All of us have a voice inside us that guides us to make decisions and alerts us of potential dangers and keeps us safe. Some fortunate individuals who pay attention to their intuitions, usually navigate themselves from challenging situations that help them avoid any kind of trouble. Basically, by trusting their instincts they managed to escape from tricky situations and protect themselves from what could have been disastrous outcomes.
1. Looking Through The Reflective Glass
On one fine day, I was about sprinting through a stretch of tall grass on my dirt bike just for fun, however something made me slam the brakes and look behind. I could not explain but when I went back to that spot later, I was surprised.
Behind the grass was a 75-foot drop into a river. From far away, the landscape could not give any hints. In conclusion, till this day I wondered what made me change direction at that critical moment.
2. Iron Nerves
I worked in the sales department of an engineering firm. Once, I had to note down the serial numbers from a bunch of hefty steel plates in the workshop. This work required somebody who was skilled and familiar with the crane to pick each plate so I could see the one beneath it.
The operator in the crane could lift one about six feet straight up. I was about to dodge but my gut feeling stopped me: 'Bad idea, buddy.' "Have him shift the plate to the side," I thought to myself.
When that thought crossed my mind, the clamp gave way, and the massive plate crashed down where I was almost there. That plate was however easily a ton. I had been under it and there is no way I would have lived.
3. Communicating Through Eyes
Once my girlfriend met her colleague at a pub. She was there with a man who from that point of view had sinister intentions. He seemed nice on the surface, but there was something very creepy about his stare. However, my girlfriend could not see that. For me it was really hard to ignore the red flags.
I conveyed my displeasure to her and asked that we must leave. Later on we had an argument, and I left whereas she followed suit. Next morning, we found out about the horror he had caused, which sent shivers down my spine.
Apparently, he got involved in violent actions that horribly hurt someone later that night. I then had an 'I-knew-it' moment, and I told her, "Did I not predict this odd behavior?"
4. Getting Caught By A Cough
This incident took place recently when I was house-sitting for my boyfriend's uncle while my boyfriend was at work. In the evening, I was getting our toddler ready for bed. When we were in the bathroom, I heard a soft cough outside and heard a crack in the window. Although it was a suburban neighborhood, something felt off and I felt uneasy. Later, I left my toddler in the washroom and wrapped a towel around him and rushed to secure the door, only to find a man trying to open it.
The man claimed to look for somebody and I managed to refuse to let him in but he kept banging on the door and trying to turn the lock. I panicked and ran towards my son and grabbed my phone to call for help.
Since we were house-sitting, I didn't know the house's address or the location of the landline. I dialed 9-1-1 from the bathroom on my cell phone while there was ongoing thudding on the backdoor echoing my ear. The operator asked me to find a mail or a landline and luckily I found it and made a call.
All of a sudden, the authorities were there—I have no clue how they arrived so quickly. The dispatcher then calmly instructed me to protect my son's head with a blanket and rush out the front door to safety in a waiting patrol car. I feel lucky that I trusted my instincts and not dismissed that odd sounding cough outside the bathroom.
5. Moving It Or Loosing It
Once on my part time job at a storage facility my supervisor who was not trained on how to use the forklift, had asked me to go up a ladder and shift things. My gut screamed, "Ask her to switch off the forklift first!" So I expressed my concern and she dismissed it assuming I was overreacting and asked another man to do that job instead of me.
Sadly my gut instincts were right because when she lifted the fork, the other man's fingers were crushed between it and the ceiling. All his fingers, apart from his thumb, were broken.
6. A Man’s Best Friend
One early morning, I went with my ten months old black lab to park for a trail walk. After a lengthy walk, we took a break and sat on a bench to relax. All of a sudden, my dog was tense, his fur raised and he started growling. Following his stare, I found a dude approaching and looked like he was gonna do something.
When my dog was growling, the man stopped trying to understand the situation and smiled while asking if my dog was the biting type.
I alerted him that my dog would not hesitate a bit to attack if he took another step. After a brief standoff, the man decided to leave. I was certain he had bad intentions. My dog's instincts likely saved me from a dangerous situation.
7. The Man Who Was In The Van
When I was really young and was on my way to a friend's house, a van stopped in front of me with a man behind the wheel and a woman sitting next to him. Through the partially opened window, she asked for the route to a local park.
I recalled that my parents and school warned me about adults asking children for help, so I took a step back and claimed that I did not know the way and the lady was pushing me to come closer but my gut said it was dangerous.
