Missed phone calls from a family member at an odd time of the day can make you anxious. Recently I woke up to see four missed phone calls from someone that generally doesn’t call. What would be the first thing that would come to your mind? Missed phone calls out of the ordinary at an odd time of the day leads you to only speculate one thing. Something has happened and it could potentially be “bad news.”
Hundreds of thousands of people across the world are making these dreaded phone calls every day informing someone that their loved one has been in a motor vehicle crash. This can be a terrifying time and your heart will skip a beat or two and rightfully so. This is something that you would never expect to happen. You will have so many questions and concerns that are likely rushing through your mind and, in a crisis, your personal reality changes. One minute you may be at work or tending to the kids and the next minute you are on your way to a trauma hospital to sit in a waiting room to hear news on your loved one’s condition. Your life can change on a dime both for the survivor as well as their family. Once the shell shock starts to wear off, you will start to ask questions.
Facing Life-Altering Situations
Every question is a good question, as each answer will help you to better comprehend the situation and give you the knowledge and skills to help you understand what has transpired. Some hospitals use white boards in the room, which is an excellent way to post inquiries to health care professionals in case they are not in the room at the time. Start to write down these questions! Keeping lists of current medications is also very important and keeping track of newly introduced meds are equally critical. Medical professionals are trained to look for adverse reactions to medications.
Your next step should be to contact a Personal Injury Lawyer for a free consultation to discuss the motor vehicle crash itself, where and when it took place and the potential injuries that you or your loved one sustained. Time is important when you are going through a crisis. When strong emotions are involved, it is impossible to have a realistic grip on time. It is well known that when you are faced in a life-altering situation that everything may seem to move fast and decisions may need to be made. Meeting with doctors to get updates and making phone calls to family members can be overwhelming and effective communication is key. Write everything down!
I Didn’t Know You Worked Nights
Recently, I personally woke up to see that I had missed four phone calls early in the morning from a person who doesn’t usually call me and although it indicated that I had voicemail, there wasn’t one proper message left – just “pocket dial’ sounds in the background. My heart skipped a beat as I immediately thought it was urgent and something had happened to someone. Wouldn’t you?
Luckily for me, it was not an urgent call filled with bad news but quite the opposite and when I explained how it made me feel to wake up to see these missed calls, I was confronted with “I didn’t know you worked nights.” When I read that text – I honestly didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. As a survivor of a motor vehicle crash who continues to deal with chronic pain issues, sleeping is a vicious cycle for me and here in Ontario, Canada, we are now entering the winter season that is full of unpredictable weather. Just like weather can be unpredictable, our bodies are quite similiar. When we are faced with sudden weather changes, we are reminded of the multiple injuries we sustained in our motor vehicle crash.
If They Only Knew
When all was said and done, I chose to laugh at this comment because afterall, how would this person know what I continue to deal with on a daily basis. Here I am, nine years later after surviving a horrific motor vehicle crash and I still struggle. I may not talk about it everyday and looking at me, you may not see the stuggles but it is still a challenge and it will be for the rest of my life. I guess I would have to agree with his sarcasm – dealing with chronic pain issues throughout the evening does feel like you are working nights. If they only knew….
If you are struggling with chronic pain issues and feeling overwhelmed with the challenges you are left to face after surviving a motor vehicle crash, you must always remember that friends, family members, and even doctors may never truly understand what you are dealing with…. but I do! Members of the Crash Support Network Group also understand and we encourage you to join close to 1000 other crash survivors as we continue to support one another in our recovery journey. You are not alone. Join our online support group today: Crash Support Network Group.
S. Dawne McKay is a survivor of a horrific crash that changed her life forever. Dawne shares her personal journey as a Crash Survivor Blogger and also collaborates with crash survivors as Guest Bloggers allowing them an opportunity to share their stories. Dawne is also the author of the book, “Talk Crash to Me – What to Expect After Surviving a Collision and How to Manage Your Recovery” which is available for purchase on Amazon.
The Crash Support Network is a unique one-of-a-kind website consisting of an online support group, a crash survivor blog, a quarterly newsletter, “Sharing Our Recovery” as well as highly informative articles. Our website is based on relationship-building and puts the needs of survivors first by creating a helpful resource for victims and survivors of motor vehicle crashes.
