Sharon Adurokiya, Reporting
A man who survived a near-fatal electric skateboard crash has claimed he met Jesus while in an 18-day coma — and returned with a message for the world.
Gabe Poirot told the Daily Mail he sustained catastrophic injuries after crashing at about 30mph without a helmet, cracking his skull.
He said doctors warned his family he might not survive, or could be left severely incapacitated. According to Poirot, his brain stem was described as “99 per cent just gone”.
He said he flatlined and was resuscitated, remaining unconscious for three days before doctors placed him in a medically induced coma for about two weeks.
Poirot claims that while his body was in hospital, he had an out-of-body experience.
“I literally left my body, and I watched my own friend, John Michael Howell, hold my lifeless body in his arms,” he said, adding that he saw his friend praying over him.
He said he was then drawn towards a light which he believed had consciousness.
“This light wasn’t just taking me to a destination… this light was a person that I had an appointment with,” he said.
Poirot said he travelled through what he believed was a spiritual realm to what he described as the “third heaven”, a vast city.
It was there, he claims, that he encountered Jesus, whom he described as being 5ft 11in to 6ft tall with a Middle Eastern appearance.
“I would describe him as much more Middle Eastern than a lot of depictions of Jesus,” he said.
According to Poirot, Jesus gave him a specific instruction: “He looked at me, he said, ‘Gabriel, tell my family who I really am. Tell them I’m coming back soon to get them.'”
He said he was overcome with emotion: “Tears ran down my face, because I realised the truth of grace, I realised the truth of the cross.”
Poirot said he was then sent back, regaining consciousness after 18 days.
“My parents ran in, the doctors ran in, they were like, ‘Oh my goodness, are you there?'” he said.
He claims his recovery was faster than expected, regaining his memory and recognition of family within a day.
“They said, ‘We’ve never seen a case like yours survive… and definitely not become normal again,'” he said.
Poirot has detailed the experience in a book titled 18 Days in Heaven.
Nearly five years after the accident, he said he has rebuilt his life.
He married his wife Ally in 2023 and the couple welcomed a son, Elijah, last year.
