Car accidents are traumatic, no matter how minor they may be; when one of them happens, there’s a good chance that the person involved will never be the exact same. That is likely due to the fact that one has impacted a multi-ton machine with another large mode of conveyence. I believe part of it has to do with the fact that the vehicle could easily lead to the death of the individual. It’s more of a “what could have happened” response than a “what did happen” one in a great many situations. There have been a ton of articles discussing clients experiencing shock following car accident; our piece is to highlight some of the more present issues that exist when someone gets into a car accident.
My own story of trauma
Just a few months after I originally receivfed my license, I got into a fairly major car crash. I remember it still – I wanted to go pick up a pizza for my parents one night. The sun was setting and the roads were bathed in that odd light that’s not quite dusk nor night. When I turned left on Main Street, my passenger side was smashed into by an individual that did not have their lights on. This truck ultimately did enough damage that my poor little compact car was totaled, despite being fairly new. There was both physical and mental damage that occurred to me as part of this crash. Physically, I had major bruising on my flank where the seat belt had gripped as it became taut. I was sore for the better part of a month all throughout my body. I would wake up from sleep numerous times reliving the crash, and it was hard to get back to driving immediately after the event occurred. While this trauma ultimately did disappear over the course of a few years, I still recall the event every few months. When I drive, I believe that I am overly cautious to the annoyance of other drivers. While one may say that everything is ok immediately after the crash occurs, friends and family need to dig a little deeper to make sure that the person is doing alright.
Concluding Thoughts
I am not an expert in any way. Please take what I have said above with a grain of salt and seek the advice of a professional before taking any major steps. After you get back home from a car accident, attempt to keep a diary of any negative feelings you experience. Some of these could be more psychological in nature (e.g. imending dread, depression, or anxiety), but some of these may be physical. Make sure to go to an urgent care if you have trouble breathing, vertigo, dizziness, or extreme loss of bladder or bowel control. Please leave a comment on this post if you have been unfortunate enough to ever be involved in a car crash, whether major or minor. Your expertise will also help anyone that happens upon this post.
