question...

[RGunner]

on sunday i saw something that i wouldnt say traumatized me, but that i havent been able to get out of my head ever since i saw it. Let me tell the story.

I went to Austin for my cousin's wedding Saturday, and on Sunday my two brothers and one's wife and I were driving home and all of a sudden everybody in front of us starts breaking and people on the other side of the road going the opposite direction start pulling onto the shoulder and jumping out of the cars and running over to our side of the road (it was split by grass). So obviously we figure there was a wreck of some sort just about 2 minutes ahead of us, if that. We ease on forward a bit, and we look to the side and see a dog jump the median wall thing, and run off to the woods, followed by a young guy running after him. We are slowly easing forward, and we pull around a truck that had stopped just behind the 'wreck' and slowly pull past the gruesome picture that has been painted in my head since. The first part I see is a Expedition on its side with one wheel completely gone, completely crushing a huge dog of some sort. I'm not a big animal fan, but this made me really sick to my stomach, and thats not the worst part. I look just a little to the side, and see what I assume to be the wife and her daughter holding I guess the husband's head up out of the window which is basically on the ground, covered in blood and his eyes in the back of his head, obviously dead.

I just looked away and kept saying holy shit, holy shit, not knowing what else to say. Ever since then, I cant get this out of my head, and every time i see the picture in my head I get extremely queezy. I'm not very good with seeing blood other than mine, so its hard for me to imagine just looking at a dead person. I've never seen a dead person until this, and I don't know what I should do to get this out of my head. Is there anything I can do or should I just wait it out? I'm sure this is all stupid and dumb to ask, but it really has affected me and made me really feel wierd lately. Thanks guys.

[Buzzbee]

I've never had a situation like that, but I imagine that the saying "time heals all wounds" probably applies here. I'm guessing that image may never completely go away, but I imagine it will fade over time and become less powerful.

I don't really have any advice for the short term.

Perhaps a PM to EaglesFan27, as he is the resident mind doctor.

[MikeVic]

omg, that would freak the hell out of me. :( I hope you get better. I would think that time passing would help... but don't just sulk around, go out and do something fun..

[BigJohn&TheLions]

Damn man. That's rough.

I came across a truck that had rolled over before the cops or anyone had got there. The roof had completely disintegrated and there would have been no way that I could have got to anyone inside, even if they were still alive. I almost stopped, but there was smoke coming from the engine, and a growing puddle of liquid surrounding the truck. I said a prayer and got out of there, hoping someone with a cell phone would call it in.

[Eaglesfan27]

I've seen dead bodies a few times. I've seen them in gross anatomy. I've seen them during an autopsy (I had to go to three of them because it was required for my pathology course in 2nd year) and those are much more gruesome than the cadaver in Anatomy was.

Finally, when I was an intern, I was the first responder to a man who had been run over by his wife in a part of Metairie (for cheating on her presumably.) It was grotesque as he had crushed in part of his chest and broken several limbs. I did what I could to make sure he was ok until the EMT's arrived. Oh yeah, it was July which meant I was a brand NEW intern. In any case, I didn't do much except for keep his airway open and make sure that no one destabilized his neck. However, it was the most grotesque of all of the images because it was "out there in the world" and it had a greater sense of realism. I had a similar reaction to you where I couldn't think of anything else for several days and I was constantly haunted by the imagery. I still occasionally think about it and can see it quite vividly to this day.

I'm rambling, but my point is that I think your reaction is natural, but I also think there is a risk for it becoming pathological if you don't deal with it. This might mean talking to a friend, a mate, or it might mean talking to a professional if it is distressing you too much. Good luck.

[Ksyrup]

This is why I don't understand the fascination with rubbernecking. Not only does it slow traffic down, but what do you expect to see? If the wreck was bad enough that the wreckage is going to look cool, chances are there will be human wreckage as well. Just drive on by, safely but not at gawking speed. Saves you the gruesome memories and the rest of us from having to wait 3 hours to drive 2 miles.

[pennywisesb]

Man, I'm sorry you had to see something like that. I work as a firefighter and so I've seen some pretty gruesome stuff--but fortunately for me, I have always had a strong stomach. The toughest part, however, is when kids are involved. I've had a few bad calls where I felt the same as you--I just couldn't get the images out of my head. Well, what helped me the most was talking it over with other individuals who had gone through the same experience (ie. for me it was the captain and engineer on the call) and we were able to hash it out and discuss what aspects were bothering us. That at least made me feel better, and like others have said, time heals all wounds. Sure, I'll still think about bad calls every once in awhile, but having someone to talk to really helps the healing process.

[stevew]

I came upon an accident one day, and it was fairly obvious that the body lying on the ground next to the overturned truck was headless. Still freaks me out to this day. Tho, not as bad as your scene i suppose.

[heybrad]

Years ago my wife and I saw a man commit suicide by jumping off the Disneyland hotel. We saw him jump and splat on the ground. We stuck around and answered questions from Disneyland employees and the cops. Disneyland had us talk to an on site counselor to make sure we were not too shaken up by what we'd seen.

You know, you can watch all kinds of violence and murder on TV, but when you see it happen live, right in front of you, its natural to have an effect on you.

[korme]

RG, just keep macking all those hoes you have and impress them with your tales of dead people?