An Illinois mom ‘came back from the dead’ after an e-scooter accident left her brain ‘hanging out of’ her head.  

Savanah White, 28, and her seven-year-old son Malakye were crossing an intersection on July 24, 2024, when a car knocked them off their e-scooter.

White smashed her face on the ground, breaking 26 bones and leaving part of her brain sticking out from her forehead.  

The injury rendered her ‘clinically dead’ as her heart ceased beating for over a minute due to insufficient oxygen reaching her brain, which in turn failed to relay signals to her heart.

At one point, a chaplain was called in to deliver last rites and discuss funeral arrangements with White’s family. 

Recounting the accident, White explained: ‘We were returning to my apartment, planning to stop at a gas station across the road for ice cream first. However, we never succeeded in crossing the street.

‘As I was pulling out of the intersection, a red car barreled through at high speed. I… grabbed my son. We flew approximately 25 feet through the air before smashing into the concrete.’

Local reports at the time said police were investigating and looking for suspects. The Daily Mail was unable to secure further updates on the case.

Savanah White, 28, and her son were knocked off their e-scooter in July 2024. The accident left part of her brain hanging out of her head

White is pictured here after the accident. She was clinically dead for over a minute and broke 26 bones in her face

‘I lost consciousness because part of my brain had actually come out of my forehead. I was clinically dead for a minute and 24 seconds.’ 

She also suffered a broken pelvis, a collapsed lung, two strokes and an aneurysm, which is a bulge in the weak area of a blood vessel. 

While harmless on their own, aneurysms can rupture and cause potentially fatal bleeding in the brain.

She was hospitalized for three weeks as a result of her collective injuries. 

It is unclear whether White or her son were wearing a helmet while riding the e-scooter.

‘Everything was so bad and I was so mangled up, they didn’t know if I would make it to the surgeries or not,’ White said.

‘After a couple of days, I was stable enough to have surgery – but I didn’t properly wake up for six days.’

Doctors utilized additional skin from White’s C-section scar to perform a skin graft on her forehead. They also embedded metal plates in her face to support the 26 fractured bones.

Malakye, now eight, was hospitalized with a broken leg and required two head surgeries.

After White regained consciousness, she was in denial about everything that had happened. 

‘I regained consciousness on the hospital floor. The security guard informed me I had been attempting to flee the hospital. I didn’t recall being hit. I consistently removed my tracheostomy tube, endeavoring to return to my child.

‘They insisted, “You’re in the hospital. You were struck by a car.” I argued, “No, I’m not, that didn’t happen.” Ultimately, they handed me a mirror, I looked at my reflection and realized, “Oh my god, it did happen.”‘

Pictured above is a scan of White’s broken facial bones after the accident

White and her son Malakye (pictured) have both made a full recovery, though White still suffers from PTSD

Over a year later, both mother and son have recovered, and only a small ‘Harry Potter’ scar remains on White’s forehead.  

However, the accident left her with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the damage in her facial bones means she will be ‘unable to smell anything ever again’ as severe injuries can block nasal passages and damage olfactory nerves.

White said she is still ‘terrified of driving’ and struggles to cope with the stress by herself.  

However, she also said the ordeal gave her a new perspective and appreciation for life. 

‘[While unconscious], I went through a rainbow tunnel, and I saw colors and lights that don’t even exist here.

‘I saw everything: the Earth, heaven, hell, all dimensions. I got to pick where I wanted to go.

‘I chose to come back for my kid. I feel blessed I had that choice.’