Definitely doesn't qualify as "near-death," but one time while drilling through an axel for a prototype kicker (during breakaway), the drill bit shattered. If I recall correctly, it was an 1/8" bit, and I must have been applying much more pressure then I realized. 3 different pieces of the bit hacked their way though 3 different fingers before sticking themselves into the palm of my hand.
Ok, probably not as bad as I made it sound, but it really helped remind me to be more careful after that.
