Every day, almost all of us come into close contact with things that could potentially kill or seriously injure us. We cross streets loaded with speeding vehicles, use tools and appliances that could explode with just one poorly-timed power surge, and eat food from stores and restaurants that we just have to trust have been properly prepared.
Thankfully, the vast majority of the time we're totally fine, and any occasional mishap that does happen to someone will be so rare that we can safely label it as no more than a freak accident.
And yet, these sorts of accidents do happen from time to time - often in the ways we'd least expect. Here are 14 examples of people who managed to escape extreme disasters by the skin of their teeth, and lived to reap the rewards of sharing their cool photos on the internet for all to see.
1. Good thing this guy darted out of the way in time
2. Any faster and he'd have gone into the ditch
3. This is why you always wear gloves
4. Three inches further over and someone would have lost their head
5. This guy had his phone in his pocket when a chainsaw hit it
6. Thank goodness the windshield didn't shatter
7. This truck was nearly pushed into the ocean by a mudslide
8. I'm bowled over by how close this was
9. Saved by the skin of his... foot
10. Sometimes sharks do a "test bite" to see if something is worth eating
11. This kid nearly got battered
12. Remember you always used to complain about safety goggles at school?
13. These coins stopped a bullet during WWI
14. This would have been a gore-y way to go
While it's unlikely that any of us are going to encounter a shark or accidentally brush up against a chainsaw anytime soon, a lot of the other examples on this list could easily happen while you're just driving along the highway or walking through your backyard. Thankfully, though, these guys all had a lucky escape.