New Jersey Woman Describes Near-Death Experience After 60-Foot Fall: ‘Death Is an Illusion’
NEW JERSEY — A woman who fell 60 feet while hiking in 2015 says the experience left her with a life-altering realization: that death, as most people understand it, doesn’t exist.
Erica Tait, a psychotherapist from New Jersey, was 22 when she slipped while descending cliffs along the Palisades near the Hudson River. The fall shattered bones in her ribs, pelvis, arms, and spine, punctured her lungs, and left her fighting for life.
Seven Hours Between Life and Death
Despite her catastrophic injuries, Tait briefly regained consciousness long enough to call emergency services before slipping under again. Rescue teams searched for hours before finding her — but in that time, she said she underwent a profound near-death experience.
“The first thing I remember is separating from my physical body,” Tait recalled. “I remember looking at my body and recognizing that I am not that. There’s something separate that survives death.”
Visions of a Life Review
During the hours she was left for dead, Tait said she experienced a “life review,” in which she subconsciously witnessed her entire life and confronted how her past actions had impacted others.
She described it as a lesson in karma and cause and effect, calling it an “honest assessment” that brought deep compassion and a newfound awareness of her purpose.
A White Light and a Spiritual Awakening
Tait said the experience culminated in an encounter with what she described as a “white light,” radiating overwhelming love and peace.
“It was an unspeakable amount of love and connection,” she said, explaining that it led her to believe every atom and cell is part of one universal energy.
Rescue and Recovery
Seven hours after her fall, an off-duty firefighter with what she called an “intuition” about her location found her, leading to her rescue by boat on the Hudson River.
Tait spent weeks in the hospital, followed by months in rehabilitation. Though her recovery was grueling, she said the ordeal gave her a permanent sense of clarity about life and death.
“This experience was a huge heart expansion,” she said. “I learned that death is not an end, but a transition.”
Do you believe in near-death experiences as proof of life beyond death, or see them as powerful visions from the brain? Share your perspective in the comments on SaludaStandard-Sentinel.com.
