In Tom Kearney’s house, the 18th of December each year is “Bus Day”.  That’s the date in 2009 Tom was hit by a 12 tonne Transport for London bendy-bus (Route 73) and flung to the side of Oxford Street bleeding out from his mouth and head. Against the odds, after being in a near-death Coma for a fortnight, Tom slowly rehabilitated and recovered. In this interview he talks about the crash, what it’s like being in a coma, having a Near Death Experience (NDE), and how this all changed his life – for the better.

Podcast introduction:

I’ve always been fascinated by what it would be like to be in a coma. Not being able to move or respond to people in the room, but potentially being fairly aware of what was going on around me. Possibly a bit morbid of me, I admit.

Ten years ago, I met Tom Kearny for the first time. We were in Budapest at a conference, and I’m not sure how we got onto the topic, but he revealed to me that five years earlier, he’d been hit by a 12 tonne bendy-bus on Oxford Street in London, and was in a coma for a couple of weeks. It was a fascinating and lengthy conversation. Thankfully Tom has recovered well from the crash. But his is an incredible story, as you are about to find out.

Tom’s story actually comprises two key parts – and so he is the first of our interviewees to feature in two consecutive episodes of Extraordinary. This first episode is all about the crash, Tom’s injuries, his recovery, and some pretty incredible experiences along the way. Next week, you’ll hear the second half of the interview, which is equally incredible and quite shocking. But more about that later.

A quick warning for you – Tom does give some graphic detail in a couple of places in this interview. So if you are a bit squeamish, be ready to fast forward 30 seconds when that happens.

But for now here is the extraordinary story of Tom Kearney, or as he is known on twitter, Comadad.

Associated pictures and links:

• Tom Kearney on Twitter – @comadad
• An article about Tom, the crash and his struggle for justice – in The Standard (London), 13 April 2012.