I almost died a week ago

[Fight with attitude]

As some of you know I'm a bouncer, it's not the easyest job in the world. Last week I was trying to talk a guy into givening me his beer because he was drinking it illegelly. After a few times of asking I knew he wouldn't I grabbed the beer myself and tried to take it at which time I either got sucker punched or bottled with the beer bottle. Then the back of my head hit the ashfalut and cracked my skull wide open.

I woke up in a puddle of blood, as I heard the sirens come to pick me up to go to the ER. I lost a lot of blood. I was told later that my brain was bleeding and I need to stay for a while. I thought I was going to die, I mean my brain was bleeding and when I got a cat scan a few days later the blood was increaseing. Now I was very worried, day by day I very slowly got better and I was relesed an 1 hour ago. I am very lucky that I'm even alive.

I now want to talk to anyone and everyone that I can, so you can PM me or post on this thread, I would love to talk to you on the phone or in person. I could come by training one day if you wanted but I couldn't train, it's going to be weeks, maybe even months before I fully heal.

I thought I was going to be a good bouncer because I've been training in MMA for about two years and I know how important talking is in bouncing but a week ago I was so very wrong, not all the training in the world could have prepared me to get sucker punched or sucker beer bottled like I did. So Bouncers and cops out there be carefully.

God bless you,
Don

 

[Eternal Beginner]

I'm so terribly sorry to hear of your injury. How are you doing now? I'm sorry you feel a little let down that your training didn't save you, but you have to know that everyone, no matter how good their training is is vulnerable and no one is perfect. I'm sure you were/are a good bouncer and will be succesful again if you choose to return.

Be well, be strong, take time to heal and my prayers are with you.

 

[The Kai]

Wow

I hope you will be allright. Take it easy, the brain ain't nothin' to trifle with. Rest up listen to the Doc

 

[Fight with attitude]

Wow

I hope you will be allright. Take it easy, the brain ain't nothin' to trifle with. Rest up listen to the Doc

Thanks, I to also hope it's not going to be a perament brain injury.

 

[hwarang]

Yea Ive got a scar on the back of my head from a damn beer bottle... YOu always have to be on your toes when working in security or public safety tough job...

 

[kenpochad]

I hop every thing go good for you. And stick with your training.

Just remember your not superman sometimes all the training in the world wont

Help if you get sucker punched.

That happened to a friend of mine he was walk a man out and at that last sec. the drunk decided to stab him its hard to read someone when they been have drinking. Sorry

 

[searcher]

Get well quickly. Keep us up on your recovery.

 

[MA-Caver]

I'm feeling you're down because of the sucker punch. It happens. I'm glad you're okay and it seems you're going to be alright.
Important thing is that you don't beat yourself up because you got suckered. Learn from it. Learn that even the best of us can be caught off guard. You were doing your job and you knew that there are risks involved. You can do better next time if you're going to stick with your job... or take another line of work where confrontations are at minimum or nothing.
Hope you'll be okay in the future.

 

[Phoenix44]

Sorry to hear this. Rest and take care of yourself. Don't overdo it or go back to training before your doctors think you're ready.

 

[Martial Tucker]

I thought I was going to be a good bouncer because I've been training in MMA for about two years and I know how important talking is in bouncing but a week ago I was so very wrong, not all the training in the world could have prepared me to get sucker punched or sucker beer bottled like I did. So Bouncers and cops out there be carefully.

God bless you,
Don

Hi Don,

I participated in the thread you started about being a bouncer a few weeks ago, and I'm really sorry to hear about what happened to you, but glad that you survived and are on the road to recovery. I have a few thoughts about what happened to you:

First, my wife suffered a very bad fall on ice about two years ago and hit the back of her head, and had hemmoraging similar to yours. Her recovery was very slow. Her vision changed as a result of the accident, and she lost her sense of smell, which is not uncommon in severe head injuries. She has yet to regain the sense of smell, and may never regain it, but she has otherwise recovered. You are going to have good and bad days well after you feel like you have "mostly recovered". I guess I'm trying to say take your recovery and return to physical activities very slow for awhile.

