You never know what kind of lemons life will give you next, and sometimes, to avoid potentially unpleasant scenarios, we like to do things as a little precaution.
"What 'you know what, just to be safe' thing did you do that ended up saving your [butt] later?" – this internet user took to one of Reddit's most thought-provoking communities and invited its members to share their rather wild tales about the things they did that saved their lives. The thread managed to garner nearly 40K upvotes in just a matter of days as well as 10.7K comments.
More info: Reddit
#1
Not my a*s, but i was getting ready for school whilst mum was vomitting in the bathroom. She said it was just a stomach bug and to just go to school but mentioned her arm hurt.Something didn’t sit right so i called the ambulance from downstairs.
They arrived and took her into the ambulance - she then proceeded to have 3 cardiac arrests and needed defibrillated each time. A double bypass later and she was up and about within a month.
Paramedics told me she would have died 5 mins after i left, if i hadn’t called.
Image credits: TheKr1tster
#2
Putting only one of my work shoes in the hotel safe along with my valuables. Literally has stopped me in my tracks from forgetting my wallet and passport in a different country.
Image credits: rangacurls
#3
I used to always carry a small high powered flashlight in my pocket. One day my wife had to go to the ER. She was having problems with her feminine bits. Her gyno was called, and during the exam, my wife began to bleed out. The ER was insufficiently equipped as far as portable light sources on hand, and on a whim, as her doctor stepped out of the room, looking panicked, I made a snap decision, pulled that flashlight from my pocket, and offered it to the doctor. I showed her how to operate it, and to make a long story short, that $5 flashlight saved my wife's life by making it possible for her doctor to find the bleed and stop it. It didn't save my a*s, but it saved the life of the woman I love more than life itself.
Image credits: RudeAndSarcastic
#4
My friend and his wife were having their first child. They had gotten a big packet of information and paperwork to fillout before the due date to make things easier. There were also brochures for genetic testing and other thing that could be done, and one of the things was about saving the cord blood. My friend said that he looked at the front of the brochure and his wife asked if they should do it (it is not cheap, a couple thousand $ to save it and a few hundred a year after that), and my friend said "yes." Their daughter was born later that year. Three years after her birth, they had a boy, and he was born with an immune disorder (no white cells), and his big sisters cord blood and stem cells were used as a treatment.
Image credits: Temporary-Good9696
#5
Not me, bit a coworker. Was trying to separate some rail road ties with a crowbar as part of his yardwork for the day and when it popped a nail flew…And embedded itself in one of the lenses of his safety glasses he threw on because he had them for work. He keeps them on his desk as reminder.
PPE is not just for the workplace folks!
Image credits: crazyrich
#6
Not my a*s, but my moms. She and I were home alone and I was getting ready to go to a party. I came upstairs and found her with the carbon monoxide detector in pieces on the coffee table. She said it was beeping, and apparently once years ago in our last house one was malfunctioning and giving a false alarm so I guess she just assumed it was happening again. I shrugged it off and continued getting ready. I was about to leave but something was nagging at me, she was insisting it was fine. After some arguing with her I said “No. we are calling the fire department.” So I did. They came, and the levels of carbon monoxide were so high in the basement they said anyone sleeping down there would be dead already. Our cats were vomiting from the poisoning and we didn’t realize. I guess the filter on the furnace was so clogged it was pumping out carbon monoxide. One of the fire fighters pulled me aside and said if I hadn’t called I likely would have come home to my mom dead in her bed.
Image credits: gooodwoman
#7
Was watching my toddler nephew and he’d found a metal straw somewhere in the house and started playing with it. He was just tapping stuff and waving it around, but I’d *just* read a story on Reddit about a woman who got completely f****d up by a metal straw when she fell and it impaled her face, so I took the metal one from nephew and gave him a soft, squishy silicone one to play with instead.I’m not exaggerating when I say less than five minutes later, he fell like toddlers do and I saw the silicone straw all smushed into his cheek.
I had to just sit for a while after that, lol.
Image credits: windexfresh
#8
Had some weird achy symptoms and went to the doctor even though I figured I was probably overreacting. Turns out I had cancer.