As soon as I saw the van's side door was opening, I bolted toward my friend's home and once I reached there, I told his parents, who called my own and reported the incident to 9-1-1.
Authorities swiftly came and found out that the van was involved in a few similar cases nearby as few other kids experienced the same. However, I felt a sense of dread even before the van approached. It took me months to feel comfortable walking to my friend’s house again.
8. The Strongest Intuition: A Mother’s Intuition
When I was growing up, I used to depend a lot and my mother knew all my friends. During my senior year, I wanted to go for a small drive with a friend, see a college, and attend a party she mentioned. My mother approved immediately but a week prior she said, "I have changed my mind; I don't think you should go".
She did not state the reason why which left me perplexed and quite upset, especially when my friend left. I imagined all the fun she would have catching up with college students and exploring the grounds. However, not even an hour into her journey, her car was hit hard by a truck, crushing the side where I'd have been sitting.
9. Mama’s Boyfriend Was A Beast
During my teen years, my mother used to date a man who she thought was impressive and she found him to be perfect because he was charming, amiable and fit. However, I couldn't feel the warmth from him for some reason.
Every time he was around, something inside me could sense a feeling off. I'd often clash with my mom regarding him, and I would always keep my younger siblings away from him. I also used to misbehave and act difficult around him so that he would leave which he eventually did and my mom held me responsible for it.
Later on, his face came up on news which was SHOCKING as he was in for child exploitation. I remember confronting my mom regarding that and emphasizing that I had a strong feeling about him. Thankfully, my instincts had kept my siblings safe.
10. The Pain In Stomach That Was Unbearable
Before I married my husband, during our dating era, we had both moved into our new home. When I woke up around 3am, I found him missing from the bed. I found him on the couch in pain and soon he ran towards the bathroom.
He suffered from a lot of pain and something was seriously wrong so I pushed him to the ER where he pointed to his right side in distress. During the drive, he was in so much pain that we had to stop for him to pray for relief.
Once we reached the hospital, tests revealed a stone, but my intuition told me it was worse. After a week, my fears came true when the surgeon confirmed that a stone was inside and too large to pass, and there were signs of infection in his gallbladder. Although he was okay, I suggested he take an available surgery slot, which turned into a complex four-hour operation. His gallbladder was near bursting and infected, even containing salmonella.
Medical staff who were involved were surprised that he had survived because a burst gallbladder could have led to deadly sepsis. However, he spent several days recovering in the hospital, but ultimately pulled through, and I credit this to trusting my instincts from the start.
11. Almost Up A Tree
A few years back, there was a massive snowstorm which was then followed by a late spring that also caused fast melting and creating mini streams. As I was walking with my dad, we stopped to check a culvert destroyed by one of these streams.
A large tree had fallen into the trail due to soil erosion. I pointed out another tree swaying near the riverbank, predicting it might soon fall. Suddenly, I felt an intense urge to flee and screamed, "Run!" We sprinted away just as several trees began to fall in succession, with the one I had been watching collapsing right where we had just stood.
12. Closely Being Cooked
When I was in Spain studying Spanish, me and my best friend shared an apartment. One nigh post dinner, we felt very tired and thought we would fall sick. We could barely finish half of the movie and decided to sleep early.
Just before heading to sleep, an idea struck in my head to check the gas, and because we had a stove that required manually turning the gas on and off, while being away from actual burners. To our terror, we realized the gas had been left on and was filling our apartment.
If I hadn't had the instinct to notice and went to sleep, it might've been our last night.
13. What Saved Me Was My Train Of Thought
While driving my Mustang from a buddy's place one night, I took a road that was familiar. All of a sudden a thought in my head said, "SLOW DOWN NOW" overpowering my blasting music so I immediately reduced my speed drastically. As soon as I approached the next curve, I met a train crossing unmarking tracks.
Even though there were signs of the presence of tracks indicated and I had taken that route many times and there were no barriers as well. Knowing about the dense woods that was on the edge of the road which was spotting an oncoming train in the dark was nearly impossible.
14. The Odds Were Looking Bad
When I was in my early or late 20s, I was in a club with my girlfriend. We bumped into people who invited us to a party they were hosting. Being the driver, I thought it might be fun to drop by. However, when we arrived, it was just a hotel room with the two of us and four of them. I started feeling very uneasy and I thought of drinking some of their beverages with the thought of leaving soon.
I clearly remember my friend who had a drink in hand, talking about how tipsy she felt when the guys began to close in on her with their intentions becoming clear. I immediately intervened, suggesting to my friend that we go outside and talk. Taking her by the arm, I headed for the exit. She resisted, but I was insistent, practically dragging her to the car.