I have a couple of "tactical thoughts" about what happened, and I'm sorry if this sounds like a lecture, particularly so soon after what happened, but
my intent is to help you. Also, while I was a bouncer for 2-3 years in a fairly rowdy bar, my experience was over 20 years ago, so if anyone reading my comments has more experience in crowd control, they may feel free to either add to or contradict anything I say. I am not an expert, but rather someone with a bit of experience offering opinions.

My main observation in your altercation was that you made a mistake in initiating physical contact with your "troublemaker", which from here I'll refer to as "TM". IMHO, the only time it is advisable to initiate contact with a TM is if he is unmistakebly in the process of attacking either you, another employee, or a patron. Also, you hit your head on asphalt, so you were outside, meaning the TM was no threat to other patrons inside the bar.
I don't know the type of neighborhood your bar is in, or how many employees it has, but what I would have done in a situation where someone was doing something illegal, but not being violent would be:
1. Tell him to stop.
2. If necessary, tell him one more time to stop.
3. At this point, it depends more upon the situation and other employees available for backup. If I had ample employee backup, or a partner, I would essentially surround the TM and tell him he must LEAVE immediately.
4. If he still refuses, instruct one other employee to go call the police, while the rest of the employees available continue to stand around the TM, in case he does turn violent, and to act as witnesses when the police arrive.

I realize some of this may be impractical, depending on the situation and availability of employee backup, but my point is to never initiate physical aggression unless it is in defense of yourself or others. It's just not necessary. If physical aggression seems likely, get backup before you approach the TM, if possible.
The police would rather be called to keep a fight from occurring than to try and break up a group fight. Most TM's will back down when they are clearly outnumbered, and if they won't, thats what the police are for.

Remember, 2 years of training doesnt make you invincible, and wearing a shirt with the bar's name on it doesnt mean you will get respect....sometimes it will make you a target.

Sorry if this sounds harsh, but reading your journal, you sound like a really good, dedicated guy, and I have no doubt you'll be back at it in due time.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Kenpojujitsu3]

Rest up, take it easy, add one more to the list of people praying for you.

 

[Tony]

As some of you know I'm a bouncer, it's not the easyest job in the world. Last week I was trying to talk a guy into givening me his beer because he was drinking it illegelly. After a few times of asking I knew he wouldn't I grabbed the beer myself and tried to take it at which time I either got sucker punched or bottled with the beer bottle. Then the back of my head hit the ashfalut and cracked my skull wide open.

I woke up in a puddle of blood, as I heard the sirens come to pick me up to go to the ER. I lost a lot of blood. I was told later that my brain was bleeding and I need to stay for a while. I thought I was going to die, I mean my brain was bleeding and when I got a cat scan a few days later the blood was increaseing. Now I was very worried, day by day I very slowly got better and I was relesed an 1 hour ago. I am very lucky that I'm even alive.

I now want to talk to anyone and everyone that I can, so you can PM me or post on this thread, I would love to talk to you on the phone or in person. I could come by training one day if you wanted but I couldn't train, it's going to be weeks, maybe even months before I fully heal.

I thought I was going to be a good bouncer because I've been training in MMA for about two years and I know how important talking is in bouncing but a week ago I was so very wrong, not all the training in the world could have prepared me to get sucker punched or sucker beer bottled like I did. So Bouncers and cops out there be carefully.

God bless you,
Don

Hve you thought of a career change? I woudl hate to be a relative of yours because I would die of worry stressing whether you would be a vegetable and you so easily could have died. Take this as a sign and choose something safer. Ok you could just as easily be knocked down by a car but I think if you work in a volatile environment such as this you have to expect to be challenged and assaulted byut every drunken idiot how doesn't want to leave his or her beer. It doesn't matter how good your Martial Arts skills are you could be caught off guard at anytime! I mean it only takes second for someone to distract you and you're in a pool of blood on the floor.

Well I hope you get better and learn from this experience.

 

[Ran Pleasant]

Don

I too wish you the best.

My main observation in your altercation was that you made a mistake in initiating physical contact with your "troublemaker", which from here I'll refer to as "TM". IMHO, the only time it is advisable to initiate contact with a TM is if he is unmistakebly in the process of attacking either you, another employee, or a patron. Also, you hit your head on asphalt, so you were outside, meaning the TM was no threat to other patrons inside the bar.

