Feel lucky to be alive after falling forward down my stairs.

[Tolkienista]

I'm writing this just to say that you never know what is round the corner and for me I'm still in shock that I had the luckiest escape ever.
Saturday night I was on my own & stupidly descended a few steps of my staircase & leaned over the bannister to turn down the thermostat. I felt my foot pretty much disengage from the tread I was standing on and I was in free fall heading head first down the stairs.

It was probably only a milli second but I literally thought, I'm going to die as I was going forward and I knew the point of impact probably eight steps down would be my head. Miraculously I somehow managed to grab the rail on my right side and slammed into it with my body. It stopped me falling further and I disentangled myself and realised I'm alive.

Yes I've got bruised ribs, but nothing paracetamol can't deal with.

But I'm here to tell my tale and realise that at worst I could have died and at best I'd have sustained a head injury but to what degree I don't know.
Cue a massive sigh of relief , a massive reflection on my life and all that I've done to safeguard myself & then I throw it all away by endangering my life turning down a thermostat over the bannister.
If you've read this far, thank you for your time ........I just needed to get my story out there and say I'm safe, I'm fine, I'm really thankful and most importantly I'M ALIVE.

My friend had a stroke as she was walking down her stairs.
She wasn't found for 22 hours and then the ambulance took a further two hours and when they got to the hospital, the stroke team weren't ready for her.
She was clinically dead. She's a miracle!!

Awe OP , that so frightening, I’m glad you’re ok x

When I was about 21 I suppose , ( I’m 50 now ) my then neighbours daughter only 18 worked in a guesthouse/ bar in a neighbouring town 30 mins away , you know when a group of young friends , ( it was summer holiday’s) , go working someplace , they get their wages & their employer puts them up .
Anyway , one night when she was done work , she fell down the stairs & she died 😔.
There was only herself & her brother .
Her mother was never ever the same , I still meet her from time to time , a real nice lady.

My darling auntie is still in hospital immobilised since falling down the stairs at the end of November. Broken neck, back and ribs. She will be able to walk again in time but the pain and healing process is terrible for her 😢

I remember when my second born was a baby, I was carrying her downstairs (in my arms not a moses basket) and I slid down. Luckily my instincts were great and she was absolutely fine but my back/ribs hurt for weeks!! I was so grateful she was ok and my adrenaline kicked in so I didn't feel the pain for a good hour or so.

Take care of yourself it can be painful recovering from a fall and know you're not alone!

We always send the dog down ahead of us on the stairs in the morning as he could easily knock one of us flying.

But I guess dogs are a lot easier to train than cats.

please be careful!

Don’t feel sorry for me, how patronising. Ugh. I’d rather be smart enough to understand science and fact than believe in a God that lets babies die.

Yep, another one who fell down the stairs. I thought the same thing as you, I am going to die. I was so relieved, even though I injured my foot that I was in crutches for 6 months, had physio for 1 year and 2 years later, I still walk with a limp. I still can't believe that it happened, and to this day, I am SO careful coming down the stairs.

Totally understand where you are coming from. Take care, OP.

My husband fell out of our loft, it was awful, helicopter ambulance etc but at least I was there and you were on your own. I can’t imagine the thoughts going around your head both during and after. I hope you heal soon.

This thread is scaring me 😫 I'm the clumsiest person alive and have fell up and down stairs, through windows, out of cars, off ladders, and even missed the step and fell onto train tracks. Miraculously I've never broken anything although I have been much more cautious the older I've got.

Jeez, falling onto train tracks?!

My DS's best friend's mum fell right down the gap between the train and the platform a couple of years ago - someone had split water by the door and she slipped in it as she got off. She hurt her arm quite badly and needed surgery, but if the train had moved away before people managed to pull her up, she would probably have been killed.

I fell down the stairs at work head first top to bottom and rolled down the stairs , we had just gone back after covid and luckily there were a couple of guests staying who phoned the ambulance , my back was covered in bruises all my left side was bruised and I was in a boot for months , I didn't break anything but like now when the weather is baltic my left foot aches and is really painful ,

You can edit all you want, but you do realise everyone can see your edited posts? Pretending you didn’t say “karma is a bitch” on a thread where people have talked about awful things including children being killed, isn’t a good look. Own it at least.

Yes same thing happened to me but it wasn't water just me not paying attention. There are some stations in London with huge gaps between the train and platform.

