Woman cheated death after being internally decapitated in horrific car crash

A woman ended up cheating death after being internally decapitated in a horrific car crash.

Rachel Bailey was left fighting for her life after a collision on Cave Creek Road in Phoenix in September 2011.

The then-23-year-old had her skull torn from her spine in the incident, but avoided being left paralyzed thanks to the speedy actions of firefighters who rushed to the scene.

The impact of the crash ruptured ligaments in Rachel's neck and even forced the base of her skull off her spine, so it's remarkable she was able to survive.

Speaking of the injury that left her in intensive care for a month, Rachel told Arizona TV station 3TV: "I just thought, 'I'm not going to let this beat me, I'm not going to let this define me.'"

Rachel Bailey was left fighting for her life (AZ Family)

What saved the Phoenix woman was the fact her spinal cord remained intact, which allowed doctors to reconstruct her neck.

Rachel was placed in a coma and underwent six surgeries as a result of the crash.

The type of injuries that cause such often involve severe nerve damage or even the severing of the spinal cord, which typically results in paralysis or death.

Fortunately, she managed to escape that reality and even gained the ability to walk and talk after a lengthy recovery process.

Doctors couldn't quite believe Rachel's miraculous recovery, with the young woman putting it down to the fact that she was physically strong as well as having enough muscle around her neck to prevent the decapitation.

She later had dinner with the Phoenix firefighters who helped save her life.

Speaking to TODAY’s Jenna Wolfe, Rachel said: "I wanted to know who saved me. I wanted to thank them and I wanted to honor them."

She suffered horrific injuries (AZ Family)

Reflecting on the crash, she added: "I can't change it. you can't ever change the past, only the future. My energy level is high. I'm ready to take on the world."

Rachel concluded: "What I got from this whole accident is to live is to give, so if I'm not a giving back, if I'm not volunteering at the hospital that saved my life, I'm not living at all.

"I'm not going to let this beat me or define me."

Rachel's story has recently resurfaced after being posted by the Morbid Knowledge Twitter account.

One social media user wrote: "The way humans are able to survive is nothing sort of miraculous."

While someone else praised: "Just looked up a video of her on The Today Show and she is an amazing young woman."