Man reveals what he saw in "afterlife" during 3-month coma

A man who spent three months in a coma after being involved in a life-altering traffic accident has revealed exactly what he saw during that time.

Joe DiMeo, of New Jersey, was only 18 years old when he fell asleep at the wheel of his Dodge Challenger while driving home from a night shift in July, 2018.

The vehicle flipped and subsequently caught fire, leaving Joe with third-degree burns to 80 percent of his body. The then-teen also had to have his fingertips amputated.

As per reports, the fire started as a result of the headers he had installed scraping on the curb. When the curb split the vehicle’s engine, sparks from the headers scraping on the floor ignited the gas, resulting in a fearsome blaze.

Seven years removed from the harrowing incident, Joe explained how his eyelids and lips were burned off in the fire. Now 26, he’s had to undergo no less than 20 reconstructive surgeries and skin grafts.

In 2020, meanwhile, he became the first person in the world to successfully undergo a face and double hand transplant.

The immediate aftermath of the accident saw Joe fall into a three month coma, during which time he claims to have glimpsed the afterlife.

Speaking to People, Joe explained: “You can hear people. It’s all dreams, but they’re mostly bad dreams, because, like when they take you into the tank room, where they wash you off, take off all the bandages – that’s not fun.

“You can feel the pain, so you’re dreaming about pain. They’re [doctors] not meaning it towards you, they’re just taking off the bandages, but it still hurts.”

He continued: “Everyone’s asking, did you experience the afterlife? The only thing I experienced is me walking my dog.

“He passed away 2012/13. [I’m like] oh, this is, this is it. I’m assuming this is the afterlife, just me walking my dog on an endless hill.”

Speaking on going public with his experience from the life-changing incident, Joe said: “I realized, you know what? Let me be real like, actually real, real. Putting my story out there to motivate people to get out their funky days and the cloudy days.

“Didn’t realize my story can actually save life. It sucks, I got into accident, I lost 80 percent of my skin, and I have someone else’s face and hands on me, but then also found my life partner, and if I wouldn’t have had an accident, I’d probably still be a cocky 26 year old.

“I would prefer not to be burned, but I like my life now, just because I have Jessica (his girlfriend) around.”