One day as Samantha Dunn was leading her horse through the canyons of California, he inadvertently trampled her, nearly severing her leg.

In a life filled with risk-taking and injuries, this was the most serious accident yet. It spurred Dunn to question her inclination toward carelessness, and she learned that a pattern of accidents often indicates deeper issues bubbling below the surface. This last near-fatal episode was a wake-up call; she had been looking away, not only from her horse, who had shown clear signs of panic, but also from her complicated past and troubled marriage. Not by Accident follows the stages of Dunn's long and painful recovery, during which the emotional healing process proved even more challenging than the physical one.