[lewislynn]

A near miss is as good as a mile.

A "near miss" is a hit...A near hit is a miss.

[Bonaparte]

"...a 'near miss' is a hit..."

From University of Colorado's Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center --

"Close calls" or "near misses" are defined as peoples' experiences on the periphery of a tornado damage path. Although people and property on the periphery are usually safer than within the path itself, their relationship to the path is purely a chance condition. These areas still possess important moments for mitigation decisions carried-out by the physically unscathed (and less-scathed) residents, and it is probably important to understand this "near-miss" experience.