Hank Williams Jr's daughter opens up about how she 'died twice' following car crash on the way to her grandfather's funeral, leaving her covered in injuries which have inspired her latest album 'My Lucky Scars'
- Country singer Hilary Williams, 40, says she died twice and got a glimpse of heaven after she got into a terrible car crash in 2006
- Her father is country star Hank Williams Jr and her grandfather is country legend Hank Williams Sr
- She was driving with her sister Holly to their maternal grandfather's funeral when they crashed and the car flipped over four times in Tennessee
- She broke her collar bone, back, pelvis tail bone, ribs and both of her hips
- She flatlined twice during treatment and says the first time she visited her famous grandfather and grandmother in heaven
- The second time she flatlined was during surgery on her hips, but she had no heaven experience that time
- After five years and 30 injuries she's finally fully recovered, and wrote about her painful healing process in her 2018 album My Lucky Scars
The daughter of music legend Hank Williams Jr is opening up about how she 'died twice' following a devastating car crash and hugged her grandparents in heaven, and how the harrowing accident inspired her latest album.
Country singer Hilary Williams, 40, comes from a long line of country artists.
Her father is Hank Williams Jr, famous for his hit All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight which is used for the opening of the NFL's Monday Night Football. Her grandfather was Hank Williams Sr, who is considered one of the most influential American singers of the 20th century.
Her life flashed before her eyes twice after she got into a terrible car accident while driving with her sister Holly on March 15, 2006, outside Memphis, Tennessee, on their way to their maternal grandfather's funeral.
'I was pronounced dead twice. I flatlined,' she explained to Fox News.
'The first time I went into cardiac arrest and I went up to heaven and saw my grandfather Hank Williams and my grandmother Audrey. They were young and smiling and gave me a big hug…then I came right back to earth and I woke up,' Williams added.
Country singer Hilary Williams, 40, is retelling how she died twice and got a glimpse of heaven after she got into a terrible car crash in 2006 on her way to her maternal grandfather's funeral. Her long road to recovery is the inspiration for her 2018 album Lucky Scars
Father and daughter: Hilary is the daughter of famous country singer Hank Williams Jr
In the crash Hilary lost control of the car and the vehicle violently flipped over four times.
Hilary comes from a long line of country artists. Her grandfather was country singer Hank Williams Sr
The singer broke her collar bone, back, pelvis tail bone, ribs and both of her hips. Her colon ruptured and her right femur shattered.
Her sister broke her arm and her head partially went through the sunroof in the accident.
As Hilary was being treated she says she was pronounced dead twice - but miraculously came back to life.
The first time, she claims she got to visit heaven and see her famed grandfather and other family members. She noted they didn't speak to each other but shared hugs. Soon after, she woke up.
The next time she flatlined was after she had been in the hospital for three days and she died after suffering a blood clot during hip surgery.
'I didn't have an experience then but they said I died again and came back,' she explained.
She flatlined twice during treatment and says the first time she visited her famous grandfather and grandmother in heaven. She got into the crash while she was driving with her sister Holly (together above)
Hank Williams pictured above with Hilary (left at 22), Holly (center aged 20) and Katie (right aged nine) in 2001
She says that she survived the crash even though the odds were stacked against her as she's diabetic and lost a massive amount of blood.
'I'm just so grateful I'm here and thankful. When we got in the wreck, I only was supposed to live for 20 minutes... I'd lost six pints of blood, and I'm also a Type 1 diabetic. I've had that for 32 years and I went to ketoacidosis when I was in the hospital. My blood sugar ran 500 for a week and that could have easily killed me,' she said.
'I just I had so many factors against me so I know I'm definitely here for a purpose and a reason,' Williams added.
It took five years and 30 surgeries for Williams to fully recovery from the accident and restart her singing career.
Her latest album Lucky Scars, released in May 2018, talks about her long journey to recovery.
After five years and 30 injuries she's finally fully recovered, and wrote about her painful healing process in her 2018 album My Lucky Scars
'The scars on my body are God’s saving grace. It was just very therapeutic for me to write the record and get the songs out,' she said on her miraculous recovery
'The scars on my body are God’s saving grace. It was just very therapeutic for me to write the record and get the songs out,' she said.
Her 2018 Lucky Scars album is pictured above
'Actually, when I got in my car accident... my attorney was [in Los Angeles] shopping for me a record deal. So my music career got halted and it took five years for me to recover,' she added.
Speaking on coming from a long line of singers, Willliams insists that her father never 'forced the music business' on her or her sister Holly, who is also a singer.
'He just wanted us to follow our own heart and our path and what makes us happy,' she said.
She added that despite his fame and acclaim, Williams Jr surprisingly didn't play much music around the house.
'Sometimes he would play the guitar and sing songs but he doesn't listen to the radio in the car,' she said.
