MVA Anyone Else Been In A Car Accident?

[swedelady13]

It's been 15 yrs for me, similar situation. PTSD came back after husband's sudden death 3 yrs ago. He was my rock. I get how you are feeling. I watched it happen also. That is what contributes to the PTSD. I can't seem to experience joy or anticipation anymore.

 

[The Albatross]

I had a car accident at 21 with my best friend in the car who wasn't wearing a seat belt. Not my fault someone ran a light and crossed in front of me. That was the first time I experienced everything going in slow motion. The whole entire thing was in slow motion until someone came up to my car to check to see if we were okay. She (my friend) hit the dashboard even though I said, "Nan we're going to hit her." I stood up on the brake and had a death grip on the steering wheel and one hand on the horn.

I scanned everything and there was literally no where to go. When the lady crossed in front of me she actually hit the brakes and stopped. The only choice I had was where to T-Bone her at and I could see that the rear quarter panel had the place where you put the gas in. I was afraid of hitting that tank. So I hit her at 35-40 miles an hour with less than 100 yards to try to stop in the passenger side back seats (old big long 4 door sedan). I pushed her about 50 feet.

I was so freaked out I didn't know til almost 7 years later I had received an injury. Reversed curve neck with C1/Atlas on my brain stem. My friend suffered a mild concussion. It took me a long time to get a neutral curve and over 20 years with chiropractic to get Atlas/C1 off my brain stem. That accident could be the cause of my apnea, because my brain does not reliably send the signal to breathe.

 

[Friday]

- Home on leave from the USMC, Black ice on the freeway. Over 20 cars. We were flung from 3rd lane to guard rail to across to the other guard rail and back to the 3rd lane. Van. The bumpers were 2 feet away curved in a banana. Managed to drive that sucker to the shoulder! No idea how. Relaxed laws of physics. Spent the next few hours helping pull people out of their cars / EMS.
Moi: 17yo: Superficial injuries.

- French Quarter New Orleans. Tboned by a lady going 70mph in a 30 and running her red light. Engine in lap. Literally soaked with alcohol as everything we were bringing back with us shattered. Passenger punctured a lung.
Moi: 18yo : All kinds of interesting (stinging) lacerations /superficial injuries

- Drunk driver in Camp LeJeune. Ejected from rear middle seat (girl-in-a-car-full-of-guys-seat), punched through windshield, missed tree (that the car hit) and sailed a million miles (50 feet?) into a soft grass field. Bruises on elbows from windshield. Not a scratch, otherwise. Driver decapitated.
Moi: 18yo : Superficial Injuries

- Bumper Cars in Latin America. f*ck driving in Latin America. Fly or walk. That's my motto. It's less the offensive driving tactics for work, than the fact that roads have a habit of falling off the mountains when it rains, and it's the "rule of gross tonnage". Meaning busses knock cars off the road, cars knock bikes, etc.
Moi: 20s : No / Superficial injuries.

- Bumper Cars in the Balkans. Roadblocks mostly.
Moi: 20s : No / Superficial Injuries.

_____

- Minor fender bender/rear ended driving to the grocery store in suburbia mid morning. But my head hit the steering wheel... And I lost the ability to speak. Just kept repeating nonsense words. Cognition was fine, could still write/type, just not speak till the swelling went down.
Moi: 30s : Serious concussion. Bisected radial artery. Go figure.

 

[maryjeanie]

IT DOES GET BETTER. I found that time is a general all around healer, but it certainly can take more time than originally expected. IT ALSO TAKES ALOT OF SUPPORT FROM THE CORRECT PROFESSIONALS AND FAMILY AND FRIENDS. DO NOT BE CHEAP WITH YOUR NEEDS AT THIS TIME. Ask for what u need from everyone. Be specific in your feelings when asking for support. Write down your summary of symptoms and feelings and hand it to the doctor, therapist, whatever, for them to keep. Dont be afraid to see many professionals in the psych field. Not everyone can understand this. I had professionals along the way who in some cases were only human and did not recognize my symptoms as technical PTSD, thus missing out on proper healing. I had a flighty acupuncturist leave me on a table way overtime WHILE I SCREAMED FOR HER to get back in and get the pins out. A year and a half ago an 18 wheeler blew through a stop sign in front of me and I was forced to drive into it practically head on at 35 to 40 mph. Whiplash, frozenshoulder, bulged disc cervical spine. Like many posted here, the scene replayed (subsided after one and a half years), fears of driving and being a passenger (greatly improved but not gone), anxiety with chronic pain, and wondering if it would be lifelong pain,(this anxiety seems often overlooked by professionals) , ... Was i getting the proper treatment... . Family members not being sympathetic enough. Pain doing housework. On guard for anything and everything. I WANTED TO SCREAM FROM THE ROOFTOPS " DONT YOU REALIZE THAT THE EQUIVALENT OF A NUCLEAR BOMB HAS GONE OFF AND ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WILL EVER BE THE SAME !? " The world changed after my accident. But only in my eyes, unfortunately. I could write a novel here, but just want to give a few tips. I feel that I did not get to verbalize my story enough even though i probably talked about it constantly. From what i have read, EMDR may have helped me on the first months. I had CBT therapy and talk therapy for a full year and some. I was on and off some valium. At the six month point I took Cymbalta which in retrospect i needed right away. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO TAKE ANTI ANXIETY MEDICATION. This medicine made me feel almost like myself again. Feeling better, after a year I weaned off even though my PsyMD recommended to wait a bit longer. The anxieties crept back, impatience, over- excitablility, anxiety towards danger and violence ( SCREAMING at nephew who wanted a motorbike,"your brains could be splattered out on the pavement in seconds flat !! " YELLING AT TOP OF MY LUNGS in arguments with my husband, bashing a hole in the wall with towel bar I conveniently ripped off of it. I tried to start a fight with a man who was smoking at a gas station telling him he was putting us all in danger. Social anxiety kicked back in, as did the general anxiety. So, as of this week i am starting on anti depressant/anxiety meds again. And i am welcoming to it this time. SIGH ! Oh fellow sufferers, i wish we could see each other in person to cry on eachothers shoulders. We are so needy and fragile at times aren' t we? Well, sending hugs to you all. Ask for what you need. Seek out someone who can give it to you. We are worth it. GOOD LUCK !!!! Mary