Image credits: Ok-Ad-2605
#9
I lock my doors habitually. Walk through a door, reach behind me, twist the lock. It's the way I was raised, and i honestly don't even think about it. I've actually gotten myself into trouble absent mindedly locking other people's doors (house, offices, shops ... I'm a menace).This one night, I'm sitting and reading pretty late, and I suddenly think, "I need to check my front door to make sure it's locked." Lo and behold, it's actually unlocked. Shocked me a bit, but I locked the door and the dead bolt and slid the chain for good measure, then go get myself a glass of water.
As I'm walking with my glass of water from the kitchen back past my front door, I catch a movement out of the corner of my eye. I turn to the door and watch the doorknob slowly try to turn left and right. The mircomovements that a locked doorknob can be forced when twisted. I put on as deep of a voice as I can and forcefully stage project, "I have a gun, and I'm calling the cops!"
The doorknob stopped turning. I slept in a closet that night.... just in case.
Image credits: Puzzleheaded-War-113
#10
Saved the GPS location of my vehicle on Google Maps before exploring a national forest with a road trip buddy.We grabbed some fishing poles and head out towards the nearest water location on our map to hopefully catch a couple fish. Turns out it was a swamp not a lake and we got so incredibly turned around it could have ended very badly. We really didn't go that far in from where we parked but somehow ended up on the other side of the swamp without realizing it. Drizzling rain, mosquitos, bear tracks, and the sun started going down before we found the car.
Without the GPS coordinates saved it would have been a cold wet night in the woods at a minimum, and more than likely a "search and rescue required" situation.
Image credits: MickeyM191
#11
I forwarded an email to my non-work address so that after I left and anonymously reported my employer to the state I couldn't get stuck with the blame for s**t.
Image credits: cancercureall
#12
$5 breakage insurance on a rental surf board. Broke that f****r clean in half in my first 10 minutes.
Image credits: Jaboogaman
#13
My dad lost his glasses once. He was going to just use his old prescription but last minute decided to just go to the optometrist anyway in case something changed. Turns out he had a tear in his retina and was booked for surgery within 24 hours. It was bad enough they said he probably would have gone blind really soon had they not caught it when then did.
Image credits: notallamawoman
#14
Lived in Baltimore at the time. Pulled up outside my place after getting off a late shift and had to get a backpack out of my trunk before going in. I noticed a group of teenaged kids hanging out on the corner and thought "nope". Called my roommate to come watch me walk to the door. About 10 mins later a girl comes running down the street bleeding saying she got jumped by the group of kids for no reason. Stay alert out there yall.
Image credits: ijustwanttogotojacuz
#15
Might sound ridiculous, but many years ago when I did my mandatory community service (was a thing in Germany as a counterpart to mandatory military service), there was a particular day in a pretty harsh winter.I usually went to 'work' with my bike, as the streets where cleared of snow and ice anyway. At this day, I didn't take my helmet off because when I arrived at the place I worked I immediately started to showel snow and didn't even walk inside first. My workplace was a huge and old 4-story hostel in the woods. The roof was packed with snow and there where massive icicles hanging from the gutters. When a coworker asked me why I decided to look like an idiot with my helmet on I jokingly replied it was for serious security reasons.
A few moments later an icicle block fell down and hit me on the head and the shoulders, the impact was so brutal that it made me fall down on my knees. Shoulders where bruised but my head was fine.
I really don't know what could have happened if I didn't wear my stupid bicycle helmet "for fun" that morning. Serious injury for sure.
Image credits: Geruchsbrot
#16
One day I was attempting to make carioca for the first time, a kind of Filipino fried mochi, and after I popped them in the oil, I settled in and watched them carefully. I never wear an apron whilst cooking, but for some reason I figured why not this time, and as soon as I stepped out of range of the fryer, they all exploded. Turns out, carioca can form an impermeable shell when fried, so pressure built up inside until they popped and sprayed hot oil all over the kitchen. Of course, I was safely away reaching for an apron and was completely dumbfounded. Made sure to punch some holes in all subsequent batches.Of course, once I cleaned the kitchen, I ate them and they were delicious. 10/10 highly recommend
Image credits: stucaboose
#17
I dropped my high school girlfriend off, then for some reason I locked the passenger door. Not 10 minutes later I was stopped at a red light and some scummy looking dude tried to open up the door. I have no idea why I locked that door after she got out, I really didn't have a habit of that. No idea what would have happened if that guy got in my truck.
