A coma, three selves, and walking with Jesus after a 1980 car crash
A caller who gives their name as [name withheld] describes a December 1980 car accident in which they were thrown through the driver's window and lay unconscious for thirty-three days. They report regaining consciousness in a Utah hospital and perceiving three versions of themselves in the room. The room then darkened, and shadow-like objects seized one of the figures. After that came a bright place in which they walked hand in hand with Jesus Christ. They say they woke up after thirty-three days. Art Bell calls it [quote withheld]
This clip comes from the source recording. AI chose where it starts and ends, so it may start or end a little early or late. The word-for-word transcript is not published. You can hear the source recording on the Internet Archive (file “Ghost to Ghost 2001-3.mp3”, starting at 2:17:22). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
The caller introduces themselves as [name withheld] and says they were in a severe car accident on December 6, 1980. They were thrown through the driver's window onto the pavement and knocked unconscious for thirty-three days, a coma, as the host says. They report that going through the window they ripped their stomach open and were left with a scar [quote withheld] The caller says the hospital staff thought they had pneumonia because of the date and gave them a tracheotomy (which they say explains their voice). They were treated at a hospital in Vernal, Utah, and then flown to Salt Lake City, Utah. They say that on January 9, 1981, they began to regain consciousness and it was [quote withheld] One was at the foot of the bed and another up on the headboard. Asked by the host whether they remember anything of the thirty-three days, they say they remember watching that year's Super Bowl and mention the Philadelphia Eagles. The caller vaguely recalls their mother bringing their cowboy boots and cowboy hats to the hospital to try to pull them out. They then say the room went dark, and they saw [quote withheld] grab the small figure at the foot of the bed and appear to suck it in. They liken this to being taken back to hell. Next they report a very bright light and bright area, going through something like a curtain, and walking hand in hand with Jesus Christ, who wore a beautiful apricot-colored robe, through a forest of viney trees. They say Jesus's hand began slipping from the caller's, and Jesus told the caller he did not have time to take them back and would leave them on the earth to make something of themselves. Then they came back and woke up after thirty-three days. Art Bell closes by calling it the near-death experience of a Christian and musing about what a Buddhist would experience.
Reported events, in order
- 0:05
The caller gives their name as [name withheld] and says they were in a severe car accident on December 6, 1980.
- 0:15
The caller says they were thrown through the driver's window onto the pavement and knocked unconscious for thirty-three days (a coma).
- 0:31
The caller reports ripping their stomach open in the crash and having a scar about a foot and a half long.
- 0:49
The caller says a tracheotomy was performed, which they say explains their voice.
- 0:55
The caller says they were treated at a hospital in Vernal, Utah, then flown to Salt Lake City, Utah.
- 1:08
The caller says that on January 9, 1981, they began to regain consciousness and perceived three of themselves in the room: themselves and two other “me's,” one at the foot of the bed and one on the headboard.
- 1:51
Asked about the coma period, the caller says they remember watching parts of that year's Super Bowl and vaguely recall their mother bringing their cowboy boots and hats to the hospital.
- 2:36
The caller says the room went dark, then returned to view, with the small figure at the foot of the bed poking its head up.
- 2:47
The caller reports two darker, shadow-type objects grabbing that figure and appearing to suck it in, which they liken to being taken back to hell.
- 3:12
The caller reports a very bright light and bright area and going through something like a curtain.
- 3:23
The caller says they walked hand in hand with Jesus Christ, who wore an apricot-colored robe, through a forest of viney trees.
- 3:43
The caller says Jesus's hand began slipping from the caller's, and Jesus told the caller he did not have time to take them back and would leave them on earth to make something of themselves. Then they came back and woke up after thirty-three days.
Claims
Each claim is labeled as something the person telling the story noticed (observation), what they made of it (interpretation), something others told them (hearsay), or something the host said (host statement).
- observation· 0:15
The caller was in a severe car accident on December 6, 1980, and was thrown through the driver's window onto the pavement.
- observation· 0:20
The caller was knocked unconscious for thirty-three days (a coma).
- observation· 0:41
The caller ripped their stomach open in the crash and had a scar about a foot and a half long.
- observation· 0:59
The caller was treated in Vernal, Utah, then flown to Salt Lake City, Utah.
- observation· 1:08
On January 9, 1981, the caller began to regain consciousness and perceived three of themselves in the room.
- observation· 1:51
The caller remembers watching parts of that year's Super Bowl while in the coma.
- observation· 2:47
The room went dark, and two darker, shadow-type objects grabbed the figure at the foot of the bed and appeared to suck it in.
- interpretation· 3:06
The caller took the shadow objects to be carrying that figure back to hell or somewhere else.
- observation· 3:12
The caller saw a very bright light and a bright area, and went through something like a curtain.
- observation· 3:23
The caller walked hand in hand with Jesus Christ, who wore a beautiful apricot-colored robe, through a forest.
