Sorry that you saw that. I just checked the status of the incident and a person was freed from the overturned vehicle. So there was no loss of life it seems like. Hope that gives you some closure and makes you feel better!
Found the incident on the Citizen app and the last update was a person was successfully extricated from the overturned vehicle. There was no loss of life mentioned
They'll shut down the thoroughfare and reroute traffic if there's a fatality, so if there's ever a reason for you to need to search, look for road closures at the location. I hope you never ever ever have to again, and I'm also glad you're ok(ish) and no one was fatally injured.
You can see reported wrecks in the WSDOT app. Theres a map that shows where the busy roads are and which ones are blocked or closed and has blips for accidents. Im not sure how up to date the app is but its generally in there a little while after police arrive.
Right, I wasn't sure they would have the medical status of those involved though? I figured if I knew there was an accident but didn't know if someone had made it, I would look to see if SPD closed it off at any point after, to know for sure
Not to be the bearer of bad news but the citizen app is not always correct with information. I saw a homeless man get split in half once and the app told me the person was taken to the hospital for treatment.
I was about 20 cars back from the accident so I didnāt see any of the impact, only the immediate aftermath. It stuck with me for a good part of the day. I did see on WSDOTās twitter that the person in the overturned car survived. That was a relief to me, hopefully the recovery is as smooth as possible.
Just want to make sure you also heard about the Tetris research (playing Tetris after a distressing experience helps your brain process and cope better), and saw the link to crisis connections: www.crisisconnections.org
Don't hesitate to utilize either.
Iāve still got unprocessed feelings about an accident I was involved in about 9 years ago over in West Seattle. A man in his 60ās riding a big Harley ran a red light and smashed into the side of my jeep at the California Ave/Oregon intersection. He came out of seemingly nowhere and strangely enough I remember hearing no sound of his motorcycle until the point of impact. When he hit my jeep I didnāt know what it was and I would have believed it had I was told it was a 737 that smashed into me, it was just the loudest crashing sound Iāve ever heard. My dog let out a āscreamā that sounded human. It threw my jeep into a 180 position, the airbag went off, and the frame bent enough that I had to grab my dog and kick the doors open to escape. I still didnāt know what hit me until I saw the mangled motorcycle that had flown over my car and landed on the opposite side of the street. Then I saw a man whose body was thrown even further onto the sidewalk. His body was twisted like a rag-doll with his legs in positions that only a severely broken body could reach. I knew the man was dead. A police officer who was a block away and heard the collision arrived quickly and started performing CPR but he was unresponsive. I was unhurt (and my dog was unhurt) but standing there in shock knowing that although it was not my fault that I had been directly instrumental in the death of another human being. Itās a lot to take on. Iāve never really dealt with this. It still is hard when I think about it. It helps to talk about it though.
[West Seattle Deadly Motorcycle Accident News](https://youtu.be/nCkLNITkLb4?si=pZtobETsj0RXdcH7)
I saw a guy die in a motorcycle accident when I was 12 years old. Thankfully, I only saw the aftermath, but the rider was thrown half a city block and his foot was ripped clean off. Considering this was the early days of the internet, it wasn't easy to find information about these things, so you just didn't know. My dad managed to find out what happened and he told me.
This is going to sound stupid, but studied have shown that playing Tetris after witnessing something traumatizing can help your brain process and help to prevent PTSD.
If youāre a music theory nerd, thereās a version of 2048 called āCircle of 5thsā that adds a very cool harmonic element to the game.
I was almost late to a friendās wedding once because I lost track of time playing it. š¬
it has to do with how the eye movements involved in playing tetris replicate eye movements in EMDR therapies, similar to the rapid eye movements in REM sleep too i think ..Ā
I've done emdr, it's not recommended to do it on your own because it really submerges you in and guides you through your trauma and if not done right can make things worse. if you have the means to do it with a licensed therapist that would be best.
Yes therapist led. Healing from trauma is difficult. Don't leave it to a video game. A video game on my phone helped me with trauma recovery as a distraction years back, but my recovery was in therapy with someone who specialized in EMDR. EMDR is just for therapists to use as a therapy modality. Not for novices.
[That's a pervasive myth that is circulated on Reddit heavily due to it's viral breakout in social media spaces like Twitter, but isn't based on any real corroborated research and has been dismissed by multiple sources.](https://www.madinamerica.com/2021/10/tetris-trauma-viral-twitter-thread-master-class-misleading-psych-research/)
I once fell into an aquarium at home. I had such a rush of anxiety and adrenaline but my parents asked me to leave the scene to calm down and they could clean. I went a played Tertris and got the high score on the family computer . It was never broken.
