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.

I know that fear of falling down the stairs! Twice I’ve nearly tripped down the stairs as my pajamas were slightly too long. Managed to stop myself and just twist an ankle!

This is a terrifying thread. I have just been watching The Staircase on Netflix. It's a true crime documentary series about a man whose wife dies after apparently falling down stairs - or did she? Turns out he was also the last person to see another woman who then died apparently after falling down stairs. He was found guilty of murder, partly because of the implausibility of it happening twice. But maybe it's not entirely implausible after all...

Just to add to the stairs horror.....I have fallen going up the stairs, more of a trip really and I nearly knocked myself out nutting the skirting board on the landing. I may have been skipping up a bit too fast!

I remember as a kid deliberately sliding down the stairs head first on my stomach at a rate of knots which seemed like a great wheeze. I don't think I was told to stop by my parents!

I often do what you describe in your OP: leaning over the bannister to turn down the thermostat. Today is the day I stop doing that so thank you

My friends brother died falling down the stairs, not even top to bottom. My mum was always insistent you hold on the banister when we were kids, now I know why

A lucky escape OP

No shaft with the sort of lift we have. It glides up and down on two metal poles. Designed not to plummet. No instance of it ever happening. No chance of it descending on a cat, it detects even tiny obstacles and stops.
No need for another scary thread.

Thank God you are alright OP! I fell down a flight of about 15 stairs and was in the process of falling down more, luckily for me, one of my friends was further down the stairs and he turned and grabbed me as I was going past him at top speed on my bum! Wearing flip-flops on polished wooden flooring can be so dangerous! I was 25 and have had back issues since! At the time, I was away on holiday in Indonesia with college mates and I didn’t want to make a big deal about it. I was carried by the same friend to the hotel room after the fall as I was in shock and in a lot of pain. By the next day my entire back and bum were blue. I just took pain killers and my friend carried me around all the time for the next few days. I think he had a crush on me at the time. I only got a check up after returning from holiday and they said I was lucky I hadn’t broken anything but my back has been worse since!

Last year I was coming down the stairs. I tripped (caught the end of my slipper) off the second step from the bottom. I hurtled towards the front door and hit it full force with my shoulder taking the brunt. What followed was a dislocated shoulder, 2 breaks to my arm, 4 months off work and months of physio. My husband threw my slippers straight in the bin and I spent a miserable Christmas in a lot of pain

My brother and I used to take it in turns to squat on our haunches at the top of the stairs, then launch ourselves down to the bottom, para style. Our mum walked in once and near had heart failure! 😅

Gosh OP what a horrible scare. This whole thread is terrifying. My DD has a friend who was still in primary school when her mom fell down the stairs and died. Utterly heartbreaking. I live in a three story town house and there's no handrail. It was an optional extra when I bought the house so I didn't get one to save money. I'll seriously think about getting one now. I hope you're OK OP. Sending a hug

Poor you 😢 A few year’s back I was wearing a pair of those huge novelty slippers, I think it was Scooby Doo. I wore them popping next door to my friend but on the way back to my house I tripped on them by the doorstep and as I fell towards the step I thought, shit this is going to hurt (the fall felt like slow motion). It did and I burst into tears, bloodied on the doorstep. My kids came out and helped me hobble back in the house and those damn slippers went straight in the bin! Luckily I didn’t break anything but had very sore palms where they took the brunt of the fall.

I am so glad you are ok. I get frustrated with myself because I have taken to going downstairs one at a time like I am very elderly. But I live alone and am terrified of falling down them, having had a near miss about 15 years ago when I was only saved from falling the whole distance because my knee got wedged at the side. Caution all the time.

How was this legal? I thought this is exactly the sort of thing buildings regs exist for.

This is a genuinely terrifying thread. OP, I hope you feel much better and the shock doesn’t last too long.

I tripped over a kerbstone in a supermarket car park and felt myself falling face first into the road. I instinctively freed my hands, which meant throwing my car keys and my handbag into the air, and saved myself from landing face first. I hurt the palms of my hands but nothing else, but I could hardly stand for my shaky legs. It was one of those moments when I had to question whether I had fallen, or “had a fall”.

Look after yourself x

My builder was so proud of the beautiful highly polished stairs. We lived with them for 5 years but when I got pregnant I carpeted them. It was such a relief to not fear slipping every time I went up or down, I didn't care what they looked like.

Was it his Dad or FIL that died? Either way, that must be an awful thing to live with. I think the guilt would eat you up.

I was waking down the stairs a few years ago, carrying armfuls of stuff, missed a step and fell down to the bottom. I broke my leg, was in a cast/boot for weeks, luckily nothing else was damaged, because I instinctively put my arms out to cushion the fall and badly bruised both wrists as well.

A woman I knew fell down the stairs like this and was permanently horribly disabled by her head injury. Never walked or talked again and had to live in a home leaving small children. She’d been a high powered career woman. Well done for saving yourself.

Is there actually a thread about lifts? Genuinely considering it as we age.

Yes I bet! Mine are painted and they look lovely but they just aren’t practical. Plus they show up every bit of dirt. There isn’t a bannister either which makes them even more tricky. Once all our furniture is moved in I will get someone round to quote for putting one in as we have damaged the decoration trying to get furniture upstairs as it’s surprisingly tight and a banister would make it impossible. We have had to take apart every bit of furniture. We didn’t have to take anything apart to go down the stairs at the old place (except for beds).

No, I think there is just me, saying how wonderful ours is.
A blessing for the aged.

I know exactly that feeling @Tolkienista

I fell from the top to the bottom of my stairs just over a year ago and really badly injured my leg as I whacked it into the radiator at the bottom.

I live alone, No family near me and not many friends as I’ve only just moved here. It’s a very sobering thought

I’m really pleased you’re okay

Well I'm heading to bed in a bit, but thanks to everyone who took the trouble to add their comments this post was trending for a while.
I've read every single one of your comments, so supportive, so understanding that accidents do happen and most importantly so aware that stairs probably are the most dangerous thing in your house.
I've been up and down my stairs umpteen times today...... SAFELY.
And although it's now 49 hours since I had my scare, I don't need any painkillers tonight, but I'll bring some to bed just in case.

Thank you everyone for making my post worth it.
I'm indebted to you all for your comments.

My next place is going to be bungalow or apartment. When I was a teenager (in the 70s) I fell down the stairs while holding a hoover because my foot got caught in my wide legged turn up. 😭 good sleeping 🤞

There's actually a type of device available that can be used by someone who is on their own and choking - let me see if I can find a link to.it.