- interpretation· 3:48
Jesus told the caller he did not have time to take them back and would leave them on the earth to make something of themselves.
- host statement· 4:00
The host described the story as the near-death experience of a Christian.
Scores, with reasons
An AI model gave these scores using a fixed set of scoring rules (scoring-v1). They are editorial judgments and rough guides, not the odds that anything paranormal happened. How scoring works.
This is a clear firsthand story with concrete dates, places, and medical specifics, and a consistent sequence. But the content is a coma experience, for which ordinary dream and anesthesia explanations fit easily, and the caller does not address them.
Evidence for and against
- Firsthand testimony from the person who says they were injured: [quote withheld]
- Concrete specifics that could be checked: [quote withheld] [quote withheld] and [quote withheld]
- Medical details: the thirty-three-day coma, the tracheotomy, and the scar.
- The caller's answers to the host's questions follow the story rather than contradicting it.
- The experience happens during a thirty-three-day unconscious period, where dream imagery during a coma or sedation is a ready ordinary fit.
- The caller does not consider or rule out natural explanations for what they saw.
- The labels showing who is speaking in the transcript are unreliable, so several lines marked as the host are plainly the caller's words.
- Some passages are flagged as low confidence, and the exact wording of the coma memories is uncertain.
- 0:20
- 1:08
- 1:19
What the model inferred (not said on air): The component judgment is the scorer's, not the transcript's: source proximity 22 out of 25 (firsthand), specificity 15 out of 20, internal consistency 13 out of 20, alternative explanations 4 out of 20 (a coma or dream story fits easily), and calibration 8 out of 15. The total is 62.
The story is the caller's word alone. It supplies specifics that could be checked (dates, places) but were not, and a claimed scar that is not shown or examined.
Evidence for and against
- Specifics that could be checked are given: [quote withheld] and [quote withheld]
- A physical mark is claimed: a scar [quote withheld]
- No documentation, photograph, or medical record is presented or examined on air.
- No second witness speaks. The mother is mentioned only as bringing belongings.
- No outside check was made.
- 0:59
- 0:41
What the model inferred (not said on air): The score falls in the 11 to 25 range: specifics given but unchecked, and other witnesses only implied by ordinary hospital care, not claimed as having shared the experience.
The darker part is truly unsettling: a brief blackout in the room and shadow-like objects appearing to seize one of the figures and drag it away. The setting is a hospital bed after a catastrophic injury. But the story ends on a calming religious note.
Evidence for and against
- The room going dark: [quote withheld]
- Shadow objects seizing a figure: [quote withheld] and [quote withheld]
- The caller's reference to hell: [quote withheld]
- The story resolves into a bright, peaceful scene with Jesus.
- The host treats the story as an interesting curiosity, not a horror story.
- The exact look and behavior of the shadow objects is described only briefly.
- 2:36
- 2:57
What the model inferred (not said on air): This is a judgment of the effect on a listener, based on the intrusion into a vulnerable hospital bed setting and one briefly menacing image, offset by the gentle ending.
The near-death frame with a religious figure is familiar. But the tripled self, one copy placed on the headboard, and the shadow objects dragging one copy away are distinctive details added to it.
Evidence for and against
- Unusual element: [quote withheld]
- Unusual element: shadow objects seizing one of the selves.
- Bright light, a curtain, a robed religious figure, and a sending-back message are very common near-death motifs.
- The comparison with the rest of the archive is provisional with few stories archived. This score is based on content.
- 1:19
- 3:23
What the model inferred (not said on air): This is a provisional content-based score of 62: a familiar frame with at least one striking distinctive detail.
Scoring confidence 0.55 · analysis confidence 0.65 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller's firsthand testimony only; A claimed scar, not examined or shown; Dates and hospital locations given that could be checked, but not checked; No second witness on air. The originality score blends the model's score (62) with how rare the story's details are across the archive. This method is still provisional.
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- Memories formed during a medically induced or injury-related coma, such as dream-like images while falling asleep or waking, could account for both the “three selves” and the light-and-Jesus sequence. · The caller says they were unconscious for thirty-three days and began regaining consciousness in January 1981. The caller describes the episode as happening between waking and unconsciousness.
- Sedation, pain medication, and a tracheotomy during critical care could add to confused or hallucinatory experiences reported on waking. · The caller says staff thought they had pneumonia and gave them a tracheotomy.
- The content may reflect near-death imagery that is familiar in the culture, as the host himself suggests. · The host's closing comment, [quote withheld] and his wondering about Buddha.
What stands out
The story combines a classic near-death frame (bright light, a religious figure, a sending-back) with an unusual perception of their own body tripled and a brief darker episode in which shadow-like objects appear to seize one of those selves. The host sorts it as a culturally Christian near-death experience and wonders about a Buddhist equivalent.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.