The motorcycle crash that nearly killed me

Here is one of the closest near-death experiences I’ve ever had. I’ve had many, but this one put me in the hospital for 9 days of intensive care and many pints of blood. Makes you think about life after death, doesn’t it?

The story begins with an argument with my boss. We normally met in a grocery store parking lot so I wouldn’t have to take my bike through rush hour traffic in the morning, and if you know anything about Georgia, you know the driving here can be rough. Also, in October the mornings are bitter cold when you’re flying down the road on a motorcycle. Between it being unsafe and cold outside, I didn’t want to ride any farther than I had to. But I didn’t keep arguing, because he was more persistent than I wanted to be at 5am.

Motorcycle Accident That Nearly Killed Me!

I made it down 400, which was a wide open expressway for me, then exited onto Hwy 20, but this highway is nearly stop and go at some points. It opened up a little, and the traffic was flowing about 50mph. Then the car in front of me turned into the right turn lane, and I continued straight… I watched a guy at the stoplight hesitate as if he were going to make his left turn in front of me, but he didn’t move. Since he didn’t go, I thought he wasn’t going to, so I kept my speed at around 45-50mph. Then, just as I was about to pass him, he darted in front of me, as if he had been waiting for the guy in the turning lane to finish his turn. I was completely stuck in that brief moment of time…

I had 3 options. One, I could lean hard to the left and try to go around him, but that meant heading toward oncoming traffic. Two, I could lean fast to the right and somehow squeeze between these 2 cars without hitting anything. Or three, I could hit the car that had pulled out in front of me. Of course I thought I was going to die. Who survives a crash at that speed, hitting a stopped metal object with no protection other than a jacket and a helmet?

I had a split second to decide. Knowing I was going down, I slammed on my brakes and went for his car. That way I wouldn’t hurt somebody who had nothing to do with it. The next thing I remember, I was lying in the middle of the street with my leg somehow wrapped like a pretzel up next to my shoulder. It was very serious, but I was pumped full of adrenaline and could only think about not making it to work for a while because I had just broken my leg. It didn’t bother me much that it was broken in a few places. I suppose it never really dawned on me.

Near Death Experience

Right after, a woman came running over, knelt down and grabbed my hand. She said, “Squeeze my hand. I know it hurts.” Well, I never really squeezed her hand, only enough to let her know I heard her, because I didn’t want to break her hand, haha. At this point I started calling out to Jesus. I said, “Jesus, Jesus.” I didn’t say it loud enough, though, so the woman, who was in her mid-twenties, asked me what I said. So I yelled, “JESUS!”

Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved – Joel 2:32

I’m going to fast forward here for a second, but I’ll come back. In the hospital I received a letter from this young woman. It said that my faithfulness to Jesus in calling out for Him made her realize she needed to get right with God. At the very moment I called for Jesus, she started praying. Later I was told she was trying to let me fall asleep, but… the next person on the scene was a nurse, and this nurse wouldn’t let that happen.

Within a few minutes I heard my phone ringing. It was my dad, aka my boss. Yes, it was my dad I had been arguing with about riding through this traffic. Bless his heart, I’m sure he was holding onto the blame for my accident. I handed the phone to the woman holding my hand, and soon after, my dad showed up. He showed up to see his son lying on the asphalt with a mangled leg. He gave me this look like I was going to die (even as I write this I tear up, because it’s burned into my skull). Once I saw his face, reality somehow met my adrenaline, and I began to tear up. Because of that dreadful look, now I wondered too if I was going to live.

Life After Death Is A Serious Question

Moments later, I heard the sweet, sweet sound of an ambulance. I had no idea a siren could be such a beautiful orchestra to my ears, but it was… Then I woke up in the hospital, and for a brief moment, a really brief moment, I thought it was all a terrible dream. I quickly found out I was wrong when I felt the pain and saw all the metal bars sticking out of my leg. It felt like my worst nightmare had come true: that I’d never be able to walk again, do any more of my extreme sports, or live my normal life as Justin. By the time I woke up, four doctors had put my leg back together so I wouldn’t bleed to death. A couple of days later I had another surgery. I found out later from my family that they had talked about cutting my leg off, but they didn’t have to.

For those nine days in intensive care I was on a Dilaudid pump (a drug five times stronger than morphine). But when they took me off the drug, there was also a nurse shift change. The problem was that I didn’t see a nurse for the next 4 hours, and I was already 3 hours overdue on my pain pills. My leg had been rebuilt with a rod, a plate, screws and a bone graft (somebody else’s bone), because I had shattered my femur in over 25 places (they stopped counting). Needless to say, this tough boy was screaming bloody murder for quite some time!

Finally a nurse came in. We had trouble understanding each other at first, but I asked for medication, and after what seemed like an eternity, she came back. She pulled out this big needle and asked me to somehow roll over so she could inject this “One Time” dose in my rear. I declined, because something told me that drug was not for me!

I started praying, and I called my pastor and 2 friends to pray too, because this pain was indescribable. Around midnight my pastor and friends arrived, and before they walked into my room I felt a sweeping presence of peace. I was finally able to withstand the pain. We all prayed, and I knew the Lord had relieved me of this pain and that He greatly desired to take the pain away.

