As a young man I had a car accident on a foggy night that left the vehicle looking like a squashed box, even though, by some miracle, I walked away unscathed.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 2 November 2024 source ↗
The question
How close have you come to dying?Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
A recurring Guardian Q&A prompt asked directly across respondents and years.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
As a young man I had a car accident on a foggy night that left the vehicle looking like a squashed box, even though, by some miracle, I walked away unscathed.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 2 November 2024 source ↗
A car accident in British Columbia 35-40 years ago. I was driving too quickly on a dirt road and lost control of the car, and it went off a cliff and got stuck in some treetops. We were not at all hurt; we actually just climbed out.
I was in a car crash when I was 16, and I have a little scar on my face from smashing the passenger window with my head. If the car had rolled, I would have been dead.
Many times on British roads, because I drive very fast. In another life, I would have liked doing Formula One.
Right after 9/11, Kenny and I went to perform for the troops in Pakistan and Uzbekistan. As we were flying in, an electronic voice went off: “Warning: missile launch! Warning: missile launch!” The Taliban had fired a rocket at us. I was waiting to see the back of the plane blow up, but it didn’t and we landed.
Lack of humility, the absence of goodness.
When each of my three children was born.
A singer. I wanted to live off music ever since I was a child – a wish that came true when I was over 35 years old.
The many nuns and priests who often work in the shadows, dedicating their lives to the service of others.
As a man who tried to respect everyone, treating them with a smile and with due regard, despite the limitations of being human.
My father, with whom I had a complex relationship: often, when I was young, his desire to protect me clashed with the stubbornness of my choices.
Ray Mears, Tom Lubbock, Fiona Allen, Jenny Diski, Rebecca Lucy Taylor, Penny Lancaster
Search the directory for somebody in particular.