Do you know what it feels like to almost die? For many, the response is a simple “no,” but for few in this school the answer is a nightmarish “yes.” Frightening events can happen when you least expect them.

This is the case for junior Trenton Lowry. Lowry recounts a Boy Scout hiking trip that went terribly awry.

While hiking at Whitaker Point, an area in Arkansas featuring steep cliff faces alongside the trails, Lowry stopped to take a photograph for a young couple.

“I tripped on a stump, which left me tumbling into a thin tree, which is the only thing I could grab onto to keep from falling to my death,” Lowry said.

Near death experiences can also take place closer to home.

English teacher Lucia Ellis had a scary encounter with an angry mother cow right at her own farm.

While attempting to remove a starving newborn calf from the pasture, the protective mother cow attacked her. Ellis tells the story of how she was knocked unconscious.

“When I woke up, she was on top of me, pummeling me with her head, stomping me with her feet… I remember talking, I remember going, ‘Okay, that’s enough!’ and just about that time, she turned,” Ellis said.

Once the cow turned away, Ellis was able to get into her truck and escape to safety.

When asked about the status of the bovine that caused such great pain and nearly ended her life, Ellis, unfazed, had a simple statement.

“… I don’t know where she is now. She’s hamburger or living at somebody else’s farm, and I don’t really care. She’s gone and I’m not,” Ellis said.

Fitting words for someone who has endured a harrowing near-death experience.

However, not only do these frightening occurrences happen to students, loved ones may be hit hard too. Sophomore Marc-Anthony Smith recounts the night of a horrifying accident, in which his grandparents were involved, “About two weeks ago my grandparents hit a black cow around midnight. It rolled up on top of their car . . .” Luckily, though, “they escaped with nothing worse than stitches.”

A similar experience is shared by senior Aubrianna Campbell. She was also sightseeing on mountain trails, like Lowry, but rather than hiking on foot, she and her father were enjoying nature on four wheelers.

Losing control of the vehicle while taking turns at high speeds, Campbell was certain her father was in danger as the four wheeler tipped and caused her dad to jump off and skid along the ground for some distance.

Much to her relief, Campbell shares, “When I finally got the four wheeler stopped, my dad stood up and laughed when I swore he was hurt! But no, his shirt just ended up over his face and his glasses were way behind him as he skidded. All ended well, just a couple scrapes and bruises!”

Thankfully, each person, and their loved ones, listed above is still here to recount their brush with death.

Perhaps we can all learn from their experiences to live life to the fullest, making each moment count, because no one knows what tomorrow may bring, or when there will be no more tomorrows.