Image credits: Fat_Ryan_Gosling
#18
Learned CPR and first aid. Had to give CPR to a family friend when she collapsed from a heart attack and thankfully she was brought back after being down for 15 minutes. She only had minor memory problems and mostly just couldn't remember that day. She still here and kicking years later.
Image credits: CompanionCarli3
#19
In college I was an RA. A girl wanted to hook up with me and I was going to but I ended up drinking and watching lord of the rings: two towers with some friends instead at their dorm.Few days later I was fired from RA job for sexually harassing a student. I didn't in any way shape or form sexually harass anyone and the date/time given was when I was in middle of movie. I had 13 people to vouch for me.
Never found out this person who reported me but I'm fairly certain we can all guess who it was because after I and my friends all literally said I was watching movie (which I was and also I slept over at their dorm, nothing wrong with a 12 dude sleepover haha) I was rehired and case dismissed.
Image credits: Dmartinez8491
#20
Normally I'm pretty impressionable and cave to peer pressure, but this one time when I was younger I was hanging with my friends and a couple of "older" high school guys I'd only met that day. The girls were all fawning over them but I could tell they were idiots. When they all wanted to go for a drive with the guys, I thought 'nah, I don't trust these guys and I think it's best I just call my parents and go home'.I got a call the next morning from one of the girls who was passenger. One of the high school boys was driving, they'd had a serious crash and one of the girls wasn't wearing her seatbelt and hit her head on the dash and was in a coma for six months. She was in intensive care and rehabilitation for years.
Still can't believe of all the days I decided not to go with the flow, it probably saved my life. Terribly sad about my friend. We were really close but she never came 'right' and her personality changed. I still wonder how successful she might have been and if we'd still be friends if that hadn't happened to her. Really sad.
Image credits: dimlightupstairs
#21
On a road trip with our (my siblings and I) dad in Latin America (he lived there and we were visiting).On a highway at night, with clouds, no moon and no lights (this was a new highway that nobody likes taking now, as criminals often leave glass or spikes to puncture tires and rob you, or worse).
We were driving and this guy was pulled over and waving for help. My dad stopped behind and the guy was scared and asked if we could light up his car while he changed a flat tire (he was terrified of being out where alone and rightfully so)
Dad goes to get out to help and my sister grabbed him and said she didn't think this felt right. Dad assured us it was fine and almost got out, but sister grabbed him again. Right then a car flew by the door right where he would have been. 4 guys jump out, one grabs the man puts a gun to his head and the others sprint to our car.
There was a brief chase down the highway, but luckily their old Corolla didn't keep up with our jeep, and they gave up after 2-3 mins of driving 170km/h
My sister saved my dad's life (and probably ours) by making him stay in the car that extra few seconds
Edit: The guy with a gun to his head lived and was "okay" given everything. After the chase, we had to turn around and continue on the way we were originally going, as the were no other routes to get back home (unless we backtracked 6 hours). After we passed the vehicle of the man, we saw he wasn't there anymore and we thought the worst. Luckily we ended up passing 4 national guard vehicles about 2 km later and saw that the man was with them talking to them.
To answer, I've never known if the guy was in on it. The timing has always seemed off to me, however the look of fear in his face was so genuine when the guys jumped out that I can remember it perfectly 15 years later
Edit 2: The country in question is Venezuela
Image credits: ReactionClear4923
#22
Backing up computer files onto an external drive on a regular basis. Power goes out one afternoon, and I was the only one not profusely sweating.
