Buzz
In my mid-20s, I was struck by a car while walking to school. The elderly driver mistakenly believed the median was an additional turn lane and, in the process, hit three pedestrians, myself included. One minute, I was a graduate student overwhelmed with work; the next, I found myself staring at the car’s light brown hood racing toward me, followed by complete darkness. When I regained consciousness, I was lying on the pavement, drenched in blood and in unbearable pain, worse than anything I had experienced, including childbirth.
In the weeks and months that followed, I began having recurring nightmares where I would get struck by a car again and again. I also started to experience panic attacks whenever a car came near me, whether I was in one or standing on the sidewalk. Driving became an impossibility.
The accident left me with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which includes symptoms like nightmares or flashbacks of the traumatic event, avoiding situations that trigger memories of it, and hyper-vigilance, which may manifest as panic attacks or a constant sense of being on edge.
While PTSD is often associated with war veterans, civilians can experience it as well, with car accidents being among the leading causes. The trauma, shock, and unpredictability of a car accident make PTSD a frequent outcome. However, it is “highly treatable,” according to Jessica Rohr, a psychologist at Houston Methodist Hospital.
Indicators that you might have PTSD
After a car accident, it’s normal to feel fear in the days and weeks that follow. “This is completely expected,” said Rohr. The issue arises when that fear persists for an extended period and starts to significantly affect your life, leading to PTSD.
Some common PTSD symptoms include being constantly on edge, experiencing intrusive memories or nightmares related to the accident, and avoiding reminders of the trauma, such as driving or getting into a car.
After a car accident, it’s crucial to focus on your recovery in the days and weeks that follow, even if you weren’t physically injured. This could mean temporarily scaling back on your usual responsibilities to prioritize rest. “Treat it like you’re in recovery, because you are,” said Rohr.
It's highly beneficial to connect with your support system, including friends and family. “The number one factor for resilience after trauma is social support,” said Rohr. This support can take many forms, such as helping with meals, driving you to appointments, or simply spending time together. “You don’t always need to talk about what happened for it to be helpful,” Rohr explained.
Avoidance Only Makes It Worse
After a traumatic accident, the instinct may be to cope by avoiding the fear-inducing triggers. However, as Ron Acierno, a psychologist at UTHealth Houston who specializes in PTSD treatment, warns, avoidance is the worst response. “That’s how people end up not driving for 10 years,” Acierno explained. As Rohr noted, “Fear feeds on avoidance.”
The most effective treatment for PTSD from a car accident is typically graded exposure therapy, where the person is gradually exposed to their triggers in a controlled and systematic way to reduce their fear. “Without this exposure, therapy alone won’t be effective,” said Acierno.
For someone recovering from a car accident, treatment might begin with sitting in a parked car for 15 minutes until the anxiety becomes manageable. From there, they may start the car and drive slowly around the block. The goal is not to eliminate fear, but to confront it in a manageable way. “Put yourself in a situation where you’re anxious, but not overwhelmed,” Acierno advised.
Supporting Children with Their Fears
For children who have experienced a car accident and are struggling with its aftermath, parents should remember that “one of the symptoms of PTSD is the perceived loss of control,” said Acierno. If a child is dealing with PTSD after an accident, “you must be particularly sensitive to the fact that the child cannot control the wheel or brake,” Acierno noted. “It’s important to create an environment that is as calming and secure as possible.”
For children, it can be helpful to connect their exposure to cars with something enjoyable, like taking a short trip to get ice cream together. (This approach can also work for adults.)
How Therapy Can Assist
If you’ve recently been in a car accident and find that your fears are preventing you from fully engaging in life, it’s crucial to seek help as soon as possible. PTSD treatment typically spans four to five months with weekly sessions. If additional factors, like past traumas or insufficient support at home, complicate the process, therapy may take longer, but it is not a permanent commitment.
For me, recovering from PTSD took years because I lacked the support and resources I needed. My recovery felt like a constant back-and-forth struggle, swinging between an overwhelming fear of cars and a strong desire to return to a normal life. At first, I could only manage riding in a car as a passenger, and my walks around the neighborhood required extra care when crossing streets or intersections.
But as I continued pushing myself to face my fears and find ways to live without being consumed by them, things slowly began to improve. The fear became more manageable, and over time, I found myself able to do more and more, until driving felt like the everyday inconvenience it had always been before.