 

[Duncan 2131]

I was in a car accident in june of 2014. I was entirely at fault. I lost everything. My best friend, my job, my home, my first vehicle, my dog, and the use of my left arm. I cant go anywhere in an suv anymore. I struggle to drive normally when its rainy out. I have constant nightmares about the accident. I cant drive a tow truck anymore and that was my career, the one job i have ever loved. I just cant stop thinking about it. I cant play driving videogames anymore either. I am stuck in this hell and i cant seem to get back on my feet. Does it end? Do i get over it?

 

[Lauren S.]

Dear Duncan,

I know how you feel. I lost everything when I got hit head on last February. My career meant everything to me as well and I lost my job of five years over it. In two days it will be exactly one year since my accident. I've been so emotional lately and I've tried medication and I just want this pain to go away, I wish I could tell you it will. I'm so scared I will never get over this, will I ever be myself again? Will I ever be happy again? I Dont know your situation, but I pray that time heals all wounds, and God I hope its true, because in a years time I feel just as angry as I did the day I lost my job because of the accident. I'm angry at everyone, and I just want it all to go away. Try talking to someone that understands, I haven't found someone that understands this depression but I hope to find a good therapist soon. I pray that you heal Duncan, because you deserve a fresh start, and so do I.

 

[MissClarissaB]

My accident happened about 2 weeks ago, I was driving on a major highway system and was side-swept by the other driver. It was his fault. He pushed my car through the fast lane (thank god no one was in that lane at the time) and I was slammed into the median, causing a major concussion. Thank god I wear my seat belt religiously since my little sister had almost died a few years ago; if I didn't wear my seat belt I think about what could've happened. Worst case scenario, I would've been ejected out my windshield into oncoming highway traffic. I am a nurse at a trauma hospital and I've seen so many car/motorcycle accidents where people lose so much, I hope I can handle it when I go back to work. My primary job is a school nurse so that should be easier at least.

When the driver hit me, he drove off. I thought it was a hit and run but it sounds like he stopped down the highway so I never got to see his stupid face. BUT the worse part is that I was left waiting at the median of a major highway (4-5 lanes on each side, where I-93 and I-95 meet) ALONE for about ten minutes while police arrived. Of course, no one stopped to help me. I stood outside the car because I was afraid it would blow up. I just wanted to run away, to drive away, I was so terrified standing there, but I couldn't leave; unless I wanted to get run over by crazy Boston drivers.

Sadly, I've been diagnosed with PTSD previously due to a violent relationship and suffer chronic depression with major depressive episodes due to other issues in my past :/ but this has absolutely exacerbated everything. Staying at home with a bad concussion (alone, unable to read/watch movies, to open the windows and see the new spring sunshine, to cook which I love to do or clean, to paint, to listen to music...) was so depressing, I haven't been this depressed in a long time. I have had a therapist and prescriber for about 2 years now so I do have support. But now I am getting strong panic attacks and it is awful. I don't want to take ativan after a concussion but I have no choice with this fear.

My boyfriend of 4 years was supportive with the previous PTSD but he doesn't seem to understand why I am so upset from this accident. I have been able to drive around town but have completed avoided the highway, it has only been 2 weeks and the first week I was stuck in the house, nevermind that the accident was not my fault at all and it came so abruptly. Today he said to me condescendingly, "are you ever going to get on the highway?" I'm upset because I'm still grieving everything, I'm not ready to go to that step yet. I still have symptoms of the concussion and everytime I think about the accident, amassive pulsing headache starts. Is this common? Why does he expect me to go back to normal so quick? I don't understand why he's frustrated with me, doesn't he understand how terrifying this was for me?