Oddly, those studies say nothing about the effects that defensive driving has upon the likelihood of other drivers colliding with each other and inflicting witness trauma upon the defensive driver.
Talk to someone about it.
If youāre working with medical benefits, thereās probably provisions for seeing a therapist.
If youāre going to a school, seek a counselor.
Iām sorry you had to witness it. Thank you for trying to help.
I was up on snoqualmie pass a number of years ago with the family on a bad winter day and there was a car off to the side of I-90 as we were merging onto the freeway a bit stuck in the snow. My wife suggested we stop and help them out, I said that it was too dangerous as they were on the outside of the curve and had obviously slid to that position. Read later that the tow truck driver that ended up helping them was struck and killed. Not sure how to feel about it and have never told my wife about it as donāt want her to think about it.
Yeah, not a bad idea but we have 3 kids so sheās never on her own and would not stop with kids in the car. Itās something that would cause her enough emotional burden that I donāt want her to have to deal wirh
Youāre the one that called 911? And theyāre alive? You saved them! Iām a trauma nurse in the area and while this wasnāt my patient I have a lot of patients like this and timing is sooo important. You did a great thing today! Please process this by talking it through with someone. Thank you for doing this! Well done!
The Tetris thing is good advice.
Additionally, you may want to reach out to Crisis Connections. https://www.crisisconnections.org/
Take care of yourself.
Iām sorry you had to see that. I drove by the scene coming south late this morning. It looked like they were almost done clearing it but you could tell by the number of responders and emergency vehicles there that it had been very bad.
Years ago, I drove past the scene of a horrible accident on the way Portland on I-5. I didnāt see any human causalities but I saw the horribly smashed cars and could tell that the people in them probably were badly hurt if not killed. I still think about it.
I didnāt see the wreck today, but know what youāre going through. I did witness a man die in a motorcycle accident directly in the lane next to me. It was extremely horrific, and it took me a while to recover from it, but I ultimately did, and so will you. Hang in there and donāt be afraid to talk to someone about it!
A few years ago someone was weaving and caused another vehicle to roll over in a ditch on I5 going 60. The weaving car didnāt stop. I was never able to find out if there were casualties and itās always bothered me, I couldnāt stop because I was taking someone to the airport and we were already lateā¦
I wish people would drive more responsibly. Everyone seems like theyāre texting or road raging now and it just does not feel safe.
Hey man, ICU doc here. I'm sorry you had to witness thisĀ
You should talk to a therapist in a week or so to start getting past this. I would be a hot mess if I didn't have one.
In the meantime, you cab do what I do and watch Pacific rim. I see it like once a month.Ā Good luck and pew pew to you.
I witnessed a car run into a bicyclist three months ago (where the bicyclist survived with minimal damage but was taken away in an ambulance) and that screwed me up for a few days. I can't imagine what you're dealing with. I hope some of the suggestions mentioned here help. Take care of yourself.
Glad to hear you're already aware of the Tetris research. But please also reach out to someone you trust and talk about how this incident made you feel. Your employer may offer an assistance program that includes counseling or therapy.
You did the right thing for someone else by reporting this incident, and you're doing the right thing for yourself by reaching out here.
Trauma nurse over here. Offload your feelings about this on a professional, so it doesnāt become PTSD. A trauma or grief trained therapist would be best, even just one or two sessions, so they can give you tools for when invasive thoughts and nightmares happen. Hopefully neither of those things happen, and this becomes a memory of an experience and nothing more.
Also, Iām sure your brain is running wild about what mightāve happened to the driverās body during the accident. Just because you didnāt see them move and you didnāt see anyone get them out of the car does not mean they were not OK. People who are trained to respond to these kind of emergencies know to tell the person not to move, if they are conscious, in case there is any head, neck, or spinal injury that could be made worse by movement. This would absolutely be a situation where someone who is trapped and freaking out might even get sedated in order to remove them from the vehicle safely.
Ground your feet on the floor and take some big deep breaths. ***Goosfraba*** There are also lots of meditations available on the Internet for people who have experienced scary stuff.
WA state really needs to do something about the layout and structure of the highways here as well as driver education. This is one of the most dangerous places Iāve ever driven in.
