I entered a sharp, almost hairpin, right turn too fast on a country road on my motorcycle one night.

There was a light rain and a car oncoming. I lost traction and skidded across the oncoming lane and was blinded by the headlights of the car as I crossed in front of his bumper. Now I was off the road in the rough. I knew exactly where I was and that I was headed for a stone wall and that at 60mph I could not survive such a crash. Scenes from my life flashed and I decided I was at peace with dying. With that thought I experienced a hard jolt as first my front tire then my rear tire hit something, and I was airborne. I was still blind as I flew for seemingly a long time, still upright and holding on. I landed, rear tire first, then front tire, and I could suddenly see. I was in my own lane, well past the turn, which was not possible, and still going about 50mph. Not a scratch but deeply moved. The entire experience probably lasted less than 5 seconds but seemed to go on for much longer.

Following the experience I realized I had no more fear of death, though I had not thought I previously had such a fear. I could actually sense the void where the fear had been to my front and toward the left. This has deeply affected my life and outlook. I have wondered if I actually died there and landed somewhere else.

I have hesitated to submit this account, as it seems to pale before the experiences of people who have been in real crises. Jokingly, I have referred to my story as Near Death Lite, but the miraculously safe landing, the distortion of time, the deep peace, the flash of life scenes, and the subsequent shift in perceptions about death seem to conform to an NDE (or actual death- I really don't know).