Hit something on the highway at dawn, car is gone, and I can't stop shaking — is this normal?

The shaking, the intrusive sounds, gripping the door handle as a passenger — I felt every single word of this. I was in a bad highway accident two years ago and the physical stuff healed way faster than my head did. It does get better but it takes longer than people expect. Be patient with yourself right now.

What you're describing — the flashbacks, the hypervigilance in cars, trouble sleeping, the physical anxiety response — those are really classic acute stress reactions after a traumatic event. Totally normal given what you went through. That said, if it's still this intense a couple weeks from now, please talk to a doctor or therapist. Acute stress can tip into PTSD if it doesn't get addressed. Don't wait it out alone thinking it'll just go away on its own. You deserve support.

To answer your question about documenting — yes, absolutely keep a record of how you're feeling. Write it down daily if you can, even just a few sentences. Note the panic attacks, the sleep issues, the anxiety in the car. If you end up having any kind of claim (the rear-end portion especially could involve another driver's liability), psychological and emotional suffering is very much part of damages. A paper trail of your symptoms, even informal journal entries, helps establish that this isn't something you're exaggerating after the fact.

Not legal advice at all, but the rear-end portion of what happened to you is worth looking into. A second vehicle striking yours after you were already stopped is a separate incident with its own liability questions. The mental health impact you're describing — anxiety, sleep disruption, fear of driving — is recognized as real harm. If you haven't already, at least have a free consultation with a PI attorney to understand your options. Most won't charge anything unless there's a recovery.

I just want to say I'm really glad you're okay. Like, physically in one piece. Because the way you described getting out of the car right before it got hit again... that's genuinely terrifying. Please be gentle with yourself. You went through something awful.

I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but the fact that you got out of that car when you did — that instinct probably protected you more than you realize. You made the right calls under enormous pressure while panicking. That says something about you. The anxiety you're feeling now is your nervous system doing its job a little too hard. It can be retrained. You got through the actual worst moment — you'll get through this part too.

Three things: see a doctor and tell them exactly what you told us — the panic attacks, the sleep issues, the flashbacks. Get it on the medical record now. Second, don't post about this on any social media, even vague stuff. Third, keep every piece of paper you get from the insurance company and don't sign anything that says 'full and final settlement' without understanding what it means. You're in the acute phase right now and not in the right headspace to make permanent decisions.

I used to work claims and I'll be honest with you — the mental health side of accidents is almost always undervalued early on because people either don't report it or they report it and adjusters treat it as secondary to the property damage. Document everything like the paralegal said. And when the adjuster calls sounding super friendly and helpful, just remember their job is to close your claim as cheaply as possible. That's not me being mean, that's just literally what the job is.