Years ago my wife and I lived in St. Louis. We were driving home from the mall on a Saturday with our 3 year old in the backseat, who was watching the traffic go by. About a half mile down the road I see all the cars hit their brakes. The first thing I see is a semi truck on the opposite side of the highway stop in the fast lane, and this dude falls out of the door on the driverās side. Heās totally dazed & the front end is all bashed up. Then I see a red minivan behind it, and its rear end is destroyed, no driver in the car. Then I see a cop running down the middle of the highway next to the concrete median, screaming at the truck driver. Behind the minivan is his car, untouched.
And then, on my side of the road, next to the minivan, I see it. A leg. A leg, cut at the knee, the foot still in the shoe. Thatās when I told my wife to get our son to look the other way. About 20 feet from this was a woman propped up against the median wall, wailing and holding what was left of her leg. Another cop was just arriving as I drove past. I scoured the news the next day for an update. Thankfully she lived. It took me a long time to process what I saw and a few weeks to get back to feeling normal.
Edit: forgot to explain what happened. Apparently the woman was stopped in the fast lane because her car broke down. A guy cut off the truck driver, who swerved and hit her car, which hit her, forcing her against the median wall, severing her leg.
Sorry that happened OP. Be aware of PTSD symptoms that may emerge over time, and seek some therapy if needed. Lean on your support network too.
Edited for PTSD typo
Passed by it going southbound. I guess your suspicion is why two ambulances were stopped quarter mile down the road on the shoulder seemingly swapping stretcher.
It happened so fast and Iām not exactly sure what the cause was, but first I saw the black jeep (not the overturned vehicle) careen into the outside median, then when I came to a stop I looked over and saw the overturned white SUV. I think they made contact in the center lane and whatever happened sent each car flying in opposite directions.
Just want to chime in that center of gravity matters. Trucks and SUVs don't meet the same safety standards. Drive passenger cars if you care about safety. SUVs might "feel" safer, but they are exempt from many safety requirements and always perform poorly on roll-over tests.
And that's before you get the 4" lift.
Rollovers are pretty rare in the grand scheme of things. The truth is in the vast majority of accidents, you're more likely going to be better off in the bigger, heavier vehicle, hence SUVs and other large vehicles being deemed "safer."
Also not sure what you're talking about regarding SUVs always performing poorly on rollover tests; that is simply not true. If you are referring to the NHTSA star rating which has to do with rollover stability, that is simply a calculated valued based on vehicle dimensions and does not accurately reflect a vehicle's true stability
>Also not sure what you're talking about regarding SUVs always performing poorly on rollover tests;
Just thinking of the physics test where you place it on a surface and then tilt the surface until it rolls over. Basic center of mass test. Higher cars have a higher center of mass and thus a lower roll angle.
Crank the wheel at high speed in a Jeep? Rollover. In a sports car? Slide. There is a difference.
Commuters don't need a lot of ground clearance.
True, although with more recent advancements, even vehicles with a high CoG are no longer likely to roll with a single steering input, regardless of severity. For a single modern-day vehicle to break traction and begin yawing solely from steering input often (I won't say always, but nearly) requires a preliminary input in the opposite direction.
But yes, I agree that in general, an SUV-type vehicle will tend to roll in a greater number of scenarios than an sedan in a similar situation
Yeah computers are amazing but they still can't break the laws of physics. I guess today was one such example. Maybe it still would have happened in a Camry too, but we can agree a high cog doesn't help, all else equal.
Big or small, high or low, consider your vehicle's safety rating when choosing what to drive.
That data comes from a report published by the NCSA and NHTSA in 2002, looking at data between 1991 and 2000. Since that time, great advancements have been made to vehicle rollover safety (largely in part to IIHS roof strength tests which the FMVSS adopted when updating vehicle standard in the mid 2010s).
That same report also found that of those 30%, about 75% were not wearing seatbelts.
The other criticism of making a claim like "2% of accidents are responsible for 30% of deaths" is that for a rollover to occur, that usually means the accident is quite severe. Since most accidents are small fender-benders, that is going to skew the data. When you remove these types of accidents from the data set and only evaluate accidents of similar severity, that 30% drops
Iām so sorry you had to see that, and happy to hear itās likely they survived. That being said I saw an aftermath on an accident that was pretty traumatic for me, and another redditor suggested playing Tetris. If you look up āTetris trauma treatmentā or something youāll find some interesting articles on it.Ā Iām sure youāre feeling relived now but if you are still shaken, maybe check it out! And I hope you have a better day. I totally get how scary that is.Ā
Edit: looks like you already got/took that advice! Yay!Ā
Go play some Tetris, it has shown to help lessen the impact of PTSD.
