Man who was dragged under train says he no longer fears death
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A man who was dragged under train has opened up about the shocking experience, saying he no longer fears death at all.
Let's face it - not many people really enjoy thinking about death. It's one of those great unknowns that will forever mystify humankind.
Unfortunately, society - particularly in the West - has made it a taboo subject. We've grown up to fear the end of our lives, despite the fact that it's one of the only guarantees.
Because of this reason, The Guardian journalist, Leah Green, took a deep-dive into the topic in a bid to understand more about our own mortality.
In episode five, she spoke with David Ditchfield, a man who was once dragged under a train and very nearly lost his life.
David and Leah both visited the train station where the incident unfolded, and he explained that it happened while he was saying goodbye to a friend who had visited.
They were sharing a hug when he heard the buzzers going, but as he stepped off the train, his coat got trapped in the door.
Although David shouted for help, no one heard him and the train started to depart - dragging him along with it.
"As the train started pulling out, I just thought, 'This is it, I'm going to die,'" he said.
Describing what it was like when he was pulled under, he continued: "It was like being thrown into a machine, like into mincer.
"I was just tossed around like a rag doll... I was thrown all over the place. And the train was still going and it seemed like it was going on forever.
"Then it disappeared.
"I just always remember I was lying face down... and I just kind of looked up and there was this beautiful blue sky. And it was just such a pleasure to go from all that darkness and just see that sky."
The paramedics swiftly arrived and rushed David to the hospital where he was treated for internal injuries and his arm, which he said had been 'ripped wide open'.
But this certainly wasn't the end of his ordeal, as he went on to explain that he had a near death experience in the hospital.
"I had gone from the hospital A&E department and all doctors running around to a very peaceful place," he added.
When he looked down, it appeared that all of his wounds had healed and it was like he was in a darkened room.
"I thought I was dead. I thought, 'This is it, this is what happens. This is where you go to this is the next stage,'" he said.
"I suddenly felt this energy that was coming in stronger, more powerful, at my feet, so I looked up again.
"What I could see was this tunnel of pure white light. At that point I thought, 'This is creation, this is god. This is not like a guy in the sky with a beard... this is the energy of all creation'."
Once he'd accepted the experience, David's senses started to return and suddenly, he was back in the hospital room.
Although he found it overwhelming, he said that the energy stayed with him.
David has since created a number of beautiful paintings in a bid to document what he saw that day.
He went on to point out that he doesn't expect people to believe him or to take in the story, but for those who are interested, he said: "I want to be able to tell people that there's nothing to fear at all about death.
"This is not the end, it really isn't. I can say that hand on heart."
As for what he believes is waiting on the other side, he continued: "I don't have all the answers... [but] in my near death experience all I could feel is love. And that love is waiting for us."