Once we made our getaway, the guys reached their room's doorway, throwing objects at my vehicle. I'm certain I prevented my friend from a potentially harmful situation.
15. Going Down The Dark Alley
One day I finished my work very late. Normally, I went down a dark alley after I got off the bus. But that night, something inside me said, "Go the long way around" so I did so. Next day was a surprise and it was shocking: Three bodies were discovered in that alley.
That alley had a reputation for all sorts of illicit things, and they had met their end exactly three minutes after I chose the alternate path. Unfortunately, the criminals were gang members who mistook these innocent folk for someone else—they were merely tourists.
16. Tomorrow Would Be Delayed, Baby
During my 39th week of pregnancy, I noticed my baby was less and less active from the last day and a half. I went straight to ER to make sure everything was going well and got to know that I was diagnosed with preeclampsia, and it was discovered that the baby had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck and was surrounded by meconium.
They regulated magnesium sulfate to lessen my blood pressure so they could perform an urgent C-section surgery. Many days after recovery, both my son and I are in good health. If I had taken a long time to wait, the outcome would have been different.
17. Well Done Mom
When I was working at an oil field company, I was given the task to maintain a hydraulic pump jack which required us to lift 20 feet with the help of a crane to remove a component.
In the heat, I took off my hard hat, thinking I was safe up there. After removing the first nut, I reconsidered and put my hard hat back on, thinking of my mom’s reaction if something went wrong. Just as I undid the last nut, the pump jack unexpectedly shot up because it hadn't been depressurized. A large nut shot into the air and struck my hard hat, knocking me to my knees. The crane operator quickly lowered me down, and I ended up with just a stiff neck and a dented hard hat, relieved I had decided to wear it again.
18. DVT Almost Finished Me
Many weeks after I was suffering from a hip fracture, I found out about my calf and foot turning red upon standing. A short while after I felt cramps in my calf I found that my foot was cold as I touched it. My mom thought I was overreacting but I knew something wasn't right so I went to the ER and they diagnosed me with DVT. After 5 days, I had a pulmonary embolism.
If I did not go to the medical practitioners, the clot would have grown bigger causing a bigger risk. Luckily, the clot was small and the damage was relatively minor.
19. Blaming It On The Rain
While walking back home, a small droplet hit my forehead and I thought to myself, "Could it be rain?" But something inside me said, "Dash!" without even hesitating a bit. I went ahead with my instincts and after some time, the air conditioner dropped just where I stood a while back. Thanking my instincts.
20. Moments Away From Sepsis
I was battling from severe blockage and persistent cough for a week that my ribs were paining. The doctor thought it was merely a sinus infection which was affecting my ears and chest. However, the pain was so much that I thought it was more than muscle pain from the persisting cough. The nagging feeling had led me to dial emergency services.
After a few minutes, paramedics came and expressed their concerns but their expressions said it all. It turns out that I had a lung abscess that had burst. The buildup of pus and fluid had caused my lung to collapse, and I was beginning to show signs of sepsis.
21. Escaping From A Catastrophe
During my time at an off campus party with my girlfriend's acquaintance, I was feeling uneasy about the hosts and wanted to leave soon. While talking I saw my girlfriends' friend staggering as a guy tried to lead her to the basement. I then interfered asking he let go of her but was immediately confronted by three of his friends claiming they were just casually hanging out.
Fortunately, my classmate and his group helped me escort her and I called my girlfriend to warn her to stay away. We gathered again near a Waffle House which helped her friend to get sober. Later on, I found about a young woman who was trapped in the basement for many days and the perpetrators faced no justice as she left town without reporting it. This incident has haunted me, leaving me to wonder if I could have done more.
22. A Wrong Midwife
I had decided to give birth to my 2nd child at a birthing center with the help of a midwife. After labor started at home, we went to the center, but after a few hours with no changes, they checked my cervix and it wasn't dilated.
I asked to be transferred to the hospital for a C-section. Despite their reassurances, I kept my stand firm on leading them to arrange my transfer. At the hospital, I repeated my request, but they dismissed it, believing everything was fine. Soon, they struggled to detect the baby's heartbeat, which was dropping, while my heart rate increased, everything else became a blur as I was rushed to the ER.
I vaguely remember urging my husband to trust that I'd be okay as he was escorted out. When I woke up, he was holding our beautiful daughter. If I had listened to the midwives instead of trusting my instincts, the outcome could have been dire for both of us.
