What Brinkley recalls from those 28 minutes has captivated audiences worldwide. According to him, death was neither darkness nor absence; instead, it was a profound experience filled with light.
He describes leaving his body and floating alongside the ambulance as it raced to the hospital. From that elevated perspective, he watched his lifeless form before entering what he refers to as a tunnel that led to a luminous, radiant space. In this place, which he calls the “Crystal City,” he encountered a spiritual being composed of pure light.
In an interview with the YouTube channel T&H – Afterlife, Brinkley detailed witnessing a panoramic replay of his life. “You observe it from a second-person perspective,” he explained. “In the life you just reviewed, what difference did you and God make?”
Brinkley’s experience is among the rarest accounts of near-death phenomena. In 1975, the former U.S. Marine and businessman was dramatically altered when he was struck by lightning while on the phone. The lightning coursed through the phone line, entering his head and traveling down his spine, seemingly sealing his fate.
“It entered through the side of my head above my ear and shot down my spine,” Brinkley recalled during an interview with 8 News Now. “It welded the nails of my shoes to the floor, propelled me into the air, made me see the ceiling, and then slammed me back down. A fireball filled the room, blinding me. I felt like I was burning. I was on fire. I was completely paralyzed.”
His injuries were so severe that he was pronounced dead and taken to the morgue. For 28 minutes, he was officially gone.
Then, in a remarkable turn of events, he returned.
Brinkley’s experience is noteworthy not only for its vivid detail but also because he has had two additional near-death experiences. In 1989, while undergoing open-heart surgery, he claims to have encountered “angelic instructors,” who urged him to use his newfound spiritual awareness to aid others, particularly those nearing death. He had another profound experience during brain surgery, further strengthening his conviction that death is not the end of existence. “When you realize you don’t die, when you understand you are a spiritual being and that hell is not your fate, it inspires you to change,” Brinkley shared with 8 News Now.
Of course, Brinkley’s accounts invite skepticism. Scientists and medical professionals have long debated neurological and psychological explanations for near-death experiences, from oxygen deprivation to the brain’s final bursts of activity. Regardless, Brinkley remains steadfast in his truth.
Since then, he has written extensively and spoken publicly about his experiences, seeking to provide comfort to those who fear death or ponder the afterlife. Whether one believes every detail of his story or not, its impact is undeniable, conveying a powerful message about life, love, and the human spirit. So, what do you think happens after we die? Is it nothingness—or is it something greater? The conversation continues.
