“I wonder if they saw it coming at the last second?”
I guess some people are knocked unconscious at impact, but some that are cleanly cut, might not only see it at the last second, but remain conscious for some time, before the blood/oxygen runs out to their brain.
Heads severed by the the guillotine were often observed to have their eyes still tracking people’s movements, and mouths that were apparently moving, as if to speak.
Lets hope so!