Rolling Camera On a Rollover: Video recording of your own death…good or bad?

Click here to listen to this story (It’s much better with sound effects).

Another story about a time when I almost died.

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In the video above, we’re skimming along the sandy bed of the Platte River in central Nebraska. Then, the unthinkable happens.

We’re in one of those ATVs — all terrain vehicles — that have two seats side-by-side. My friend steps on the gas and we’re zipping along. Warm sun, the wind in your hair, kicking up dust, shouting to each other over the buzz of the engine. Then out of nowhere….

Suddenly… by some unexpected quirk of physics…. we roll over. There’s a second where we realize we’re about to lose control. Then the passenger side I’m sitting on hurls into the ground, we’re spun around like socks in a dryer, and we slam to a stop in a rain of sand and gravel.

All the safety equipment on the ATV did it’s job. The roll cage protects us from the weight of the machine and the seat belts keep us in our seats. My side is up in the air and I hang by my belt. We’re ok. We crawl out of the wreck and that’s when I see the red light blinking. I realize the GoPro camera strapped to my chest was recording the whole time.

Cool, I think. When my friend’s wife sees the footage later that day she doesn’t think it’s cool. She thinks it’s creepy. “What if you had died and the last thing your family sees of you is how it happened,” she asked. And she had a point. I’m watching the video again right now and it kind of gives me the chills. Kind of freaks me out.

For the record, my friend and I were both ok. Walked away with a few scrapes and my right ear packed with sand.

It brings up an interesting question: What if someone you love died or were injured and you didn’t know how it happened. If there were video of it, would you want to see it? Would you want to know the facts… or would you rather let your imagination run wild and visualize the worst?

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Would you rather have video to show you what happened to a friend or loved one? Are some things better left to the imagination? Chime in on twitter: @theelevatorshow