Gloria Estefan Recalls 'Excruciating' Pain After 1990 Bus Accident: I Felt an 'Explosion'

"I had the taste of electricity in my mouth," she says in the Red Table Talk: The Estefans clip

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Updated on November 10, 2020 01:35PM EST

Gloria Estefan is looking back at her near-death experience with husband Emilio.

In a PEOPLE exclusive clip of Wednesday's episode of Red Table Talk: The Estefans titled "Faced Death and Lived to Talk About It," the Latina powerhouse recalls the horrific bus accident that nearly left her immobile.

"We got rear-ended by a fully-loaded 18-wheeler, and there was what felt like an explosion," the 63-year-old says in the clip. "It was huge. And I opened my eyes and I'm on the floor of the bus. And I am looking around and it is mayhem."

"Emilio is over me like wild-eyed, screaming, 'Are you okay?'" she adds as her niece Lili and daughter Emily look in shock. "He's covered in blood, and I go, 'Babe I broke my back.'"

gloria estefan — Gloria Estefan's Grammy win in 1994. Timothy Clary/Getty

Estefan then says she tried to get back, realizing she had been severely injured.

"I had the taste of electricity in my mouth," she says. "That's the only way I can describe it. The pain was excruciating."

In August, Estefan spoke to PEOPLE about how the near-death changed her perspective on life.

"There was definitely a before and after from that accident. Even though I wouldn't want to go through it again, I learned a lot about just living day-to-day," she said then. "I remember thinking, 'Maybe this is the reason that I've gone through this; maybe I can be an example to people of how to take control of our lives and get past hurdles.'"

"After my accident, I couldn't imagine going from being almost paralyzed to walking again. I made myself short-term goals to accomplish, such as walking an extra two feet, so each day I just went a little further," she added. "Don't think about that daunting thing that seems unattainable — think about what I can do today to be just that much closer to that goal."

Along with talking about the lessons she learned after the accident, Estefan is set to give a performance of "Coming Out of the Dark" alongside her daughter on the new Red Table Talk episode.

The new episode of Red Table Talk: The Estefans premieres Wednesday on Facebook Watch.