I'm happy for my therapist, she'll get me on the highway in a safe way, one step at a time, not by criticizing me like my boyfriend. What did you guys do to help yourself? Is this common? Do you feel this is worth pursuing in a law suit?

 

[RussH]

Do you feel this is worth pursuing in a law suit?

Who do you want to sue? If you mean the driver that pushed you into the fast lane; if he made contact with your car, and fled the scene, then that is against the law. He can be prosecuted, and yes you, or your insurance can pursue a lawsuit against him for damages.

 

[lillywaters]

Hello...

on 01/09/15 I was in a car accident. I was checking my car in the break down lane when a speeder hit the back side of my car, and even end up pushing my car on top of me, pinning me under the car. At first no one could find me....by the time I got to the hospital I had a broken back, busted up knee, and road rash all over... I am unable to work for a year....which has added to the stress...I feel as if I let down my family...and now dealing with ptsd....I never used to cry and now any stress level sets me off. I still have nightmares of it....and have massive guilt even though I was found not at fault. ..I feel as no one has my back In the community....it is heart breaking to feel alone in this battle and now even dealing with college is difficult.

 

[Kraigel]

Hi my name is chandler rukavina im an 18 year old male. just 2 days ago i was involved in a car accident im not experiencing any ptsd or anything like that i just wanted a public place to thank the lord im ok. I also wanted to tell my story. I was taking some back country road doing the speed limit which is 55 (which i generally dont do. I am a speed daemon) but these roads were a little crazy. And i was going up a steepish kind of hill in my 92 ford festiva ( if anyone is a car person u know those cars are really light). When i hit the top of this hill there was a really sharp turn that i was not warned about while driving. My car lost its grip from its lack of weight and when it gained grip my rear end fish tailed to the left, then to the right, then back to the left again and the back driverside quarter panel smashed into the front of a ford explorer.

Upon impact my driver side door flew open and my seet belt broke (mind u i was going about 55 mph and the other person was going about the same speed) i was ejected from my car and when i hit the ground i was going about 30 mph i did a few summer salts and by the end of my summer salts i ended up on my feet running and i stopped and drew in my surrounding and the first thing i did was i said " holy shit!!!" I run over to the other vehicle to see if the othe people were ok and what i seen was a husband and a wife in complete shock. I run up to the and first thing i say to this guy was " oh my god sir are u guys ok??"

You know what this douche hat of a guys said. He said " MY f*ckING CAR!!! I JUST GOT MY CAR BACK AND I WAS PLANNING TO GO ON VACATION TO SOUTH CAROLINA TOMORROW!!!" I was so floored to the point where all i could say was "im soooo sorry" over and over again it wasnt because of what he was say it was because i almost killed him and his wife but this guy thought the most important thing in the world was his damn car!!

Sorry im getting off toppic now but all i can say is i am so glad i am alive. But what i dont understand is why and i not a complete train wreck after this i should be but im not. In fact not to sound like a dick about all of this but i actually enjoyed the thrill and adrenaline rush i got out of this. I just want to know. Why am i not phased by this at all? Im kind of worried why is it that the past 2 nights i slept like a complete baby. My life didnt even flash before my eyes. So can someone please help ecplain why i havent went through the same experiences of grief of u guys

 

[RussH]

Not everyone gets PTSD from an accident.

 

[JumpySara]

Hi there. My name is Sara. I came across this thread when trying to research why I feel the way I do. I have to thank you all.

I was in a bad car accident 8 months ago. I was on my way to work, and a UPS truck in front of me slammed on it's breaks in the middle land of the highway. I had to slam on my breaks to not hit the truck. Unfortunately, the person behind me didn't hit their breaks and slammed right in to me, pushing me in to the right lane of travel where a large box truck hit me and sent me spinning across three lanes of traffic. Thankfully, I was not injured too bad. Although a nurse that saw the accident, and the police that arrived on scene said they have no clue how I walked away from an accident that bad. This was my second car accident as a driver, but the first sent me to the hospital. That was probably 10 years ago. Neither was my fault.

Within weeks after my recent accident, I started getting very jumpy. I have always had anxiety but not like this. When I am laying in bed alone at night, and my wife walks in, I jump and immediately start feeling pain in my stomach. Lately, she has been lightly knocking and opening the door. It helps, but not 100%. I also have cats. One of them is always with me. When I am in bed, and she jumps on my pillow, it scares me and the same symptoms happen. Being in cars sucks. Being on busses and trains sucks, but cars are so much worse. I panic every time, and feel like we are going to get hit. I have not driven since my accident, and I never want to again. The thought of it makes me ill. Just yesterday, I was in a very loud kabob joint on the boardwalk at Coney Island, and my wife came up behind me and I screamed so loud that EVERYONE looked at me. That has never happened. I am not THAT person. It was loud... I was talking. There was no reason for this. Now, today.. my computer made a notification noise and it scared me. This sucks. I had no clue that these were signs of PTSD until today. People have mentioned it to me but I glossed over it. That can't happen to ME. Well, I guess it is and your stories, although terrifying, helped me to realize this. I hope my story being added helps someone else as well.

Good luck, everyone. <3