Well said. In my younger days back in the early 1980s I worked as a bouncer at a club in rual North Louisiana who's customers included local college kids and the local redneck population (really nice mix of people). I saw the job more as a peace maker than as a protector. I was able to breakup all of the confrontations before they became actual fights, I never got hurt, and none of the customers were ever hurt. I used the word "Sir" a great deal and I was very quick to buy a drink for the parties involved and even quicker to call the police. Grabing someone who is drunk and mad is never a good idea. Although it was fun at times I also quickly realized that there are a lot better jobs than bouncing.

 

[still learning]

Hello, Bouncing is dirty work, knowing you will be dealing with EGO drunk guys. Your job requires you to ask them nicely knowing it could get ulgy.

Watch for knives/guns and after you finish work most of you know you have to watch your backs..........get as must infomation from other bouncers/ books and videos about your line of work while you are resting from your injury. Also read tongue Fu / Judo fu!

Every adversity can lead to a greater benifit..........take care....Aloha

 

[Jonathan Randall]

Well, glad to hear that you didn't! There has been some great advice given in this thread so rather than repeat any, I'll just wish you a speedy recovery.

 

[Sam]

I hope you recover soon and don't give up on your training.

 

[Kembudo-Kai Kempoka]

As some of you know I'm a bouncer, it's not the easyest job in the world. Last week I was trying to talk a guy into givening me his beer because he was drinking it illegelly. After a few times of asking I knew he wouldn't I grabbed the beer myself and tried to take it at which time I either got sucker punched or bottled with the beer bottle. Then the back of my head hit the ashfalut and cracked my skull wide open.

I woke up in a puddle of blood, as I heard the sirens come to pick me up to go to the ER. I lost a lot of blood. I was told later that my brain was bleeding and I need to stay for a while. I thought I was going to die, I mean my brain was bleeding and when I got a cat scan a few days later the blood was increaseing. Now I was very worried, day by day I very slowly got better and I was relesed an 1 hour ago. I am very lucky that I'm even alive.

I now want to talk to anyone and everyone that I can, so you can PM me or post on this thread, I would love to talk to you on the phone or in person. I could come by training one day if you wanted but I couldn't train, it's going to be weeks, maybe even months before I fully heal.

I thought I was going to be a good bouncer because I've been training in MMA for about two years and I know how important talking is in bouncing but a week ago I was so very wrong, not all the training in the world could have prepared me to get sucker punched or sucker beer bottled like I did. So Bouncers and cops out there be carefully.

God bless you,
Don

I posted on another thread, about a year ago, about a gentleman I know who is an excellent JKD instructor with impeccable kick-boxing, FMA, and BJJ skills. Teaches cops, combat hand-gunning, spec ops boys, etc. Got clocked with a beer bottle in a bar; never saw it coming. The guy is a phenom combatant that would tool 99.9% of any given member of the world population in a brawl, but-you-have-to-sense-the-attack! Nobody is bullet-proof. Learn from it; heal up to the best of your body's ability, and keep on trucking.

Best of Health in your recovery,

Dave

PS -- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a nasty thing that can have life-long residuals. Take it slow, remembering to give your body the rest and nutrition it needs to completely heal up.

 

[Fight with attitude]

I just want to say thank you to all that posted on this thread and PMed me. It means a lot.

I will be doing an inerview with the local newpaper so hopefully I can bring a little more respect to the bouncing world because now everyone thinks bouncers are just people who love to fight and don't have a brain.

 

[swiftpete]

Good luck with your recovery, I don't mean to just echo what others have said, but no one is invincible, my instructor always tells me, anyone can get hit with a sucker punch. I've been clocked myself with one so I know what its like, coming to your senses in a pool of blood is never nice!!

Get well soon, sounds like a good time to get into playing computer games and generally relaxing around the place!

 

[Kamaria Annina]

I'm so glad to hear that you are alright. I hope the injury hasn't left you with any major problems. You are very fortunate, and thank you for letting us know you're okay!