A US pastor has narrowly escaped death after being struck by a four-tonne boulder. Luke Barnett, senior pastor at Dream City Church in Phoenix, Arizona, was hiking with his daughter when the massive rock became dislodged and started careering down towards them.
"My dad pushed me out of the way and the boulder crushed him," Barnett's daughter Annalee said in a video clip moments afterwards. "I watched it go over him and it looked like it crushed his head."
Miraculously, the boulder grazed past the pastor, missing his head by a matter of inches.
Pastor Barnett can be seen laid on his back, his shirt ripped up and his body covered in cuts and bruises. "How are you doing dad?" the daughter asks. "I'm doing good," Barnett replies. "It's just the grace of God that somehow that boulder went right over me and didn't hit my skull."
Barnett had still suffered serious injuries from the impact of the massive rock. "My forearm's broken for sure," he added. "It's one of those moments where you think there's no way you can survive that...that boulder running over you. But, um, God must have a much bigger plan in store."
Unable to walk, Barnett was eventually airlifted from the scene and treated for his injuries in hospital - he suffered three broken ribs in the incident, plus a broken forearm and hip. The pastor also required 40 stitches to his right hand.
Source: Instagram
"We are on the road to recovery," he later wrote on Instagram, sharing photos of himself in hospital. "I’m just so grateful to be alive and well. Thank you Jesus for saving me and my daughter with a supernatural miracle."
Source: Instagram
The pair were hiking as part of a fundraising campaign for the church's Short Creek Dream Center, which supports victims of human trafficking. Despite the trauma of her dad's near-death experience, Annalee continues to hike for the cause.
"Although I am discharged and home, this does not mean the Adventure Your Life journey stops," pastor Barnett said in a Facebook post. "As you know, @annalee.barnett continues on the Arizona trail to finish out our 800 mile hike in an effort to raise awareness and donations for the Short Creek Dream Center @shortcreekdreamcenter in Colorado City."