Must Read

Save Your Own Life

How a chair, rocks, aspirin, and a scarf can keep you alive in 12 do-or-die emergencies.

By Pamela F. Gallin, MD
From Reader's Digest
Advertisement
 

Images from this article
ILLUSTRATED BY LASON LEE
Staying visible is key if you want to get rescued.
javascript:void(0);
ILLUSTRATED BY LASON LEE
You can give yourself the Heimlich maneuver.
javascript:void(0);
ILLUSTRATED BY LASON LEE
When caught in a riptide, you should swim parallel to the shoreline, not towards it.
javascript:void(0);
ILLUSTRATED BY LASON LEE
If you see a bear, your instincts might tell you to run, but that's the worst thing you can do.
javascript:void(0);
ILLUSTRATED BY LASON LEE
Contrary to popular belief, using a tourniquets to stop severe bleeding can actually cause more harm than good.
javascript:void(0);
Lost in the wilderness
ILLUSTRATED BY LASON LEE
Staying visible is key if you want to get rescued.
Image Image Image Image Image

How to Survive ...

We’ve all heard the miracle stories: The Boy Scout who survived for four days in the mountains of North Carolina. The Montana couple who fought off a bear. The guy in Utah who cut off his arm to free himself from under a fallen boulder. You’ve probably read many stories like this in Reader’s Digest (like the one on page 102 about a couple stranded in the snow) and wondered what you’d do in the same situation, but you always assumed freak accidents would never happen to you.

And you’d be wrong. While your odds of having a heart attack are much higher than finding yourself in most of these scenarios, strange things happen every day. For example, almost 2.5 million people called poison centers for help in 2006. In 2004, 112,000 people died of injuries from falls, drownings, and other accidents. In 2006, search-and-rescue rangers in our national parks responded to nearly 4,000 calls, more than a third of them for people who were also sick or injured. Every year, around 3,000 succumb to choking.

Another 400 are struck by lightning, and 67 of those die from it. How do you keep yourself out of the statistics?

Besides calling 911, here’s what to do in 12 life-threatening emergencies when no one’s around to help.

Must Read Should Everyone Read This? Yes! I vote for this story
Share Your Comments
Post a Comment
 
Remaining Character Count:
 
The bear comment is absolutely wrong. A grizzly that attacks you is attacking to eat you. A black bear will seldom attack, and then only if you have cornered either the bear or its young.

By Sammie, on 08/18/2009
The bear advice is only recommended for Grizzlies (brown bears), who are territorial and will usually leave you alone once they think you are no longer a threat. Black bears attack people less often and are usually scared by humans. However, if they do attack it is usually because they see you as prey. Therefore you should try your best to get away once they are coming towards you or try to find a weapon and attempt to scare it away. But remember that black bears climb trees very well!

By dmc111, on 06/13/2008
This is useful. Gonna print it out for my next camping trip with the guys.

By NASclark, on 05/16/2008
See All Comments

Advertisement
 
Related Links

Advertisement

Digg

Popular stories from the source site rd.com sorted by diggs
Powered by Digg's Users