silent-wolf-5451d ago

Witnessed a fatal chain-reaction crash on the highway last week — still can't sleep

I don't even know why I'm posting this. I wasn't injured. I wasn't in either of the vehicles involved. But I can't stop replaying what I saw and I needed to put it somewhere.

I was driving home on the interstate after a long shift. Traffic was moving normally when I noticed a flatbed hauler ahead of me had something shifting in its load — a disabled vehicle strapped on top. Before anyone could react, the strap gave way, the towed car slid off and spun sideways across two lanes, and a passenger van coming the other direction had absolutely nowhere to go. The impact was catastrophic. I pulled over immediately and called 911.

Two people in the van didn't make it. I know because I stayed until the paramedics told bystanders to clear out. The driver of the flatbed was just standing on the shoulder, hands on his head.

I gave a statement to the highway patrol. They took my info and said I'd probably be contacted again as a witness.

Here's where I'm lost — I'm not a victim in the legal sense, but I'm a witness, and I genuinely feel wrecked by this. Is there anything I should be doing? Should I talk to anyone legally? I don't want to insert myself where I don't belong, but if my dashcam footage could help the families of the people who died, I absolutely want that to happen.

Also — is witness trauma even a real thing? Because I feel like I'm drowning and I keep telling myself I have no right to feel this way since I walked away fine.

8 replies

Most helpful first

quiet-bison-0391d ago
Witness trauma is absolutely real. I was a bystander at a bad intersection crash two years ago and I had nightmares for months. You don't have to be bleeding to be affected. Please don't minimize what you're going through.
- candid-fox-2011d ago
  On the practical side — hold onto that dashcam footage and back it up in multiple places right now. Don't share it publicly or post it anywhere. If the families of the deceased pursue a wrongful death claim against the hauling company, your footage could be genuinely critical evidence. You may eventually be contacted by attorneys on either side for a deposition. That's normal, you're not in trouble, you're just a fact witness. Keep a short written log of what you remember while it's still fresh — time, weather, what you saw, what you did. It'll help you if you're ever asked to testify.
- steady-swift-4321d ago
  Not legal advice, but: as a witness you have no legal obligation to proactively hand your footage to anyone other than law enforcement — which it sounds like you've already cooperated with. That said, if an attorney representing the victims' families subpoenas your footage, you'd need to comply. Some people in your position voluntarily reach out to victim advocates through the highway patrol, who can help connect families with witnesses. That's entirely your call. You're clearly a decent person for even thinking about it.
tidy-finch-1641d ago
What you're describing — the intrusive replaying, the sleep disruption, the feeling like you 'shouldn't' feel bad — those are textbook acute stress responses. Witnessing a fatal event is traumatic regardless of whether you were physically harmed. A lot of ERs and crisis lines can connect you with short-term counseling specifically for bystanders and first responders. Look into it, seriously. Your nervous system doesn't know you weren't in the van.
humble-badger-0651d ago
One heads-up: if the hauling company's insurer somehow figures out you have dashcam footage, don't be surprised if someone reaches out to you in a friendly, low-key way trying to 'preview' what's on it. You are under zero obligation to show anyone anything outside of a legal process. Just something to be aware of.
- plain-seal-0141d ago
  I just want to say — you stayed. You called 911, you gave a statement, you're thinking about those families. A lot of people would have just driven away. That matters, even if it doesn't feel like it right now. Please talk to someone about what you saw. You deserve that.
warm-elk-9251d ago
Your dashcam footage could genuinely be the thing that brings some accountability for those families. That's not a small thing. And the fact that you're asking these questions means you're already doing right by them. Hang in there.
keen-swan-9201d ago
Three things: back up your footage today, write down everything you remember in a notes app right now while your memory is sharpest, and call your doctor or a counselor this week. You saw people die. That's not nothing. Take care of the evidence and take care of yourself — in that order, and fast.