I was cycling to work at 515am as usual. It’s dark and I am riding through a harbour area of the city.
I hear the sounds of groans / screams and assume it’s the usual drunkards of Friday night aftermath. The screams then ring out ‘Help help, I’m dying’ and I look across the water and see the ripples of something. Someone is drowning.
It’s a man in the water not having a good time. Instincts kick in and turn my bike around, ride across a bridge and through the nearby carpark at full speed.
In my haste to get to the man I forgot about the chain links between bollards in the carpark. I plough 15/20mph into the chain and crash. Bike has some pieces fly off and I quickly get myself up, grab the bits and look down and my leg is bleeding quite badly.
Run over to the where the guy is, throw in a polo and luckily he grabs it and gets in.
Other people are near by at this point and have called in the emergency services. They arrive and I decide it’s time for me to go as I’m not in the best way myself.
Head to work, drop of my bike and get to hospital. Fast forward to that evening and I’m in surgery for my knee thinking that I did a good thing but at what cost.
I’d do it again in a heartbeat but maybe be a bit more aware.
Not the way I planned my Saturday morning.
TLDR : Riding to work and saw a guy drowning. Go to save him and crash my bike on the way, managed to get to him in time. Ended up in hospital having to get surgery for my injuries.
Comments
For me, this isn’t a FU, you saved someone’s life! What cost life?
Well done OP, you’re an outstanding human being.
Thank goodness Harbor wasn’t spelled the American way or it really would have been a TIFU with a $20k bill for you and the man you saved.
You’re a good person!
No fu, instincts kicked in and chains in a dark parking lot are honestly just evil. Thanks for rescuing him.
This is one of the times when I suspect having a clean conscience is worth it. Can you imagine reading in the paper the next day the bloke drowned? If you did nothing, that would be a hell of a burden to carry.