? Red snow. Very Red. A whole lotta red! ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-a-second-to-live-what-would-you-do/710348/17 "2015-01-20T07:21:54Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > By golly, you are one A-OK guy in my book, Mr. Wayne! It’s refreshing to hear such honest-to-goodness awe and wonder at the many marvels and mundane machinery our daily lives are filled with. And you’re just so caring and empathetic to the well being of complete strangers! To _be_ so big-hearted and well meaning, that’s what _I’ve_ striven for ever since this awesome frickin genius-type loner came on Board here. > > And that influential man (presumably) goes by the name of **Charlie Wayne**. I think everyone here would agree that we would be all so honored if you ever decided to post a pic of yourself, to please link to it here. Do so because you’ve provided some sage wisdom in your relatively short time here, and putting a face to all that wisdom would all draw us closer as a community. I say do it!! 😃 Well, I’m very flattered. Thank you ever so much. But I’d never post a real picture of me. Besides, I recently lost 50 pounds (it’s actually the truth) and so nobody would recognize the before Charlie with the after Charlie. But, a long time ago, I realized the Internet seemed so great when it started but a few twists and turns and it could turn into a real horror show for anyone who ever posted any personal info. So, I may be overly cautious. But I’d never use any credit card numbers or bank accounts on the net and I’d never post my real name or address or a picture of myself. But I could be way over cautious. You just never know how things may change in the future. But I can easily describe my looks to you in terms of known celebs. Remember Dom Deluise? That was a spitting image of me before the weight loss. Now? You know Billy Bob Thorton? I could be a spitting image of him after the weight loss. But BBT is a chameleon. He can look like many diff people. Did you see him in the current season of Big Bang Theory? He looks completelly diff from any of his prev looks. Same goes for the TV show Fargo. Once again it was kind of difficult to recognize them. Anyway, I’m afraid that’s the best I can do for you. But, thanks ever so much, again for your kind words. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-a-second-to-live-what-would-you-do/710348/18 "2015-01-20T08:10:22Z")
People get into panic mode which is fight, flight or freeze. If death if inevitable, almost everyone is going to freeze. More so after going through a snowblower, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-a-second-to-live-what-would-you-do/710348/19 "2015-01-20T09:21:54Z")
Last thing to think? Probably, “I’m so fucking stup–GRRRRIIIIND!!” [This isn’t a snowblower, a wood chipper](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVKc6PBYvD0), but sort of like this? ---
**Author:** ![half-elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@half-elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/half-elf)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-a-second-to-live-what-would-you-do/710348/20 "2015-01-20T10:46:07Z")
Twice in my life I have been in motorbike accidents that could have been fatal if a couple of parametres had been ever so slightly different. In both cases, I knew what was about to happen a few seconds (one? three? couldn’t say) before the crash and my last thought was thinking (or more aptly, realizing/ knowing/ accepting) that **Really Really Bad Thing About to Happen and No Way Out Of It**. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-a-second-to-live-what-would-you-do/710348.md?page=2)