How close did we come to killing ourselves as kids????

gdm27 · 04-10-2012, 15:23

With the brain cells still only few in number we were blissfully unaware how near to killing ourselves when nippers. I remember (just) walking along the remaining walls of a burnt out factory, about 30ish feet up. Old cars had been pushed into the space between the walls and I told my mates that I could jump down onto the roof of one of them for a "tanner" "go on then," bet made. off I went, the drop lasted forever and it started to dawn that this was stupid just about the same time I hit the roof of the car and my knees went way past my ears and bum hits the roof!!!! The only thing that saved me was the roof giving way and acting as a damper for the fall. Never did get my tanner!

cashman · 04-10-2012, 15:27

Came close a couple of times as a kid, but came even closer twice as a drunken teenager.

Less · 04-10-2012, 16:11

I remember one time, when fireworks could be bought by 13 year old's.

I had a brother, 4 years older than me, he was able to buy bangers, convinced me that putting a firework in a vans petrol tank would make it look fantastic.

I was sent with the firework, a match, and something to strike the match, towards a neibours van, I lit the fire work, being nervous I didn't wait until it started to fizz, I threw it into the tank, it (fortunately) it had already gone out, otherwise neither I, my brother, a couple of his mates or the neibours would be here today.

Less · 04-10-2012, 16:23

Got to admit, it was years later that I realised how dangerous the task my 'big bruvver' had sent me on, He swears blind he doesn't remember the incident, but I know and now, you know he is lying.

Duck, here comes Darren, don't do 'owt he tells you!

Studio25 · 04-10-2012, 20:50

You'd probably have been OK. Petrol only burns at the surface, and can't be lit by a cigarette, so the wick-type fuse on a banger wouldn't have had an effect either.

You need something that is hot enough to get the petrol to higher than 246°C - although firework sparks are much hotter than that, they cool too fast when they hit the fuel so it doesn't ignite.

cashman · 04-10-2012, 20:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Studio25

You'd probably have been OK. Petrol only burns at the surface, and can't be lit by a cigarette, so the wick-type fuse on a banger wouldn't have had an effect either.

You need something that is hot enough to get the petrol to higher than 246°C - although firework sparks are much hotter than that, they cool too fast when they hit the fuel so it doesn't ignite.

Bet yeh daren't put that to the test?

Less · 05-10-2012, 05:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by cashman

Bet yeh daren't put that to the test?

I'm glad I didn't prove him wrong, though I somehow suspect had it been fizzing, the fumes in the tank would I imagine, have ignited.

Also, so far as a fag...

I had a friend badly burned when he was foolishly cleaning motorcycle parts in petrol whilst smoking, petrol not ignited by a cigarette? I wouldn't bet on it.

Restless · 05-10-2012, 06:47

I never did anything really dangerous when I was a kid. I was more scared of my mum finding out than actually hurting myself. Thanks to my mothers constant words; I am literally useless at climbing.

Mum took me to the library and drummed into me the dangers of climbing buildings. She showed me an article about her brother. Climbing on a roof, he fell through and died.

My sisters and my friends never cared for such warnings. Some of the things I remember them doing.

They used to walk through the tunnel under the asda. They coaxed me to go with them but I wouldn't. I used to make my way to the point in Pic1 and wait for them to emerge.

Pic2 They used to Climb the inside of the viaduct and sit on these stones. Sometimes they would walk across the viaduct, never knowing if a train was going to come or not! I was always told I was not allowed to go anywhere near train tracks so I didn't. I didn't play with firefoworks. ETC.

As for playing with flammable liquids. A friend of mine told his mum and everybody else that he was attacked by someone and they sprayed his face with something. Years later he told me that him and a friend was playing with something flammable and it blew up in his face. He was burnt pretty bad.

Margaret Pilkington · 05-10-2012, 07:00

I can't say I ever came close to killing myself, but I came close to killing a couple of my brothers...but this was outweighed by the fact that saved the lives of two of them......it was the two I had earlier (inadvertently) tried to kill.

jaysay · 05-10-2012, 08:15

Well I never came close to killing myself, but my mother did on numerous occasions

Less · 05-10-2012, 08:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaysay

Well I never came close to killing myself, but my mother did on numerous occasions

Had you been my child I would have only needed one try at killing myself!

jaysay · 05-10-2012, 08:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Less

Had you been my child I would have only needed one try at killing myself!

Just imagine what a loss you'd have been to Accyweb

Studio25 · 05-10-2012, 10:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by cashman

Quote:

Originally Posted by Studio25

You'd probably have been OK. Petrol only burns at the surface, and can't be lit by a cigarette, so the wick-type fuse on a banger wouldn't have had an effect either.

You need something that is hot enough to get the petrol to higher than 246°C - although firework sparks are much hotter than that, they cool too fast when they hit the fuel so it doesn't ignite.

Bet yeh daren't put that to the test?

No chance

But I was sure I'd seen that the way petrol gets ignited in films (cigarettes and bullets) is a load of rubbish- and a quick google brought this up as the first hit:
Petrol lit with a cigarette? Only in the movies | Film | The Guardian
Apparently, firing tracer bullets (which have burning phosphor on them) through fuel tanks won't ignite the petrol either.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Less

I'm glad I didn't prove him wrong, though I somehow suspect had it been fizzing, the fumes in the tank would I imagine, have ignited.

Also, so far as a fag...

I had a friend badly burned when he was foolishly cleaning motorcycle parts in petrol whilst smoking, petrol not ignited by a cigarette? I wouldn't bet on it.

It needs to be a fuel/air mix. Unless you're trying really hard to get a mix, there won't be enough vapour in a full petrol tank or air in an empty tank to allow combustion. If you have a pool of petrol exposed for long enough, you'll get a mix. My dad was once trying to destroy a cherry tree stump, so he piled the branches around it and poured loads of petrol on it. Went back into the house because he'd forgotten the matches, and then started throwing lit matches at the bonfire. They'd gone out by the time they left his hand, so he dipped the end of a branch in petrol and lit it, then put the burning stick into the bonfire. The whole thing exploded with a boom, but only a few of the petrol-soaked branches and the tree stump itself actually lit on fire.

MargaretR · 05-10-2012, 10:31

Many weekends in my childhood were spent at a farm in Ingleton.

I was playing on stacked hay bales in the barn. They weren't wrapped in black plastic in those days. I didn't see the narrow air gap which had been left between stacks and slipped down it. I recall the stacks were about 4 times my height. I shouted for help but no-one heard. I suppose my cries were muffled by the bales.

After several attempts I managed to climb out. I could have pulled bales onto me and suffocated.

kestrelx · 05-10-2012, 12:26

I don't think I've ever come close to accidently killing myself? Hurt myself yeh... But have some other person - somebody once had an illegal shotgun. I picked it up and asked him if it was loaded - he said no! I pointed it at him playing around and then moved it quick aimed at the ground and pulled the trigger - it went off in my hand. So if I had pulled it in his face - I dread to think.