Simple Ways to Support a Car Accident Survivor
To support a car accident survivor, first, understand the survivor’s situation. Then, offer to help with chores, errands, and rides to the doctor, and give them money if they need it.
After a horrific accident, it’s common for victims to experience PTSD, anxiety, and trauma. Providing emotional support, such as respecting their own healing process and boundaries, and identifying their triggers to stay alert, is a great way to support a car accident survivor.
Initial Step: Understanding What the Survivor is Experiencing
One car accident is always different from another one. Even the tiniest of mistakes and circumstances can lead to life-altering injuries.
In many cases, the injuries may be external and tangible, but there are also internal ones, such as fractured ribs, abdominal, brain, and lung injuries.
Fully understanding what the survivor is going through is essential to helping them. In most cases, a survivor isn’t just experiencing physical pain but also intense emotional and psychological pain.
Offer Survivors Practical Support
Needless to say, survivors need their bodies to rest to achieve full recovery. They are unable to perform simple day-to-day life tasks. Step in to help with their daily activities, such as
- Helping with their house chores like cleaning the house, doing the laundry, and cooking meals
- Picking up groceries from the store
- Getting their prescribed medications
- Drive them to their doctor appointments and therapy sessions whenever needed.
Remember, even if the survivor is physically capable of driving, they may still feel insecure or scared to drive again as a result of the accident. So, offer to drive them anywhere regardless.
Help Them Financially If You Are Able to
The survivor may be your friend; coworker; family member, such as a sibling; your child; or a parent. No matter who they are, if you are financially capable of helping the survivor, offer them money when they need it.
The survivor may feel reluctant to accept your offer, but be sure to reassure them that the money is not the most important thing; what matters most is your care for them, and their acceptance of your offer brings you happiness and peace of mind.
Emotional Support is an Immense Healing Factor
This is a very key ingredient in the survivor’s healing process. Evidently, accident survivors go through various mixes of psychological turmoil during recovery. The more they feel loved and cared for, the closer they are to recovery.
Respect Their Own Coping Mechanism
Each survivor has their own way of coping. It’s common for accident survivors to act strange at times, and you may witness a major change in their daily routines.
Instead of being weirded out or dismissing their own process, let them find themselves along that process. Let them cry, scream, shout, or whatever they want as long as they don’t hurt anyone or themselves.
Check On Them Regularly
In most cases, we always care a lot about the victim at the initial stage, but along the way, this care may fade. So, be there for them until they can return to the outside world as their old self again.
Watch Out for Triggers
Accident survivors go through PTSD, anxiety, trauma, and depression after the accident. Most of these psychological conditions are recurring throughout the recovery process.
They may experience flashbacks of the accident and have potential triggers that take them back to the scene and cause them to panic.
Sensory reminders, like the sound of the siren or honking, or visual reminders, like seeing a similar vehicle they crashed into, can be potential triggers.
Identifying these triggers, noting them down, and informing their therapists is a huge help when they are unable to do it themselves.
When Should You Suggest Legal Help for a Survivor?
- When the fault is disputed
- The survivor’s injuries are grave and life-altering.
- When the legal deadline to file a lawsuit is nearing
- The case is too complex.
- When several parties are at fault
Key Takeaways
- First, you need to understand what the survivor is experiencing and how much pain they’re enduring, both physically and mentally.
- Provide them physical support, such as picking up their groceries and pills, running their errands, and driving for them.
- If you’re capable of offering financial help, give the money when they need it.
- Respect the survivor’s own unique way of handling their recovery process.
- Check on the survivor regularly until recovery, and identify the triggers that cause them to have flashbacks of the accident scene again.
Further Reading
