It was Christmas Eve 1980. Like the stupid teenager I was then, I had been in a bar celebrating the holidays. I had many mixed drinks together with beer. I also had taken LSD and smoked marijuana before my accident. When I arrived home, my brother had asked if I would drive to the nearest supermarket, which was roughly a mile away. Despite my condition, somehow I made it there safely. After, I thought I would pay my girlfriend a surprise visit to wish her a Merry Christmas. But, I forgot that she went to her grandparents with her family over the holidays, so I got back inside my car and headed home. It had been and still was snowing like crazy. The roads were completely iced over. All I remember is heading home.

I must have been driving at a pretty good clip because had run up against the curb or slid. The tires on the passenger side blew out. In my condition, I lost total control of my vehicle. To be honest, I think I might have passed out behind the wheel. After the tires blew and I lost control, I hit a tree with the front and driver's side of the car, which completely demolished the car. The car kept going up a small burm towards a house and knocked over a lampstand. Thank God the car stopped rather than ramming into the house. Thank God that I didn't hurt anyone else. Once the car had stopped, it rolled back down the berm three times end over end and into the middle of the street. The roof was totally compressed and the force of the impact shot me out like a rocket through the passenger side window and onto the street.

I remember vividly that a woman ran toward me screaming, "Help him, help him, I think he's dead. I think he's dead." I was still very much consciousness and tried to communicate with her. But, I couldn't speak. I also heard the wailing of sirens as the police and ambulance were approaching the scene. I remember them, so to speak, scraping me up off the street and dragging what was left of my car away. They put me inside the ambulance and I remember them trying to resuscitate me. I am pretty sure I was already gone by then.

The next thing I remember is that I lie naked on the operation table. I still find it hard to explain. But as I lie there, I felt my spirit go out of my body and hover over it. I still tried to communicate with the doctors and nurses but no one could hear what I was saying. I was trying to tell them that I was still alive. I looked down and saw my body. I saw how the doctors were using electric shock paddles on me, doing what they could to bring me back. I couldn't recognize my face. It was all swollen and cut to pieces from the glass that they were pulling out of it. After the doctor finished and stitched me up, I remember the doctors leaving the operation area. They left a nurse to watch out for me. I still didn't regain consciousness.

All of a sudden, I felt myself reenter my body again. I had stretched my left hand out and grabbed hold of the nurse to let her know that I was alive and had regained consciousness. She said that I should rest. I thanked her just to still be alive. I asked her where the doctors went and about my clothes. My clothes were in a paper bag in the corner. She left to search for the doctors and to tell them that I came to. I sat up and pulled the IV out. Then I stood up and walked over to my clothes, got dressed, left the hospital shortly thereafter, and walked home. I forgot to mention that I also broke my collarbone.

I will never ever forget this experience. I thank God and our Savior that I'm still alive today to speak about it. My family still thinks I'm a little bit out there to this day. They still don't believe a word that I say. But, I know what I experienced that night.