About an hour from home, the speed odometer on the dashboard began to spin in full rotations, followed by other measurements going haywire (up and down, etc.) We pulled over and my husband checked under the hood, but couldn't find any problem. 

As he restarted the car, we quickly realized that we could not roll up or down the windows or get past a certain gear (even though our car is an automatic). Something was wrong with our electrical system. The engine was revving high and squealing! So we decided to take the back roads (get off the highway), go about 25 mph the last 40 or so miles and take our car directly to the dealership to be inspected. 

Less than a mile from the dealership we drove towards a construction zone where they had taken the four lanes (2 going north and 2 going south) and had modified the lanes (3 going south and 1 going north). This also occurred around a bend. 

As my husband was following the signs (kind of confusing and it was a late Sunday evening), he pulled into the lane that was clearly marked for us to go forward but on the other end on-coming traffic was coming towards us! 

In a flash of a vision, I saw us having a head on collision and me dying. I was shown in slow motion and with a high level of alertness and awareness "train tracks" and how my train tracks were coming to an abrupt end. It felt like I was in the 1800's in the middle of nowhere just as train tracks were being laid in the American wilderness. I was very clear that this was "the end of the line" for me and my life. The vision was more factual, than emotional as if I were watching a movie. 

Then, as if the conductor of the train, I felt and saw (as if looking out the front window of a train), the train being lifted straight up into the air and placed back down, very gingerly, on a parallel train track to my right of where I was. This "other" train track had been there all along. This would be my "new" track for my train and it had no end in sight. 

Moments before, as my husband drove towards the head-on collision (that would have occurred around the bend of the construction zone) I let out a terrifying scream when I saw "the vision of us crashing and me dying". Not sensing danger, he was immediately taken by surprise by my blood-curdling scream. Though I could not make out any words (only screams) he trusted me as I motioned not to go forward, pushing myself back in the car seat and even lifting my legs as if to avoid a crash. Trusting me that something was terribly wrong, he swerved quickly to the right instead of driving forward on that "3rd lane" and we crashed our car into an embankment that was cement but surrounded by large empty plastic barrels. (Obviously someone else had done the same thing or it was a precaution to have the "buffer" there.) 

Our car was damaged by the impact but we were not harmed. We were now less than 3 blocks from our dealership and with a cracked hood and smashed in front grill, we still, slowly but surely, made it to the dealership - now going about 10 mph. They took in our car for inspection and repairs and drove us home.  

After this time, I did not feel safe driving in our convertible and we bought an Volvo SUV. Even after getting the convertible fixed it seemed to be haunted with problems and today sits on our property (non-operational) until we can afford to get a whole new transmission or decide to sell it. 

After this NDE, for months, I would have nighttime dreams and daytime visions with "sacred geometry" (triangles, grids, parts of what looked like blueprints) and "accounting ledgers" (instead of numbers it was symbols, but something was being 'listed' and 'tallied' or 'added up'). I also FELT a tremendous PEACE and had an unexplainable KNOWING that everyone and everything was connected as ONE and that LOVE was all there was. 

I also feel, that somehow, I am more intuitive than before and also less judgmental. In addition, I no longer fear death as it is clearly not the end.  

Who knows what might have occurred had we been on the highway that evening .... or why we experienced so many "detours" trying to get home. 

Overall, I feel I got a "second chance" to live -- and am very grateful to be alive and more "awake" (with awareness) than ever.

Was the kind of experience difficult to express in words? No       It was VERY CLEAR

At the time of this experience, was there an associated life threatening event?          Yes            Impending head-on car crash

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness?    When everything seemed to be in "slow motion" (with the impending car upon us)

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal every day consciousness and alertness?    More consciousness and alertness than normal

If your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience was different from your normal every day consciousness and alertness, please explain:            When everything seemed to be in "slow motion" (with the impending car upon us)

Did your vision differ in any way from your normal, everyday vision (in any aspect, such as clarity, field of vision, colors, brightness, depth perception degree of solidness/transparency of objects, etc.)?  Yes     Yes, but after ... when I started seeing things as if seeing other dimensions of reality

Did your hearing differ in any way from your normal, everyday hearing (in any aspect, such as clarity, ability to recognize source of sound, pitch, loudness, etc.)?            No      

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?     Yes           

Did you pass into or through a tunnel or enclosure?          No      

Did you see a light?           No      

Did you meet or see any other beings?           No      

Did you experience a review of past events in your life?    No      

Did you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience that could be verified later?          No      

Did you see or visit any beautiful or otherwise distinctive locations, levels or dimensions?           No           

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?   Yes    

Did you have a sense of knowing special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?     Yes     I had a knowing .... that we are all connected, all one.

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Yes     Yes, if we went forward I would die.

Did you become aware of future events?       No           

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience you did not have prior to the experience?     Yes     Visions, seeing other dimensions, increased intuition or "knowing", more love, less judging

Have you shared this experience with others?         Yes     I shared immediately and sought out people to talk to - as it was very perplexing. Someone explained to both my husband and I why I felt it so strongly and why he felt nothing. It was my "end point" not his and I was given another chance.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience?    Yes            Yes, but not referring to it as NDE. It was in 1996 -- and now looking back it was probably my first NDE - though a quite different experience. In it I "crossed over", saw dead relatives, God who spoke to me about "going back and fulfilling my life purpose." But at the time I thought it was drug-induced (someone had laced something I ingested, unbeknownst to me.) So the for the longest time, I thought it was related to the ingestion of Hash or PCP (still not sure what was in what I ingested). But after this experience in August 2007, I now linked the two experiences believing they are both NDEs.

How did you view the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened:            Experience was definitely real    It stayed with me in dreams and daytime visions -- as I was "shown" even more -- but the messages were cryptic to me -- symbols and ledgers and I don't know what to make of it still.

Were there one or several parts of the experience especially meaningful or significant to you?    I felt I got another chance ... which may be my third or fourth chance .. who knows.

How do you currently view the reality of your experience:            Experience was definitely real   

Have your relationships changed specifically as a result of your experience?           Yes     Yes, I am more "in the moment", more loving, less judgmental

Have your religious beliefs/practices changed specifically as a result of your experience?            Yes     I am more open to the afterlife

Following the experience, have you had any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced any part of the experience?         No      

Is there anything else you would like to add concerning the experience?        Thank you for asking and of collecting other stories like mine

Did the questions asked and information you provided so far accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?         Yes    

Are there any other questions we could ask to help you communicate your experience?   What did you do or were you doing immediately before and after?