Image credits: come_lil_closer
#23
When I was a student I’d do my own work on my car to save mechanic bills. One day, after changing brake pads, I was driving on the motorway at 100kmh (the freeway at 60mph for our American friends) and felt a slight shuddering through the steering wheel. Given you’re not supposed to stop on a motorway unless it’s a real emergency, I was reluctant to pull over to check if anything was wrong. Though having only worked on the car that morning, I decided I check - just to be safe. Turns out I hadn’t even finger tightened the wheel nuts, only threaded them about a half-turn each.Edit- grammar
Image credits: Casper771
#24
My stomach had some issues and my doctor sent me for a colonoscopy just to get things checked out. They found 1 polyp, no big deal, not related to the current problem, and told me to come back in 5 years just in case. I put a google reminder and forgot about it.5 years later, I went for the colonoscopy and they found a lot more and said I would have ended up with cancer in 5-20 years for sure had I not gone. Instead, they removed all polyps and now I’m regularly going to colonoscopies due to having a syndrome they identified.
I’m far away from the age where you normally get a colonoscopy so I would definitely have got cancer.
When you are eligible or if it is recommended, get a colonoscopy.
Image credits: matttk
#25
Super embarrassing story but f**k it I'll share with internet strangers.My 10 month old recently got Norovirus. For those who don't know, Norovirus is a highly contagious stomach virus that comes with vomiting and diarrhea for days. He got sick and gave it to me, so as you can imagine, it was a rough time. He ended up having to go to the ER twice and the second time I knew I was gonna have to stay overnight. so I brought a change of clothes, just in case. Whelp, halfway through the night, I thought I just had to fart badly and ended up s******g my pants. But I had brought that extra pair of underwear and pants! So I had to casually and nonchalantly call the nurse into the room, ask her if she minded sitting with my baby so I could go pee, walk all the way to the one avaliable restroom and wait for it to open up all while trying not to do the poop waddle and let it be known I had destroyed my pants. Luckily I had packed the underwear and alot of baby wipes so I was able to clean myself up in the bathroom. I threw my underwear and pants right into the trash.
My "just to be safe" quite literally saved my a*s.
Image credits: kittyqueenkaelaa
#26
My freshman roommate and I had a massive falling out during our first semester. By Thanksgiving I’d already requested a room change, but had to wait until holiday break because there were no free rooms available. While we waiting for the room change we avoided each other and I generally spent as little time in the room as possible, which was usually fine. The last day of class before thanksgiving break rolls around and I was chilling in a friends room waiting for a ride home for the week. I’d texted my roommate to let me know when she was gone so I could come and grab my stuff and after she replied ‘k’ I didn’t think much of it. Out of no where a thought struck me and I sat bolt up right and shouted “THE VODKA!” I realized I had a half a handle of vodka stashed in my mini fridge. I’d jumped through hoops to get it from my older sister when we’d first moved in because my roommate had desperately wanted to throw a party in our room. But now that we were on the outs I KNEW this b***h would point it out to her mom when she got picked up in an attempt to get my disciplined. My friend thought I was insane, but I convinced her in a near panic that we had to do something! We called a mutual friend and cashed in a favor. We told him he needed to call my roommate and demand she get lunch with him to get her out of the room. I waited just out of sight in the dorm courtyard and watched her and the guy walk into the dining hall then dead sprinted to our room. THE HANDLE WAS SITTING OUT ON MY DESK. I immediately threw it in a garbage bag and buried it in my laundry then flew out of that room like a bat out of hell. Hours later I went to the room to pack up and found that she’d absolutely trashed the room. She had pulled apart my desk, my bed and my closet but some how missed my hamper. In a rage she ripped apart my name tag. In the end I got away with my vodka and she got written up from trashing my s**t. My instincts did not lead me astray that day!
Image credits: MermsieRuffles
#27
“You know what, I’m gonna look to see if all the vehicles have come to a stop, just to be safe.” I told myself this, right before I enter an intersection in my car. It saved my life because there was a vehicle doing around 100km/hr (60mph) that would have tore my car in half and [end] me.
Image credits: thuglife_7
#28
Snow chains at the bottom of the mountain. A bunch of cars passed me on a clear road on the way up with several warnings all the way up. I saw a local throwing on chains with no snow in the area. I decided to be safe and put them on. 30 minutes later I was in one of the worst snow driving conditions I’ve ever seen. White out conditions in a snow storm that eventually resulted in the complete shutdown of the roads. I passed car crash after car crash with just enough traction to feel somewhat comfortable moving 15 miles an hour.Anyone heading to Tahoe needs chains and chains that fit. Don’t f**k around. I don’t care if you have a four wheel drive. Driving through Tahoe and Mammoth during snow storms is no joke. Literally sunny with no clouds to blinding white darkness in an hour.