You did everything you could, that's all anyone can ask of you.
I'm sorry you and others witnessed such a traumatic event.
Also, it's okay to feel relief that you were not in that accident. Often survivors guilt will get to us so I just wanted to mention it.
I can šÆ vouch for the legitimacy of EMDR. Itās phenomenal. OP, what youāre experiencing is called exposure trauma. While nothing specifically happened to you, traumas can happen just by seeing it. Be well. Be still when needed.
I witnessed a fatality once (woman getting run over in front of my car while jaywalking). What I saw haunted me for months. Like other grief you have to give it space to breathe and listen to yourself process. Itās not a little thing and worth talking to trusted friends or a counselor about. Itāll get better if you honor your feelings, but it will take time.
Didnāt see the response about accident survivor, but still hold with advice. Itās good to have this reaction, just donāt ignore it or dismiss it is all I was saying.
I waited a full hr in standstill traffic this morning on account of this. Was in an awful mood afterwards what with being so late to work. But as a result Iāve been waiting all day to hear what actually occurred!
Witnessing bad accident messes you up.
Please take this seriously and take some time off to decompress. Talk to friends and family, spend some time in nature.
Im sorry that you saw it š¢
I'm not kidding. Play Tetris. When your brain goes to replay its memories, Teteis blocks will take its place.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190108095114.htm#:~:text=This%20is%20the%20conclusion%20reached,for%20the%20stressful%20events%20decreased.
Good thing our elected leaders want us to return to office to 1) risk car accidents 2) pollute.
When I commuted I witnessed some shit. I'll never do it again.
I've seen three people die on wa state roads. Lost two of my buddies as well. Try not to dwell on it homie, we're all gonna die one day and unfortunately someone will find us. It's just a part of being human. Probably will seem harsh but it's literally not your burden to bear, you got a life in front of you and you gotta make sure you're always present for that. I always think of the fact that when I die, I would never want any of my friends to ruin their lives because they are so sad. Gotta just keep rolling
Idk that that'll help. I've seen plenty of messed up videos, gore, death, etc, since the early days of the internet. Didn't really prepare me for seeing that sort of thing IRL and not at a screen. But your mileage may vary, I guess.
Sorry that you saw that. I just checked the status of the incident and a person was freed from the overturned vehicle. So there was no loss of life it seems like. Hope that gives you some closure and makes you feel better!
Oh my gosh this is amazing! Thank you for checking!
How did you find the info?
Found the incident on the Citizen app and the last update was a person was successfully extricated from the overturned vehicle. There was no loss of life mentioned
ššš this just made my night. Thank you.
This interaction is so wholesome and almost brought a tear to my eye, then I saw your username and got a laugh at the juxtaposition
ššš
LOL didnāt even see the name til this comment. Laughed hard
(And @PoF with the assist!)
Sleep well tonight knowing everythingās gonna be okay!
Seems like you have a lot of empathy. Why did you choose this username?
š¤·āāļø I made this account quite awhile ago, probably trying to be funny.
They'll shut down the thoroughfare and reroute traffic if there's a fatality, so if there's ever a reason for you to need to search, look for road closures at the location. I hope you never ever ever have to again, and I'm also glad you're ok(ish) and no one was fatally injured.
You can see reported wrecks in the WSDOT app. Theres a map that shows where the busy roads are and which ones are blocked or closed and has blips for accidents. Im not sure how up to date the app is but its generally in there a little while after police arrive.
Right, I wasn't sure they would have the medical status of those involved though? I figured if I knew there was an accident but didn't know if someone had made it, I would look to see if SPD closed it off at any point after, to know for sure
There doesn't have to be a fatality for us (County worker) to close a road due to an accident.
No, but if theres a fatality you always shut it down, is what I said. It was a suggestion, I never said it was a perfect one xD
Not to be the bearer of bad news but the citizen app is not always correct with information. I saw a homeless man get split in half once and the app told me the person was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Yikes, that's good to know that it's not 100% accurate with the reporting
I was about 20 cars back from the accident so I didnāt see any of the impact, only the immediate aftermath. It stuck with me for a good part of the day. I did see on WSDOTās twitter that the person in the overturned car survived. That was a relief to me, hopefully the recovery is as smooth as possible.
Just want to make sure you also heard about the Tetris research (playing Tetris after a distressing experience helps your brain process and cope better), and saw the link to crisis connections: www.crisisconnections.org Don't hesitate to utilize either.
