No Harm, No Foul

RISK!

Two powerful true stories from the Risk! podcast: Allen Fetters recounts driving himself to the ER during a severe gallstone attack, only to

Key takeaways

• Impulsive decisions under physical duress can lead to life-altering consequences.

Main topics

• Personal recklessness under physical pain
• Consequences of poor judgment during emergencies

Notable quotes

"You know, my light was green."

Conclusion

Both stories highlight how life-altering moments stem from split-secon

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:00) On this episode of Risk, you'll hear Alan Fetters. You're never going to believe this. And you'll hear Richard Velasquez. I just kept selling drugs and getting high. And me, Kevin Allison, on the show where people tell true stories they never thought they'd dare to share. Speaker 2 (0:31) I've been having a hard time Speaker 3 (0:32) trying to explain what Midnight Burger is. How about I let them give it a shot? Speaker 2 (0:37) Your podcast is amazing. Speaker 6 (0:38) It's such an amazing show altogether. You guys have actively ruined all other audio dramas for me. You can't get people to understand the humaning that happens in this damn show. Keep doing what you're doing because it's awesome. You might not think it, but you are far more important than you realize. Thank you. At Speaker 2 (0:54) the nexus of all things, there is a diner. Speaker 3 (0:57) Look for Midnight Burger on your favorite podcasting app or just go to weopenat6.com. Speaker 5 (1:04) Learning English is hard. That's why I make easy stories in English where you can have fun while you learn. You can listen to stories full of action, Speaker 3 (1:15) romance, and Speaker 5 (1:17) mystery. Each episode, I tell stories for beginner, intermediate, and advanced learners, and there's a story for every mood. Whether you want something to wake you up or relax before going to bed, Easy Stories in English is the podcast for you. Speaker 3 (1:36) Welcome to Speaker 2 (1:37) the strata. There's Speaker 1 (1:39) two of them following me. I know that for sure. Let Speaker 6 (1:44) you go! Speaker 1 (1:45) You'll let me go? Oh, that's cute. Speaker 1 (1:50) The Speaker 3 (1:51) first bullet hits me in the chest. Sends me staggering back a step. The Strata. In Speaker 6 (1:56) a dystopian city, a struggling courier is forced to go into business with an underworld ganglord in order to pay for the treatment that keeps him alive. Check out The Strata anywhere you listen to podcasts. Speaker 3 (2:06) I'm Richard Serrett. Join me on Strange Planet for in-depth conversations with the world's top paranormal investigators, alien abductees, Bigfoot trackers, monster hunters, time travellers and more. Speaker 2 (2:18) The handler one day told her this whole thing about how they've been terraforming on Mars and Speaker 3 (2:22) they're building a colony and they're recruiting specific people of specific bloodlines and specific talents and skill sets to go onto the planet. On Richard Serrett's Strange Planet, we're redefining reality. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 2 (3:00) Okay, folks, this is Just for Kicks behind me now. And if you just so happen to be in New York City and you're hearing this on September 8th, go to see Risk live tonight. You can get your tickets at risk-show.com slash live. Now, this episode is called No Harm, No Foul. And it's probably best if I don't spoil anything. So... To start things off, here's a story by Alan Fetters, a story we call Greenlight. Speaker 1 (3:40) So when I was 24, I started a new job in a new city. It was kind of like a fresh start for me. And in the process of all that, I got gallstones. Now, my gallstone attacks didn't last very long, and they weren't very painful. They hurt, but they weren't too painful. Until one Sunday night. It was about 11.30. I was laying on the couch watching some TV, and I felt the pain. Speaker 1 (4:19) I knew exactly what it was when the pain hit, but this time was different. It was much worse than I'd ever felt before. It was the worst pain that I'd ever felt in my life. It felt like someone had a white hot poker sticking me in my side and simultaneously kicking me in the balls. I mean, it hurt so bad that I could barely stand up straight. So I knew I needed to get to the hospital. quickly. So the scenarios started running through my head. I could call 911, but what if the pain went away before the EMT guys got there? Which, oftentimes, the pain went away by itself anyway. I'd feel like an idiot. So scratch that. I'm not going to do that. I could call a friend, but it's late on a Sunday night. Everybody has to work early the next morning. No one lived anywhere near where I was. So I didn't want to do that. I didn't want to impose myself on someone. I just didn't want to be a burden to them. I could drive myself. I mean, if the pain goes away while I'm on the way to the hospital, I just turn around and go home. No harm, no foul, right? So I figured that was the best, that's the best option. So I put on some clothes, got into my 1992 Honda Prelude. I remember sitting in the car, telling myself to breathe. I was like, breathe, breathe, so I wouldn't pass out because of the pain. I knew exactly how I was going to get to the hospital. It was going to be the back way. It was late on a Sunday night. There would be no traffic, and it would be perfect. And it almost was. Speaker 1 (6:08) So I make the turn onto the last stretch of road. It's probably a three mile stretch of road to the hospital. I look ahead of me. I see nothing but green lights in front of me. There's no cars in the road, nobody on the road. So I put the pedal to the metal and I start hauling ass to the hospital. I know if I get pulled over, my excuse is obvious. Speaker 1 (6:36) So I'm hauling ass down the road. As I'm approaching an intersection, I see them out of the corner of my eye. It's a black guy on a bicycle, and he's got a bag of groceries sitting on the handlebars in the basket, and he's crossing the road. When I saw him, I knew that I was going to hit him. You know at those times in movies when, like, bad things happen, things slow down? Speaker 1 (7:09) So, yeah, this was like that. Everything started to go into slow motion. I felt my foot hit the brakes. I could hear the screeching of the tires. I could see him getting bigger in the windshield. I saw him look at me and the realization on his face that he was about to get hit by a car, and I hit him. Speaker 1 (7:42) And he rolled up onto the hood, slid up onto the windshield. The bike went flying down the street.