"In a blink of an eye, your life can be over"- 12-time Olympian Ryan Lochte narrates life-threatening accident that pushed him closer to God

Ryan Lochte has narrated a deadly road accident that almost took his life in November last year. The legendary swimmer was on his way to pick up his children from school before the turn of events happened in the blink of an eye.

Ryan Lochte explained that surviving the horrific road accident pulled him closer to God. He believes that there was divine intervention in his survival journey since investigators had declared him dead upon arrival at the scene of the crash.

Going down memory lane in an interview with Swimming World Magazine, Ryan Lochte narrated that he was on his way to pick up his children from school before ramming into a trash truck that was parked in the middle of the road.

"In the blink of an eye, your life can be over. I’m just so thankful that no one got injured except me. My kids weren’t in the car…I was on the way to pick them up from school," Lochte said.

"Four-lane street and this trash truck, was like parked in the middle of the street, and the car in front of me swerved and then got out and then I immediately tried to swerve and I clipped the corner of the truck and broke my femur, completely broke my femur in half," the three-time Olympic silver medallist said.

Ryan Lochte added that he still has difficulties walking but physical therapy has been working out well on his side. He insisted that aside from that, he is healthy and happy to have his kids around.

The 39-year-old explained that he was never a strong believer in God but after his survival, his faith intensified. Having survived the grisly road accident, Lochte noted that God was the one who saved him.

"Totaled my car…mu car was indented. It’s still hard for me to walk, but I’m doing PT, my health is there, my kids are safe. You know how I said earlier that I wasn’t really religious but I believe someone was up there and needed that extra 5% for me to see it," Lochte said.

"God was watching me, and it was like, it’s not your time. Being in that crash, I knew he saved me. I still have so many nightmares, white lights flashing in my eyes," he added.

Ryan Lochte on how mental health struggles pushed him to launch Legendary Swim Academy

Ryan Lochte at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials - Swimming - Day 5

Ryan Lochte disclosed his struggle with depression for years and how he managed to overcome the issues and bounce back to becoming an advocate and mentor to young swimmers.

He launched the Legendary Swim Academy intending to help youngsters know that they should not make their whole lives about the sport.

The 39-year-old singled out Caeleb Dressel, disclosing that he wants to continue impacting the life of the 27-year-old who is his friend.

"I went through depression and mental health struggles. So, I realized that, and I seeing so many younger Olympians going through that such as Caeleb Dressel, who is a really good friend and like a son to me and calls me ‘Big Daddy.’ The youth these days feels that sports is their life, and I want to teach them the importance of having balance," Lochte told the Digital Journal.

"I want to teach kids that swimming is just a sport, and it is not their life. There is so much more to life, and they have to live it. That is the message and point that I want to get across to these kids through my Legendary Academy," he added.

The Legendary Swim Academy looks to have every swimmer receive personalized coaching from their mindset to nutrition. On their website, the camp also aims to educate and motivate the youngsters.