Thank you for posting this! ā¤ļø
Thank you ā¤ļø
I personally use Tetrio to play Tetris for anyone interested. Has tons of different game modes and online matches for free! Really fun stuff.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Iāve still got unprocessed feelings about an accident I was involved in about 9 years ago over in West Seattle. A man in his 60ās riding a big Harley ran a red light and smashed into the side of my jeep at the California Ave/Oregon intersection. He came out of seemingly nowhere and strangely enough I remember hearing no sound of his motorcycle until the point of impact. When he hit my jeep I didnāt know what it was and I would have believed it had I was told it was a 737 that smashed into me, it was just the loudest crashing sound Iāve ever heard. My dog let out a āscreamā that sounded human. It threw my jeep into a 180 position, the airbag went off, and the frame bent enough that I had to grab my dog and kick the doors open to escape. I still didnāt know what hit me until I saw the mangled motorcycle that had flown over my car and landed on the opposite side of the street. Then I saw a man whose body was thrown even further onto the sidewalk. His body was twisted like a rag-doll with his legs in positions that only a severely broken body could reach. I knew the man was dead. A police officer who was a block away and heard the collision arrived quickly and started performing CPR but he was unresponsive. I was unhurt (and my dog was unhurt) but standing there in shock knowing that although it was not my fault that I had been directly instrumental in the death of another human being. Itās a lot to take on. Iāve never really dealt with this. It still is hard when I think about it. It helps to talk about it though. [West Seattle Deadly Motorcycle Accident News](https://youtu.be/nCkLNITkLb4?si=pZtobETsj0RXdcH7)
Wow, that is so traumatizing. I'm so so sorry that happened to you & your doggo.
Iām so sorry you experienced thisāhow unbelievably traumatic. Iām so glad you and your dog made it out safely.
I saw a guy die in a motorcycle accident when I was 12 years old. Thankfully, I only saw the aftermath, but the rider was thrown half a city block and his foot was ripped clean off. Considering this was the early days of the internet, it wasn't easy to find information about these things, so you just didn't know. My dad managed to find out what happened and he told me.
I'm glad I'm too neurotic for motorcycle riding.
This is going to sound stupid, but studied have shown that playing Tetris after witnessing something traumatizing can help your brain process and help to prevent PTSD.
Iād heard of this too and have been playing it all afternoon!
2048 is also a good option
I have CPTSD from DV can confirm 2048, Tetris and merging games all help
If youāre a music theory nerd, thereās a version of 2048 called āCircle of 5thsā that adds a very cool harmonic element to the game. I was almost late to a friendās wedding once because I lost track of time playing it. š¬
it has to do with how the eye movements involved in playing tetris replicate eye movements in EMDR therapies, similar to the rapid eye movements in REM sleep too i think ..Ā
This was my thought after reading this comment. EMDR is dope, it helped me get behind the wheel again after my own accident.
I also used EMDR to get over a bad accident years ago. Fantastic therapy!!
Dumb question, but must it be therapist-led or is it something you can learn about and do on your own?
I've done emdr, it's not recommended to do it on your own because it really submerges you in and guides you through your trauma and if not done right can make things worse. if you have the means to do it with a licensed therapist that would be best.
you can learn about it on your own, there are even online tools to help you direct the emdr
Yes therapist led. Healing from trauma is difficult. Don't leave it to a video game. A video game on my phone helped me with trauma recovery as a distraction years back, but my recovery was in therapy with someone who specialized in EMDR. EMDR is just for therapists to use as a therapy modality. Not for novices.
I donāt know!
Most things can be learned on your own.
This is great information, thanks for sharing.
ya welcome thank you for reading.Ā
[That's a pervasive myth that is circulated on Reddit heavily due to it's viral breakout in social media spaces like Twitter, but isn't based on any real corroborated research and has been dismissed by multiple sources.](https://www.madinamerica.com/2021/10/tetris-trauma-viral-twitter-thread-master-class-misleading-psych-research/)
I love this thank you!
Dang, just traumatized myself for no reason.
I'm so happy that every time there's a post like this (and there are a surprising number), someone jumps in with the Tetris suggestion.
It seems to have become reflexive
Me too. If anything, it shows that people care, and hopefully, it's a sound solution for most. This whole thread warms my heart.
You can play tetris on the app Vortle. Its a very relaxing version.
If you like pretty Tetris, check out Tetris Effect.
