close calls

East Bay Times

Water Park Investigating After Boy Flies Off Giant Slide

Fun in the sun was cut short over Memorial Day weekend when a 10-year-old boy flew off a giant water slide at a park that just opened in California. [More]

FOX 59

Man Says He’s “Extremely Lucky” After Falling Chipotle Sign Crushes Car With Him Inside

While a story that starts with a heavy object crushing a car is never going to be a total win for those involved, an Indianapolis man says he’s just grateful that he emerged relatively unscathed after a Chipotle sign fell on his car… while he was sitting inside it. [More]

(via NBC News)

N.J. Police Officer Smashes Window To Save Child Trapped Inside Hot Minivan

If we’re going to hear stories of children being left in hot cars, we’re at least glad to report on those that end well. That includes the report of a New Jersey sheriff’s officer who bashed open a minivan window to free a child who was locked inside it as it sat parked at a Costco supermarket. [More]

(Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie)

Owner Finds His Rental Home Has Been Rigged To Explode At The Flip Of A Switch

Talk about nightmares: The owner of a house that he’d been renting out had a close call recently when an inspection revealed that the place had been rigged to blow up when a light switch was flipped. Because that kind of intricate wiring isn’t a mistake, police are now investigating. [More]

Busting Through Broken Doors, Empty Elevator Shafts: Sochi Bobsledders Had A Tough Weekend

Busting Through Broken Doors, Empty Elevator Shafts: Sochi Bobsledders Had A Tough Weekend

We’ve been hearing reports back from the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, from reporters saying their hotel rooms have been, well, less than finished or those that came with beers already under the bed. But it seems athletes aren’t immune from the shoddy shenanigans: over the weekend two different bobsledders had a bit of a close call with malfunctioning parts in the Olympic Village. [More]

Pet Store Owner Accused Of Torching Shop With 27 Puppies Inside (Spoiler Alert: They Survived!)

Pet Store Owner Accused Of Torching Shop With 27 Puppies Inside (Spoiler Alert: They Survived!)

If my heart had eyes it would be sobbing loudly over what could have been a fiery fate for 27 puppies in Las Vegas. A pet store owner accused of torching her shop while the puppies were inside has been jailed for arson — and yes, firefighters were able to rescue the puppies. Sigh, there go my heart eyes again. [More]

Gas Station Clerk’s Phone Saves Him From Would-Be Robber’s Bullet

Gas Station Clerk’s Phone Saves Him From Would-Be Robber’s Bullet

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard a friend complain about a phone with a shattered screen, I’d be the known as That Girl With Lots Of Nickels. But perhaps just this one time a phone owner is likely grateful to his broken phone for doing him a tiny favor and stopping a bullet. [More]

Did You Rent A Foreclosure-To-Be?

Did You Rent A Foreclosure-To-Be?

Personal finance blogger Romeo of How We Prevent Wealth recently had a lucky near miss: he put down a deposit on a new rental home, then purely by chance learned that the same home was about to enter foreclosure. He was able to avoid the situation and get his deposit back, but he might not have been so lucky. [More]