Edit: one more thing. If you find yourself near Heavenly and Siri sends you to a snowed over hill that feels too steep, turn around. Unless you have the right set up you aren’t gonna make it. Snow chains or not, you will slide. Just take the Harrah’s Gondola if it’s that bad. If you don’t already have your own gear try another resort. Heavenly is uniquely bad for rentals and beginners in general.
Image credits: Kingkongcrapper
#29
Worked alone in a gambling/video poker place, closing. Strange guy came in and started making small talk with me. I was expected to be kind and friendly to everybody who came in so I was doing that.I decided to send a message to my boyfriend and a friend and then something in me told me to take a picture of the guy as he moved closer to the counter I was behind. I snuck one real quick and sent it to said friend since she was awake.
She called me immediately as she drove the 20 minutes to my job. An hour before I got off. I'll add, I didnt drive so I had no vehicle in the now abandoned parking lot, the only car being his which was conveniently backed in, right next to front door.
2 days later there was a missing person's report released of someone who was a very familiar build and features that I have and suspected trafficking in the area. She went missing later that same night. He left after my friend showed up.
I've never had such an uneasy feeling in my life and I truly think sending those messages are what saved my life. He was waiting for me to get off work at 1 am - our hours were right on the front door.
#30
I went to the doctor because I couldn’t get rid of a cough. Turned out I had pneumonia. A pretty bad case of it.
Image credits: Affectionate_Iron998
#31
during a hurricane, i realized the street was flooding so i figured i should move my car farther up the driveway.on my way out, i had the sudden urge to poop so just to be safe, i stopped by the bathroom first. maybe 30 seconds later? BOOM!
neighbor's tree fell directly on my car, [crushing it]
Image credits: salmonjapan
#32
Leaving a spare set of keys at the pub that I live above. Went out on St Patrick’s day and had my coat stolen (I keep my keys in my coat). At 3 in the morning, I had genuinely no idea how I would’ve been able to get home otherwise. Definitely not some big life-saving moment or anything but it was a relief lol
Image credits: merkonerko2
#33
Was on a side-by-side vehicle mudding on some property a friend and I were visiting.Mid ride, I turn to my friend and say “hey, you should probably buckle your seat belt. Just in case”
Not 1 min later did he lose control and slide front first into a tree going about as fast as this thing could go given the conditions.
Both of us were okay but the side by side was completely ruined.
He looked at me right after and his eyes were as big as dinner plates.
#34
I had a female patient coming for I131 therapy. Patient must be not pregnant and to make sure we do a blood test one day prior to dosing. I checked the results on screen that was negative. I printed it out and put it in the patient file “ just in case “ although we went paperless years earlier. After giving her radiation safety instructions and discharging her. She came a couple of days saying that she was late. The doctor inserted another pregnancy blood test and came out positive. The lab technician went to the previous negative blood test and CHANGED IT TO POSITIVE. Haven’t I printed the test it would look like I dosed the patient while pregnant and could get fired. Staff before this incident used to make fun of me being paranoid. After this incident everyone started printing the results ?.Because a lot of people asked and to answe their questions ETA:
I reported it to the head of department, he immediately involved the medical physics department and they calculated the dose to the fetus and found out she had to abort because the baby will be severely mutated. So they involved the oby/gyn also. Last thing I knew that a huge investigation was carried out and the patient filed an official complaint. I don’t know what happened later. Everything completely changed ( policies and procedures/ hospitals information system/ quality department was established / risk management department was established etc.) That was back in the beginning of 2007. The system was installed in the end of 2006. That was the first time anyone used and electronic system.
ETA2 : I wrote the reply and went to sleep and woke up never thinking that this would blow up , wow ! Thank you everyone for upvoting and thank you kind stranger for the award !! Thanks for everyone who wished me a happy cake day ! You all made my day ?
Edit3: that story happened in MENA ( Middle East and North Africa ).