Fast forward about one month. I realized I was about to have to file for bankruptcy, because we both had minimum coverage, which only covered $25,000 of all my bills. The hospital bill was $115,000, plus the doctor’s $30,000. Of course a 19-year-old can’t pay that, so once again I prayed. Well, one week before Christmas I got a letter in the mail. My grandma, who was taking care of me, came into the room crying. She said, “Oh honey,” then read the letter. It said, “You owe us $0.00.” The hospital wiped out their bill. 115 thousand dollars, paid in full! I don’t know who paid it, but I know how it was paid. It was because of prayer that I was set free from this. It was because of my Jesus!

For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. – Isaiah 44:3

Fast forward again. A few months later I had severe pain in my knee. It would lock up in a bent position and I couldn’t straighten it. I already couldn’t walk and had to use a walker to get anywhere, but now I had severe pain in my knee too. I went to the doctor, and he said it was cartilage and that it would work itself out, but it never did. In fact, it got worse. It felt like a knife was in my kneecap, and I don’t wish that pain on anybody!

Sometimes I could get my knee to straighten. Other times I couldn’t, and I would have to prop it up in bed and just lie there for hours on end, sometimes for a couple of days. Not that it mattered much, since I was bedridden for 6 months. No bath, very few visits, not much of anything to look forward to. Those were really dark times in my life, but what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.

After two weeks of this knee pain, I finally went to another doctor, and he said it was bone against bone. With something like that you have to get surgery, so the next day I had scope surgery, where they drill on your kneecap. While I was under anesthesia, completely knocked out, the doctor put all his weight on my leg to see how far I could bend it. After the surgery he said to me, “I’m sorry, Justin, but you will never walk up stairs.” I’m hardheaded, and I already knew the God I serve can do whatever He pleases. So I ignored what he said and hobbled away on my walker, and I came back one month later for a checkup.

For one month I prayed and prayed. I wasn’t about to let that doctor’s words get the best of me. I kept doing my physical therapy like I had been, but I was also praying over my knee during my sessions and throughout the days and nights. When it was time for the visit, I showed up ready to hear something better than before. I acted on faith. Before the results were in, I believed.

After taking some X-rays, he measured my knee again and found I had gained 25-35 degrees in my bending ability. That lack of bend was what was going to keep me from ever walking up stairs. He looked at me and said, “That is impossible! What are you doing? Praying?” I laughed, knowing that my God had just done the impossible once again, and answered, “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” – Luke 18:27

A few months later, I had to pay the rest of my bills. God bless my grandma, because she was an accountant! The doctor sent a bill saying they’d take half off one of the bills if we put it on their payment plan. Grandma took advantage of that and went down to their office. While she was there I remember praying, and I’m sure she was too. Wisdom was freely given to her that day, and she asked if they’d apply that 50% off to both bills. The combined cost of both bills was around $25,000 or so, and they agreed to give her that deal.

Then Grandma asked what the interest rate was on the payment plan. They told her, and she asked for that percentage to be taken off the total if she paid it all in full right then and there! So, guess what happened? Yup, the clerk thought about it, said, “It makes sense,” asked the manager, and they agreed. That cut the bill down dramatically, another 16%, I believe.

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. – James 1:5

Not long after all this, I got a message from somebody. I don’t remember who, since I was still on a lot of pain meds at this point, but the message was that my lawyer didn’t want any of the money! That’s a miracle in itself. If you don’t think so, ask yourself how many lawyers you’ve ever heard of working for free.

Things were starting to look up for me. I was still on my walker 6 months later, but I realized I wasn’t going to be broke. I paid off my grandma and all my bills, then put $10,000 in the bank to start my life over again. Yes, I’d have to change careers, because working in construction would require me to crawl around on my knees a lot, but I would play the hand I’d been dealt.

Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. – Psalm 112:3

I was able to move around a little better on my walker, so I began going to a big church in Alpharetta. I was still praying hard, because I had another issue that needed to be dealt with. I had drop foot. I was completely unable to lift my foot, so it would drag the ground unless I had a plastic piece in my shoe holding it up. Needless to say, that thing was extremely uncomfortable! Also, if you’ve ever had nerve damage, you know it is extremely painful when the nerves start coming back. Touching the top of my foot with anything other than a cotton ball felt like somebody taking a 100-volt taser and shocking me for fun, though it wasn’t fun for me.

During this time I started praying more for my foot, and over the next few weeks it started to hurt even more. My nerves were coming back! The doctor (haha, yes, the doctor) said I only had a 50% chance of walking without that piece of plastic. Well, a 50% chance is a lot better than the “never” he had said before! After all that I had seen, I prayed, and God showed up. Within a few months I went from walker, to cane, to no AFO brace. By the 8th month I was walking without the support of any tools made by man. Though my foot still had a slight drop in it, I believed in full recovery, and to this day I have no problem.

If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. – Matthew 21:22

I know it took me 5 years to write this up, but I want to be clear that I no longer have any need to go to the doctor. I very rarely have any problems with my leg, and in fact I’ve spent 1 year working the night shift, standing 12 hours a night. It’s not much of a career change, but God is opening many doors for me, and it won’t stay that way much longer. I am a servant of the King of kings and Lord of lords. Even though there is pain in the world, I still love my Lord, because He first loved me.

(Update) August 2011: I was finally able to start jogging this month. I trained by running once each week, and just the other day I turned on a GPS app called RunKeeper and jogged my first mile! But I didn’t stop. I pushed myself and finished 2 miles in less than 30 minutes. God is still good!

We may face many trials and defeats, but has prayer helped you get through hard times?