23. Left To Panic
When I was 8 years old in my school, there was a quiz which had a low score and required my parent's signature. When I was on the way home, my anxiety hit me hard as we found ourselves between two large trucks-one carrying fuel, the other cement. My mother pulled me to talk and I remembered the quiz. Because there was some time, we decided to head home fast to get it back before I went on with school.
Just two miles from our stop, there was a devastating scene: the cement truck had crashed into the fuel tanker, causing a massive explosion. The charred wreckage and emergency responders painted a grim picture. If we hadn't stopped, our car would have been caught in the disaster. My mom looked at me and said, "You should always trust your gut feelings."
24. Deep Sea Adventures
During my vacation, me and my ex went snorkeling and enjoyed our time till the day until we felt off. We explored a rocky drop-off and realized we were not alone. I looked at my ex and encouraged to return to share despite his hesitance.
Once we reached the beach, we saw the crowd pointing towards the water and to our shock, a large bull shark was swimming close to the shoreline. Soon after, a helicopter arrived to monitor the shark's movements. After that experience, my ex never questioned my instincts again.
25. The Longgggggggg Walk Home
Me and my sister celebrated our birthday in the city and booked a hotel downtown. We decided to walk close to a nearby bar where we spoke to a man who was alone. I invited him to join us, but soon felt uneasy when I saw him with another man talking to my sister; their interaction seemed too familiar despite their claims of not knowing each other. I felt concerned so I pulled my sister aside in the restroom, but she dismissed my worries.
I called for an Uber but the app failed and the bar staff noticed our discomfort and asked the men to leave giving us time to leave. The duo were giving us a moment to escape, so the staff guided us out a back door.
On the way to our hotel, we went through a dimly lit bridge, and I spotted a city worker. We explained our situation just as the men confronted us aggressively. I prepared my pepper spray and firmly told them to leave. Fortunately, they backed off, and we stayed with the city worker, trying to get a ride without success. Just then, a squad of officers approached, and they escorted us safely back to our hotel. I was grateful for their help and relieved I had my pepper spray—things could have ended much worse.
26. An Accident At The Mall
On one of those rare days I take an off, I thought I'd do some Christmas shopping and it was already late November when the local mall marketed some interesting deals. When I was close to the mall, I overcame my anxiety. This feeling of uneasiness grew stronger and encouraged me to change my journey towards Dunkin Donuts for a quick drink and grabbed a bite.
Despite me trying, the uneasiness was still lingering and when I was in the parking lot, I read the news. To my surprise, the top headline reported a shooting at the very mall I was about to enter. I immediately headed home and opted for online shopping for that holiday season.
27. Going The Least
During one late night in November when I was serving in the Army, I headed back after 9 pm. The usual route I took was an unlit back road which was surrounded by thick woods. It was easy to navigate during the day but with my headlights at night, I thought to myself to go slower than usual in case a deer decided to jump out.
Just as the thought crossed my mind, a young bear came across the path. If I was driving at a regular speed, I might have hit it and the cub could have harmed it, and where there's a cub, its protective mother is never far behind.
28. Better Dread Ted
Back in 1975, when I was around 15-16 years old, my friend and I were at a rural county fair in WA state. A well-dressed man who was in 30s approached us, asking us for help to pull his VW from a mile away. It came to our realization that he had asked two young girls to help when there were many adult men, including officers, nearby.
We immediately rejected it and decided to inform the officer about a man's odd request. Many years later when I was 21 and working for a county's Sheriff's department, I saw that very man's photograph everywhere. It was Ted Bundy.
29. Second Opinion Savior
Post my gallbladder surgery, something did not feel good and the hospital staff told that I was sensitive to usual post-surgery pain, but I was doubtful and wanted a second opinion. Even though my surgeon's advice against it, it turned out I had an additional bile duct that hadn't been sealed, causing bile to leak into my abdomen.
I had to be hospitalized for a period to correct this, and also manage subsequent pancreatic complications from the damage
30. Soaring Away From Doom
In high school, my friends and I irresponsibly experimented with model rocket engine powder to make small explosives. Once, we packed a used CO2 cartridge with the powder, attached a short fuse, and put it in a crab trap buoy—a TERRIBLE idea. I initially held it, planning to throw it, but the fuse went out early. My friend suggested relighting it, but I rejected the idea and threw it as far as I could. After bouncing, it exploded violently, obliterating the buoy into tiny fragments and causing significant damage. If I had held onto it, I could have lost my right hand, and given how close it was to my face, the outcome could have been much worse.
