When driving around town, the worst part of the year will always be winter. Even here in Chicagoland, when orange barrels are a year-round nuisance, winter brings hazardous road conditions with ice, wet leaves, and… the dreaded potholes. I hear that Mel’s Hole in Washington started as a pothole – but that’s just a rumor. That I just made up.

Yet, in a bizarre turn of events, an 80-year-old man from Haryana, India, declared dead by doctors, defied all odds, and returned to life, thanks to an unexpected encounter with, believe it or not, Ripley, a pothole. And despite my propensity for adding humor to almost everything I write, this is a story I did not make. Darshan Singh Brar’s miraculous story has turned a family’s mourning into a last-minute celebration after a seemingly fatal diagnosis hit a bump in the road. Pun intended. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

Brar had been unwell for quite some time, prompting one of his grandsons to rush him to a nearby hospital. Doctors diagnosed him with a severe chest infection, exacerbating his pre-existing heart condition. Despite their best efforts, though, the medical team pronounced him dead after four days on a ventilator. The family received the heartbreaking news of Brar’s demise on Thursday, January 11th, 2024. Plans for his last rites were set in motion, with relatives and locals gathering to mourn his passing. A tent had been erected for the memorial service, and arrangements for food and cremation wood were made.

But what should have been the end of this man’s story was just the beginning of its next unbelievable chapter. While en route to Nising, near Dhand (a village in Haryana’s Kaithal district), the ambulance hit a deep pothole. In an unexpected twist, Balwan’s brother, who was keeping vigil over Brar’s body, witnessed the octogenarian move his hand – he was suddenly alive again! Sensing a pulse (and possibly hearing his brother in bed yell, “Braaaains!”), the brother urgently alerted the driver to redirect them to the nearest hospital. Imagine a hospital being delivered not by an ambulance but by a hearse! I’d imagine the confidence of the people in the waiting room would skyrocket, thinking, “People bring the dead here to be brought back to life! We’re definitely in the right place!”

Upon reaching the hospital, doctors confirmed that Darshan Singh Brar was alive and immediately referred him to a different hospital in Nising. From there, he was taken to yet another (now the third) hospital — the NP Rawal Hospital in Karnal, where his critical condition was being closely monitored. Though still precarious, Brar was now breathing on his own, defying the earlier declaration of his death (and thankfully not craving human flesh as would be expected from a zombie). It’s a good thing they didn’t encounter any other potholes during the constant relocating of this poor guy from hospital to hospital to hospital – they might have killed him all over again!

Balwan, expressing gratitude for the unexpected turn of events, said, “It is a miracle. Now, we are hoping that my grandfather will recover soon. Everyone who had gathered to mourn his death congratulated us, and we requested them to have the food we had arranged. It is God’s grace that he is now breathing, and we hope he will get better.” So, the food intended for a memorial service ended up catering for a celebratory party of life!

As the saga of Darshan Singh Brar’s resilience continues, his family clings to hope, witnessing a miraculous turn of events, Darshan now has the enviable ability to see how many truly loved him and the many who attended what was to be his funeral – thanks to an encounter with a deep and, uncharacteristically helpful, pothole in the road.