Former Fall River mayor William A. Flanagan said he feared he would die during a brutal assault last week in the city he once led for three terms more than a decade ago.

In a heartfelt social media post on Tuesday, Flanagan thanked the first responders and health professionals who saved his life after he was stabbed on Oct. 20, as well as all the people who’ve wished him well as he recovers from his injuries.

“I came face to face with death,” the post said. “I can still feel the weight of those moments. The sound. The fear. The realization that I might never see my family again. That I might never tell my family I loved them one last time.”

Flanagan, a three-term mayor who lost a recall election in 2014, was found bleeding profusely on Hartwell Street in Fall River shortly after 5 p.m

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