Image credits: nuclearlady
#35
When I bought a used car while traveling around my dad pressured me into bying a towing insurance. I thought it was a waste of money for 60$. I ended up getting towed 6 times in 2 months when my car broke down. I saved about 2000$ with having that insurance.#36
Had my boat trailer bearings "repacked" by the boat repair shop/dealer before I went on a trip that I had to tow it for 400+ miles. (I usually repacked the bearings myself but figured I'd have the pros do it since I had a long haul ahead of me.) The day before I left I decided to double check that the bearing case was full of grease (without it they would overheat and I'd be f*cked royally and stranded with a high risk of a wheel actually coming off the trailer if I didn't notice it in transit). There was no grease at all in the bearing case on any of the 4 wheels. I would have been lucky to make it 20 miles before something serious happened.Also this has been a habit for decades - Pat my pocket to make sure my keys are in my pocket before: closing the locked house door, my car door, etc.
Image credits: willfish4fun
#37
Was in a dune buggy with a roll cage and just driving it around the neighborhood. Put on a motor cross helmet just to be safe. When we wrecked the side of the helmet that hit the road was completely white as all the paint had been scrapped off.#38
I didn't wanna wear a helmet while riding my razor scooter because I couldn't see how I could possibly fall and hit my head. Anyway I fell and hit my head HARD. luckily I had decided to wear a helmet *just in case*
Image credits: FunkyKong147
#39
Grabbed a helmet when riding a bike down a steep hill as a kid. Normally didn't bit I ended up falling at top speed and breaking my helmet and chipping 3 teeth. Could've been my head that was broken.
Image credits: tummydody
#40
I once subcultured a master culture which was used in a very important research study. We were specifically told not to do that because of patent liabilities. But still I had a gut feeling that we were going to need another plate cultured. And lo and behold, a student accidentally dropped the plate in a lab and it shattered. Saved us a 6 months of time and penalties.#41
Somehow, it randomly occured to me one day to purchase pet insurance for my dog. Some months later, my dog suffered a severe back injury, and needed surgery to reverse the paralysis.It was expensive out of pocket, but without the reimbursement from insurance it would’ve been way worse!
EDIT: Backtaxes! [Here he is post-surgery](https://imgur.com/O9ri6U1), [standing by himself,](https://imgur.com/gjLQtyM) and for more recent pics, here he is [sleeping](https://imgur.com/0jGW0Ti) and [looking goofy!](https://imgur.com/a/phaV5BG) (Most of my dog pics are of him asleep, since otherwise he moves around so much, it just looks like a blur)
EDIT 2: Lots of people asking what breed he is! We think he’s an Australian Shepherd. Possibly a mix, he was a rescue so not 100% sure.
He also has a condition called [Double Merle](https://deafdogsrock.com/what-is-a-double-merle), caused by poor breeding practices. That’s why he’s all white (with black spots on his face and paws) with super light blue eyes. If you look closely in the first pic, you can see his pupils are asymmetrical. Double Merle dogs commonly have eye abnormalities, and can have some level of blindness and deafness. Lolo has pretty good eyesight, but is completely deaf.
There are a few other dog breeds he looks similar to; Border collie, German shepherd, Swiss shepherd, etc. But since he's a double merle, both his parents must have had the merle color pattern, which those breeds don't have. So, I conclude he must be an Aussie! When I look up pics of other double merle Aussies, they look just like him. I think Lolo just happens to also have other traits that don't fit the breed standard, like a long tail, upright ears, and large size. (He's 60-70 lb, at the upper limit for the breed) The lack of coloration also gives his fur a different texture, (crazy and curly instead of straight and smooth) which is why he's extra fluffy!
Image credits: phnarg
#42
filling up my ridiculously large 2.5 litre water bottle yesterday... a pipe burst in my building last night and we still don't have running water 20 hours later but I still have my bottle. Make sure you have an emergency supply of water in your house!#43
There are times when it's crucial for me to take something with me when I leave home the next day. I figure that of course I'll remember, because it's so crucial ... but just to be safe, I will put the thing on top of my car keys. And yes, that's bailed me out a couple of times.
Image credits: MisterBigDude