Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Close calls you were fortunate or blessed to have survived.

Yep. That may have well been him. Was he operating there in about 96?

Yes, HIS angels have saved me many more times than i can remember and some i dont even know about.

19 years old working summer for 2 bit const co taking up a big Transcontinental gas pipeline below Pleasonton. The pipe under pressure broke and took the co weilder out when it smashed his face.

I took over with a big jump in pay. 6 days a week x 12 per.

I knew nothing but could straddled the ditch the pipeline had been cradled up from. Weilders helper chipped the tarpaper from around the weld with it laying on skids. I cut 16 inches of pipe looking down through the cut. Get to a hwy and go down in the bell hole. Dig out under the pipe and cut in from the bottom in case distallate blows out on fire. Big rope around waist tied to truck ready to run and jerk me out of the hole if it did. Just remember to keep the torch out of yur face bouncing up the hole. If they can cut the ditch deep enough, squat on the pipe and if tge pressure from the bend is too great and the pipe breaks before your cut is finished be sure to stay on top and not get caught between the ditch and pipe as it flies up.

Use a metal detector to spot the line ahead of the ditcher when i caught up to it. Left work at seven with the helper, a local boy and in his truck one evening. Two mexicans. One in cab and one in back with me. We left out down a caliche road we had reached on the pipeline we hadnt used before.
I sat on side rail and luckily pused a 55gal drum of deisel over to middled of the bed. Truck was going awful fast. I looked up and ahead and we were fixing to hit a curve doing 60-70. I knew me and the mexican were dead but thought if i did the right thing. I fell in the bed on my back with my legs stiff against the front. I remember looking up and the mexican was looking ahead screaming as the truck slid with brakes locked too late.

We hit the far ditch embankment and i remember, "Dayom what a jar". Later i came to and couldnt move. I thought i was in Heaven. After a while i got the blood out of my eyes and could see clouds. Twisted my head and could see i was hanging in a barbed wire fence. My hip had broken a 4 inch creasote post. I finally wiggled free and craweled to the road. It was bad. Motor in front floor sideways. I walked a mile to the highway and laid down. After a while two mexican men and women all deessed up pulled up in a new yellow pontiac or olds. I asked for help and they hauled ass.

I got up and walked a few hundred or so to a farm house. Lady answered the door and fainted. Dayom. Remembering get the allergies going. He kids came a tried to bring me in but i didnt want to get blood on everything so they calledvthe law and ambulance. I sat on porch and the HS local driver and truck owner walked up. I got up and went to him and grabbed his shirt collar with my left hand and raired back to knock his teeth out and he opened his mouth in fear and he had no teeth. Lost them onnthe steering wheel. Just a bunch of blood.

Mexican went through windsheild and iirc didnt end up making it. The one in back opposite me had the drum land on him causing him to lose his leg.

I walked into the hospital holding my bluejeans up. Almost every seam busted.
I got my head sowed up and some arm and body cuts and next day i went home. Pipeline man no more. College started in 2 weeks anyway.