She was once one of the most recognizable and sought after video vixens in the game, but Melyssa Ford has put those days behind her. She's been featured in music videos for R. Kelly, Alicia Keys, Lil Jon, 112, Glenn Lewis, Jay Z, Sisqo, Mystikal, Jadakiss, Ludacris, Kardinal Offishall, Lil Zane, and more. She was known as a "hip hop model" who paved the way for other women to make careers out of blending their jobs with the rap industry, even starring in the movie Video Girl which is about a young woman who gets lost in the industry after becoming a video model.
Ford currently enjoys a career as an entertainment news host with Hollywood Unlocked, but recently she had to take some time off after being involved in an accident where she almost lost her life. The 42-year-old was driving her Jeep when it collided with an 18-wheeler truck which resulted in a severe brain injury. She recently shared her story with Jason Lee and DJ Damage on Hollywood Unlocked, saying that she's lucky to be alive.
"The reality of the situation is it was 12:37 pm, bright and early," she said. "Eighty degree, perfectly clear day. I had my phone that had directions, mounted. I had my seatbelt on. My jeep wasn’t in its convertible fashion. It had its roof on. That becomes part of the story later. And I had all my facilities, meaning no open containers, nothing."
"Once the impact hit the back tire, the car just started to spin out of control," she said. "So I started spinning the wheel in the opposite the direction, counterclockwise. But then I took my feet off the pedals, in order to not increase or decrease speed. But the way it was going, I knew it was going to flip. I knew it. But then I also thought to myself, I’m not going to make it. It’s seconds but they also feel like an entirety at the same time."
Ford continued. "So when my jeep came to rest upside down. Once it landed, my head hit the pavement. So that’s what cracked open my head. I had a skull fracture, my head was cracked open like an egg. My brain was bleeding, massive concussion. I was knocked out. I don’t know how long I was out. But from what I’ve been told, good samaritans, whoever you are, thank you for everything. They stopped and apparently, three guys picked up my jeep and the fourth one pulled me out. The pictures you guys saw, I saw at the same time. One of the guys took pictures to prove that he actually stopped to help someone on the highway."
She mentions that she wasn't particularly upset that someone stopped to take photos because she felt as if she was having an out-of-body experience. Ford went on to explain that following the accident, she went through a deep depression as she healed from her injuries. Check out her full interview below.