Have you been stuck in traffic due to a motor vehicle crash? I think it’s easy to say that we all have and when we are, we must all try our best to think of those that are involved as no one wakes up and says “today is a day that I will get into a crash”. The morning I was involved in a horrific motor vehicle crash, numerous calls were placed to 911, the road was closed for most of the day and emergency vehicles were dispatched. There were several vehicles involved in my crash including a transport truck and I think when drivers are delayed due to a motor vehicle crash, most often jump to the conclusion and think that they have been inconvenienced and don’t really understand what goes on “behind the scenes.”
Most drivers will feel frustrated and irritated when they are forced to stop in traffic. Did you know that accident reconstruction plays a key role in determining the cause and fault in a motor vehicle crash? I didn’t know that either until I became a victim of a motor vehicle crash.
What is Accident Reconstruction?
Accident reconstruction can help identify contributory negligence on one or more parties due to carelessness, aggressiveness, faulty road conditions and equipment failures. Officers will shut down the road surrounding the scene in order to look for as much information as possible. Investigators can often be seen physically measuring tread marks and other roadway evidence.
Cleaning up any spilled fuel or scattered debris can also lengthen the process. Traffic can be impeded for even longer if a criminal investigation is required because a driver may have been impaired or another offence may have been committed such as speeding. An accident reconstruction is a scientific approach to solving the questions of how and why an accident occurred.
Recently, there have been four serious motor vehicle crashes within the last couple of weeks in close proximity to where I reside with two resulting in fatal consequences. When I read about these motor vehicle crashes, I immediately thought of all the individuals that have had their life completely turned upside down in a matter of seconds. I also thought about the grieving families that would be mourning their loss and I thought of the injured individual(s) that may have been transferred to a trauma hospital to try and pick up the pieces of their life as they once knew it as they start their recovery journey which is anything but easy.
We Need to Show More Compassion
Do you feel irritated as a driver when you are stuck in traffic due to a crash? I am not only speaking as a survivor of a horrific motor vehicle crash but I am also speaking on behalf of all crash survivors when I say that we definitely need to show more compassion when it comes to being detained due to a motor vehicle crash. If you are feeling this frustrated and irritated waiting safely in your vehicle, can you image how vulnerable, scared, frustrated and confused the injured person must feel?
I can only hope that maybe the next time you find yourself stuck in traffic due to a crash, that you take a moment and think about the human beings that may have just lost their life or the seriously injured that have been whisked away to a trauma hospital. Just be grateful that it isn’t you being transferred onto a stretcher that may have months and possibly years of rehabilitation ahead of you and instead thank emergency services for the hard job that they continue to face when they arrive at the scene of a motor vehicle crash. If it were you or your loved one seriously injured in a crash, wouldn’t you want the police to do a thorough job in finding out the exact cause of the crash especially if it were life altering and there was someone to blame?
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.
