Mandanda missed the World Cup after cracking a vertebra in his neck in a collision with Guingamp's Mustapha Yatabare in a Ligue 1 match on May 17 but the 29-year-old claimed it could have been even worse.
The Marseille goalkeeper, who made his return to the pitch in a friendly against Willem II in July, claimed he could have become a tetraplegic - or quadriplegic - following the accident.
"In the heat of the moment you have no time to ask yourself questions," Mandanda told France Football.
"I wanted to get up but I sensed it wasn't possible and I went off on a stretcher.
"When I was on the stretcher the thought went through my mind: 'Will I recover in time to play at the World Cup?' I didn't realise how serious the accident was. I could have been tetraplegic and forced to give up football.
"The neurosurgeon admitted that to me the following morning having looked at the scans and the MRI. He told me I wouldn't be able to go to the World Cup but added I'd been lucky amidst the distress. It could have been much more serious."
"Leaving the club and the Stade Velodrome on a stretcher, injured, after all these years at the club would not have been great," he said.
"I want to have a good season with [Marseille] and erase last season as far as possible, as simple as that."