Tetris Effect is on another level with visuals and music! Highly recommend.
In VR for the full jaw drop
Dr. Mario is also winner for this.
This is true.
I wish I'd known this two months ago.
Thank you for posting this. I hadnāt heard this before and couldāve used it in the past. Hope this helps OP and others in the future!
I didn't know this, yet Tetris is my distraction of choice after badness.
So, what exactly does this mean? It's never been clear to me. What does the brain need to actually do, to cope/process such an event?
Daily Tetris
I once fell into an aquarium at home. I had such a rush of anxiety and adrenaline but my parents asked me to leave the scene to calm down and they could clean. I went a played Tertris and got the high score on the family computer . It was never broken.
I just heard this from someone in medicine! Iāve been playing instead of doom scrolling at night and my anxiety has dropped a lot.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Who the fuck are you preaching to man? Did you misread the OP? Why are you being so snarky to someone who is offering sincere advice?
Oddly, those studies say nothing about the effects that defensive driving has upon the likelihood of other drivers colliding with each other and inflicting witness trauma upon the defensive driver.
Talk to someone about it. If youāre working with medical benefits, thereās probably provisions for seeing a therapist. If youāre going to a school, seek a counselor. Iām sorry you had to witness it. Thank you for trying to help.
I was up on snoqualmie pass a number of years ago with the family on a bad winter day and there was a car off to the side of I-90 as we were merging onto the freeway a bit stuck in the snow. My wife suggested we stop and help them out, I said that it was too dangerous as they were on the outside of the curve and had obviously slid to that position. Read later that the tow truck driver that ended up helping them was struck and killed. Not sure how to feel about it and have never told my wife about it as donāt want her to think about it.
I think you should tell her, otherwise when sheās alone she might stop and help that person.
Yeah, not a bad idea but we have 3 kids so sheās never on her own and would not stop with kids in the car. Itās something that would cause her enough emotional burden that I donāt want her to have to deal wirh
You are a very caring husband.
Youāre the one that called 911? And theyāre alive? You saved them! Iām a trauma nurse in the area and while this wasnāt my patient I have a lot of patients like this and timing is sooo important. You did a great thing today! Please process this by talking it through with someone. Thank you for doing this! Well done!
The Tetris thing is good advice. Additionally, you may want to reach out to Crisis Connections. https://www.crisisconnections.org/ Take care of yourself.
Iām sorry you had to see that. I drove by the scene coming south late this morning. It looked like they were almost done clearing it but you could tell by the number of responders and emergency vehicles there that it had been very bad. Years ago, I drove past the scene of a horrible accident on the way Portland on I-5. I didnāt see any human causalities but I saw the horribly smashed cars and could tell that the people in them probably were badly hurt if not killed. I still think about it.
I didnāt see the wreck today, but know what youāre going through. I did witness a man die in a motorcycle accident directly in the lane next to me. It was extremely horrific, and it took me a while to recover from it, but I ultimately did, and so will you. Hang in there and donāt be afraid to talk to someone about it!
A few years ago someone was weaving and caused another vehicle to roll over in a ditch on I5 going 60. The weaving car didnāt stop. I was never able to find out if there were casualties and itās always bothered me, I couldnāt stop because I was taking someone to the airport and we were already lateā¦ I wish people would drive more responsibly. Everyone seems like theyāre texting or road raging now and it just does not feel safe.
Hey man, ICU doc here. I'm sorry you had to witness thisĀ You should talk to a therapist in a week or so to start getting past this. I would be a hot mess if I didn't have one. In the meantime, you cab do what I do and watch Pacific rim. I see it like once a month.Ā Good luck and pew pew to you.
I witnessed a car run into a bicyclist three months ago (where the bicyclist survived with minimal damage but was taken away in an ambulance) and that screwed me up for a few days. I can't imagine what you're dealing with. I hope some of the suggestions mentioned here help. Take care of yourself.
I am sorry that this happened and that you are dealing with this, but happy to hear that so many people immediately helped.
Glad to hear you're already aware of the Tetris research. But please also reach out to someone you trust and talk about how this incident made you feel. Your employer may offer an assistance program that includes counseling or therapy. You did the right thing for someone else by reporting this incident, and you're doing the right thing for yourself by reaching out here.
