Eric C. Talaska
Near Death Experiences, Major Accidents
Misc.
1973ish: Boiling soup 3rd degree burns
1984ish: Cassette tape entaglement, saved by mother
1984ish: Seizure on second floor in front of balcony
1984ish: Severe blow to stomach by brother knocked air out of me so long I nearly suffocated
1987 - 1989: U.S. Army: Numerous high risks including witnessing my "basic buddy" commit suicide by firearm (and he could have shot me too), nearly sent to Gulf war, threat of capture due to intel access
1996: Attempted murder attack - saw stars: Cooking pot hit on head by Mexican
Drownings
1973ish: YMCA swimming pool drowning, saved by mother
1991: 19' Dolphin Sailboat stranding, saved by Corps of Engineers
2009: Orange Beach, Alabama rip current, saved by swimming parallel
Vehicle Accidents
1985ish: Wire across wooded dirt trail while riding motorcycle
1987: Caprice classic head on collision with old, stout Ford pickup truck
1989: Alcan highway, overnight parking in freezing, white-out conditions, carbon monoxide threat
2006: Honda Accord head-on collision with old (stout) Mercedes sedan
2012: Colorado highway, overnight parking in freezing, white-out conditions, carbon monoxide threat
Family History
Great grandfather Menke on father's side died in auto accident
Grandfather Rudolf Erler on mother's side was killed in action in Latvia, 1944 during WWII
My brother John "Johnny" William suffered brain damage due to medical malpractice when born and later died at age 8 by asphyxiation.
My father, Leo John, challenged me to hit him in his stomach as hard as I wanted to in order to prove it wasn't a fatty beer belly, but muscular belly. I refused, but about a year later he had a fatal anabolic aortic aneurism at the heart; had I hit him in the gut, it would have surely ruptured it at that time and killed him.
My father, Leo John, frequently drank alcohol and drove; one time was so high risk I quickly grabbed his keys away from him. He fought back, but I refused to let him have the keys.
