Clarke Brogger, the pastor of Church by the Sea in Laguna Beach, California thought it would be cool to try to catch a tiny wave while surfing at Thalia Street. Moments later he had a cracked open head and a broken neck, according to a story in the OC Register.
Helplessly paralyzed, Brogger agonized with the realization that he couldn’t swim, scream or even thrash in panic.
“I was absolutely frightened, completely out of my mind,” he said. “I just kept picturing my wife and two daughters looking down on me, in the grave.” . . . Then, just as suddenly as his fall, came Brogger’s “miracle”: another wave, splashing over his immobile body, provided just enough tidal force to flip him on his back. Overwhelmed, Brogger screamed for help. . .At first, his friends thought it was part of the joke. Then, fellow surfer Austin Cooper noticed blood gushing from his friend’s forehead. . . “It looked like (Cooper) wanted to barf but didn’t want me to know he was afraid,” Brogger said with a laugh.
In the tweet Ian Cairns says he will fully recover, but it is one more reminder for all of us to be careful out there.
[Link: OC Register via @KangaCairns]