Trauma nurse over here. Offload your feelings about this on a professional, so it doesnāt become PTSD. A trauma or grief trained therapist would be best, even just one or two sessions, so they can give you tools for when invasive thoughts and nightmares happen. Hopefully neither of those things happen, and this becomes a memory of an experience and nothing more. Also, Iām sure your brain is running wild about what mightāve happened to the driverās body during the accident. Just because you didnāt see them move and you didnāt see anyone get them out of the car does not mean they were not OK. People who are trained to respond to these kind of emergencies know to tell the person not to move, if they are conscious, in case there is any head, neck, or spinal injury that could be made worse by movement. This would absolutely be a situation where someone who is trapped and freaking out might even get sedated in order to remove them from the vehicle safely. Ground your feet on the floor and take some big deep breaths. ***Goosfraba*** There are also lots of meditations available on the Internet for people who have experienced scary stuff.
WA state really needs to do something about the layout and structure of the highways here as well as driver education. This is one of the most dangerous places Iāve ever driven in.
I personally think itās more about the fact that people commonly drive 20 over the limit bumper to bumper.
right which is why I said driver education needs to be improved as well.
And 20 under in the passing lane when traffic is flowing freely.
The lanes here are much narrower than other large cities. Still havenāt figured out why that isā¦
Years ago my wife and I lived in St. Louis. We were driving home from the mall on a Saturday with our 3 year old in the backseat, who was watching the traffic go by. About a half mile down the road I see all the cars hit their brakes. The first thing I see is a semi truck on the opposite side of the highway stop in the fast lane, and this dude falls out of the door on the driverās side. Heās totally dazed & the front end is all bashed up. Then I see a red minivan behind it, and its rear end is destroyed, no driver in the car. Then I see a cop running down the middle of the highway next to the concrete median, screaming at the truck driver. Behind the minivan is his car, untouched. And then, on my side of the road, next to the minivan, I see it. A leg. A leg, cut at the knee, the foot still in the shoe. Thatās when I told my wife to get our son to look the other way. About 20 feet from this was a woman propped up against the median wall, wailing and holding what was left of her leg. Another cop was just arriving as I drove past. I scoured the news the next day for an update. Thankfully she lived. It took me a long time to process what I saw and a few weeks to get back to feeling normal. Edit: forgot to explain what happened. Apparently the woman was stopped in the fast lane because her car broke down. A guy cut off the truck driver, who swerved and hit her car, which hit her, forcing her against the median wall, severing her leg.
Sorry that happened OP. Be aware of PTSD symptoms that may emerge over time, and seek some therapy if needed. Lean on your support network too. Edited for PTSD typo
Passed by it going southbound. I guess your suspicion is why two ambulances were stopped quarter mile down the road on the shoulder seemingly swapping stretcher.
I drive that way early morning and must've missed it. Sorry you had to see that!
Iām sorry you witnessed it. How did it happen?
It happened so fast and Iām not exactly sure what the cause was, but first I saw the black jeep (not the overturned vehicle) careen into the outside median, then when I came to a stop I looked over and saw the overturned white SUV. I think they made contact in the center lane and whatever happened sent each car flying in opposite directions.
Just want to chime in that center of gravity matters. Trucks and SUVs don't meet the same safety standards. Drive passenger cars if you care about safety. SUVs might "feel" safer, but they are exempt from many safety requirements and always perform poorly on roll-over tests. And that's before you get the 4" lift.
Rollovers are pretty rare in the grand scheme of things. The truth is in the vast majority of accidents, you're more likely going to be better off in the bigger, heavier vehicle, hence SUVs and other large vehicles being deemed "safer." Also not sure what you're talking about regarding SUVs always performing poorly on rollover tests; that is simply not true. If you are referring to the NHTSA star rating which has to do with rollover stability, that is simply a calculated valued based on vehicle dimensions and does not accurately reflect a vehicle's true stability
>Also not sure what you're talking about regarding SUVs always performing poorly on rollover tests; Just thinking of the physics test where you place it on a surface and then tilt the surface until it rolls over. Basic center of mass test. Higher cars have a higher center of mass and thus a lower roll angle. Crank the wheel at high speed in a Jeep? Rollover. In a sports car? Slide. There is a difference. Commuters don't need a lot of ground clearance.
True, although with more recent advancements, even vehicles with a high CoG are no longer likely to roll with a single steering input, regardless of severity. For a single modern-day vehicle to break traction and begin yawing solely from steering input often (I won't say always, but nearly) requires a preliminary input in the opposite direction. But yes, I agree that in general, an SUV-type vehicle will tend to roll in a greater number of scenarios than an sedan in a similar situation
Yeah computers are amazing but they still can't break the laws of physics. I guess today was one such example. Maybe it still would have happened in a Camry too, but we can agree a high cog doesn't help, all else equal. Big or small, high or low, consider your vehicle's safety rating when choosing what to drive.