I did a similar thing about 3 weeks ago. My stairs are fairly steep but I’ve bounded up and down them for years without a mishap or a thought… on the occasion I fell, I had been unwell and just had a bath and changed into pyjamas and slippers. As ever I was carrying too many things at once and missed my footing/ slid at the top of the stairs, there are 11 treads. I really thought in that moment I was going to fall the full length but managed to grab a spindle to my right and stop my fall. I wrenched my shoulder and landed heavily on my backside but the shock was the worst thing.
There is a rail both sides and since the fall I use them and check my footing at the top, will never take it for granted again.

This is actually my worst nightmare come true. I have a classically ADHD DD who runs and bounces everywhere. Literally, the world is her parkour course. I am on tenterhooks whenever we are on a station platform. Also, I have a DD who is blind and who likes to try to do independent travel. You can imagine my fears. There are always big steps up onto trains and huge gaps between the train and the platform. After my fall backwards down a full flight of stairs (see my previous post), I have become very aware of the multitude of tragic accidents that could befall any one of us at any time of the day.

It's not God's will.
This post was about someone who is still alive and happy about it. I really feel sorry for you, how miserable you must be in life, you were not able to write anything nice for the second time now. Go comment somewhere, where your comments are actually wanted. Oh, guess what, probably nowhere!

So glad you are ok OP. It is so scary falling down the stairs. I’ve fallen down and up a few times. Scariest fall was when my daughter was about three, just me and her in the house. At the top of the stairs, my foot slipped on the new carpet and I went. Luckily I managed to stretch my arms and legs out and stopped myself, if I hadn’t I would have fell head first. My poor daughter was frantic. Fell up and then down a couple of times too. Missed my step at work and slid down the stairs. Hit my head on the metal handrails and scraped all my shins on the metal edge of the stairs, landed on my hip. I was in a right state, bumps and bruises everywhere. I also fell down when my shoe got caught in my pants leg. I fell down about six steps, had a bowl in my hand at the time, the bowl smashed at the bottom and I landed just next to it. Stairs are lethal.

I am the OP and you're right, when I wrote my post it was as you say to say "I'm alive" and I want to share my amazing escape from serious injury or possibly death, because that's the way it felt when I was heading head first to the bottom of my staircase.

I have been overwhelmed by the positivity and greatly saddened by the dreadfully sad stories of people who tell of similar circumstances that have ended in the death of someone they know or in life changing injuries.

We all know that accidents happen, they're not planned, they're not even anticipated but I guess that every one who has read my post has walked up and down their stairs in a more careful manner than they've ever done before.

Thank you again for all the extra comments in the last 24 hours, it really has been an honour to read each and everyone.

I did this last year. Head first and I just felt like I was rolling over and over, then I hit my head and it all went blank. My dd found me unconscious and thankfully called her dad. Luckily, it was only concussion and bruising but it scared me so much, how quickly things can change! (It was my fault, I tried running down the stairs in my slippers!)

I've remembered when my grandad got older he used to go down stairs backwards. Said it felt safer

She was lucky she didn't cease the day!

I worry about this all the time.

I fell down my friends stairs a few years ago. The treads were narrower than I’m used to so I don’t think my whole foot fitted on. I was walking down and my foot slipped and I fell down about 8 steps, sliding down on my arse.

I had a hell of a bruise on my arse and a pulled muscle in my side where I had reached up to grab onto bannister, but was otherwise fine.

it’s the falling forwards that’s the worrying one.

glad you are ok, op.

Well @Tolkienista I thought of you today when my croc came off my foot as I was going downstairs. I was only a couple of steps from the bottom, but thought just how easily it happened. Don't usually wear them up and down the stairs, and won't do again, unless the strap is around my heel properly

@Tolkienista I am so glad you are ok! I think you may have made some of us think twice about how complacent we are on stairs. I thought of you quite a lot yesterday as I wasn't feeling 100% and was feeling a bit lightheaded, and so i was more careful instead of rushing about in my usual style with things in both hands.
I think you've made people just think a little more ( using banister rails, not wearing loose slippers for example) and so we can count you as a public service. Thank you!

Highly recommend two banister rails. We acquired them along with the house. I've caught my dressing gown sleeve on the end of one before, and was grateful to have the other one to grab.

Now musing on whether the rail should curve at the end to avoid that happening 🤔