Orlando Bloom Recalls 'Narrowly Escaping Death and Paralysis' After Injuring Spine in 1998 Fall

Dave Benett/WireImage Orlando Bloom

Orlando Bloom is looking back at a harrowing moment in his life.

The Pirates of the Caribbean alum, 44, opened up about a 1998 fall that "crushed" his spine in an Instagram post on Friday, sharing a throwback photo taken just three months after the near-fatal accident.

The image showed a younger Bloom wearing a back brace while riding a bicycle. The actor juxtaposed the shot by including a recent picture of himself — this time wearing a cycling jersey, bike shorts and a helmet — riding down a tree-lined road.

"That's me in my back brace circa 1998 about 3months after I fell 3floors and crushed my spine, narrowly escaping death and paralysis…" he wrote in he caption, adding, "grateful everyday for my limbs that allow me to push my limits and live life on my edge (safer now🙏)."

Orlando Bloom/Instagram

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Bloom previously went into detail about the fall in a 2005 profile with GQ magazine, sharing that he was climbing up to a roof terrace when the drainpipe he was holding onto collapsed.

"Until then, I didn't have a healthy appreciation for life and death — that we're not invincible," he recalled of the accident. "And for four days, I faced the idea of living in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. I went to some dark places in my mind. I realized, I'm either going to walk again or I'm not."

"The doctor said he wasn't sure how severe the spinalcord damage was," Bloom continued. "I remember him telling me that, and staring at the ceiling, thinking, I never stared at ceilings before! And I wonder if I'm going to be looking at ceilings for the rest of my life."

Getty Orlando Bloom

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Though Bloom miraculously recovered after spending just a few weeks in the hospital, he said that the incident changed his outlook on life.

"When I came out of the hospital, I started partying straight away — with the back brace on. It took me a couple of months to realize this was my life, and I didn't want to mess it up," Bloom remembered.

"But that accident has informed everything in my life," he added. "Until you're close to losing it, you don't realize. I used to ride motorbikes and drive cars like everything was a racetrack; it was ridiculous. It wasn't because I thought it was cool; it was just because I loved living on the edge. But I've chilled."

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However, that doesn't mean Bloom doesn't indulge in his wild side once in a while. Earlier this month, the Carnival Row star shared several photographs from his skinny-dipping adventure at a lake.

"💦💦💦," he captioned the four-part carousel, which featured a snapshot of Bloom standing in the buff, flashing a thumbs up with his right hand with a peach emoji edited over his bare bum.

He also posted a video of his swim in the lake. "Ah, so amazing!" he exclaimed in the clip.