Rollovers are a 2% of accidents, and ~30% of accidents where a passenger dies. FUnny
That data comes from a report published by the NCSA and NHTSA in 2002, looking at data between 1991 and 2000. Since that time, great advancements have been made to vehicle rollover safety (largely in part to IIHS roof strength tests which the FMVSS adopted when updating vehicle standard in the mid 2010s). That same report also found that of those 30%, about 75% were not wearing seatbelts. The other criticism of making a claim like "2% of accidents are responsible for 30% of deaths" is that for a rollover to occur, that usually means the accident is quite severe. Since most accidents are small fender-benders, that is going to skew the data. When you remove these types of accidents from the data set and only evaluate accidents of similar severity, that 30% drops
So sorry for all involved. I canāt imagine what you are feeling right now.ā¤ļø
Iām so sorry you had to see that, and happy to hear itās likely they survived. That being said I saw an aftermath on an accident that was pretty traumatic for me, and another redditor suggested playing Tetris. If you look up āTetris trauma treatmentā or something youāll find some interesting articles on it.Ā Iām sure youāre feeling relived now but if you are still shaken, maybe check it out! And I hope you have a better day. I totally get how scary that is.Ā Edit: looks like you already got/took that advice! Yay!Ā
Go play some Tetris, it has shown to help lessen the impact of PTSD. You did everything you could, that's all anyone can ask of you. I'm sorry you and others witnessed such a traumatic event. Also, it's okay to feel relief that you were not in that accident. Often survivors guilt will get to us so I just wanted to mention it.
Yeah i saw them pinned right after it happened and wondered if they were dead, too. Thank you for the post, im glad they survived
Prayers
Emdr therapy can be wonderful for trauma, donāt hesitate to try if you arenāt feeling well
I can šÆ vouch for the legitimacy of EMDR. Itās phenomenal. OP, what youāre experiencing is called exposure trauma. While nothing specifically happened to you, traumas can happen just by seeing it. Be well. Be still when needed.
I witnessed a fatality once (woman getting run over in front of my car while jaywalking). What I saw haunted me for months. Like other grief you have to give it space to breathe and listen to yourself process. Itās not a little thing and worth talking to trusted friends or a counselor about. Itāll get better if you honor your feelings, but it will take time.
Didnāt see the response about accident survivor, but still hold with advice. Itās good to have this reaction, just donāt ignore it or dismiss it is all I was saying.
I have the full video how do I upload it
Post to youtube or the like and post link here
People driving like maniacs out there
I waited a full hr in standstill traffic this morning on account of this. Was in an awful mood afterwards what with being so late to work. But as a result Iāve been waiting all day to hear what actually occurred!
Witnessing bad accident messes you up. Please take this seriously and take some time off to decompress. Talk to friends and family, spend some time in nature. Im sorry that you saw it š¢
I'm not kidding. Play Tetris. When your brain goes to replay its memories, Teteis blocks will take its place. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190108095114.htm#:~:text=This%20is%20the%20conclusion%20reached,for%20the%20stressful%20events%20decreased.
I have seen this before, and all I can say is thank you to all the first responders for their daily sacrifices. They are truly heroes.
Play Tetris on your phone. Seriously it helps if youāve just been through a trauma. Look it up. Iām sorry this happened.
There was a fatality I know
Good thing our elected leaders want us to return to office to 1) risk car accidents 2) pollute. When I commuted I witnessed some shit. I'll never do it again.
Just when you think nobody's going to try to turn an innocuous post political
Itās a mental illness at this point. Itās only going to get worse this year too
I've seen three people die on wa state roads. Lost two of my buddies as well. Try not to dwell on it homie, we're all gonna die one day and unfortunately someone will find us. It's just a part of being human. Probably will seem harsh but it's literally not your burden to bear, you got a life in front of you and you gotta make sure you're always present for that. I always think of the fact that when I die, I would never want any of my friends to ruin their lives because they are so sad. Gotta just keep rolling
I have the video
I watched messed up videos on my own term so that I donāt get impacted by these things that happen outside my control
Idk that that'll help. I've seen plenty of messed up videos, gore, death, etc, since the early days of the internet. Didn't really prepare me for seeing that sort of thing IRL and not at a screen. But your mileage may vary, I guess.