Fighting fear: Overcoming anxiety after an accident

Laranzo Dacres • Sunday Gleaner Writer

Yekeeyah Yissara drove out to get his younger brother, a chore which he had done several times in the past. But little did he know, today would be different.

While on his way, an oncoming truck violently slammed into his 2001 Daewoo Leganza, causing it to overturn.

Yissara was sent spiralling into a surreal world where, according to him, everything felt like a dream.

"Immediately after the accident, it was like I was in a dream. Everything slowed down completely. [It was] like they were moving in slow motion and the place seemed foggy," Yissara recalled. "About five minutes afterwards, the reality of what had transpired hit me."

Yissara said three persons travelling in the truck sustained minor cuts and bruises, but he was fine.

"It's a miracle that I was the only one in my car and I never received any injuries," he said.

While not receiving any physical injuries, Yissara was mentally scarred by the incident.

"After the accident, I was a bit reluctant to get back around the steering," he told Automotives. "But my job requires me to drive, so I had to. That is the main reason why I quickly overcame that fear."

He said the experience has made him more vigilant while driving.

Psychologist Dr Leahcim Semaj said post-traumatic stress after an accident normally goes away naturally. But, if not, the victim should seek professional help.

"Most people will have no problem after an accident, because it is more common that persons recover naturally," he said.

Semaj outlined several steps which could be taken to overcome the fear after an accident.

"If you have doubt, let someone drive while you travel in the front passenger's seat. Then, for the second step, you drive, with someone in the front passenger's seat."

Semaj said if all fails, the best thing to do is to get professional help. "Most times, post-traumatic disorder does not show up right away. It's usually a month or so later that they realise that the anxiety is not naturally going away."

Jermaine Williams had an accident in which his 1994 Mitsubishi Lancer was totalled.

"I never had any fear to drive another vehicle after my crash, because I understood what caused the accident. And, all of us who were in the car still drive without problems," said Williams.

"As the driver, I learned from my mistake. The bad part was one of my friends in the car sustained a minor head injury."

Semaj said sharing an unfortunate incident with close friends is one sure way of getting over it.

"If after talking with friends, avoiding rush-hour traffic and travelling with someone, you are still getting anxiety attacks, nervousness, perspiring and shaking, the thing to do now is seek professional help from someone who will help you in dealing with the symptoms,"Semaj said.

Jomar Black, who was involved in an accident with his Honda F3 600 motorcycle, sustained lacerations to his chest and partial paralysis of his right arm, said after leaving the hospital he had a fear of getting on another motorcycle.

"I had some fear of riding again because of what I went through," said Black.

According to him, he was a pillion on the bike. The rider received a broken rib, along with cuts and bruises.

Black said even though he had fears, he had his own way of dealing with it.

"I got over the fear by going on another bike. I told myself I had to overcome this because I love bikes."