In the year ending June 2020, there were 24,470 killed or seriously injured casualties in road traffic accidents in the UK. Amongst this number, there were 1,580 estimated road deaths.

National Road Victim Month is held annually in August to remember those that have been killed or injured on our roads.

Losing a loved one at any time is difficult but losing a loved one unexpectedly due to an accident can be very difficult due to the situation of it happening so suddenly. Grieving can take many different forms and has no time frame. The stages of grief can vary from person to person, yet we all go through them.

 

1.    Denial

 

Denying the death of a loved one is normal, especially when it is not expected, it can all seem very surreal and like you are stuck in a bad dream. A lot of us will not believe our loved one has gone, as a way of protecting ourselves from the pain of the reality. However, we cannot start fully grieving or healing until we get past this stage and accept that our loved one has gone.

 

2.      Anger

 

Anger is a healthy emotion to feel whilst you are grieving. If your loved one has passed away in an accident, it is normal to feel anger towards those who are responsible for it or even towards your loved one for being in the place at the time of the accident. Mental health experts believe that anger helps bring us back to reality from the dissociation grief causes.

 

3.      Deal Making

 

All of us will say that we would do anything to get our loved ones back. Or we will start questioning or using the term if only. If only they left 5 minutes later or If only, they didn’t have to go here. We can find ourselves using deal making to get our loved ones back as a defence to repress our grief.

4.      Sadness or Depression

 

Being sad or depressed due to grief is undeniable. We can begin to feel empty or like we are missing something, as the reality of our loved one being gone starts to sink in. We may feel hopeless and want to be alone a lot of the time and begin to cut out friend and family. The type of depression that is associated with mourning can display itself in two ways. The first way is more a feeling of sadness and regret. Whereas the second way is more secluded where we prepare ourselves from the separation of  our loved one.

 

5.      Acceptance

 

According to many, acceptance is the last stage of grief. Where we realise that we need to continue living without them no matter how hard this may be. However, not everyone will feel like they are able to reach this stage of acceptance and feel like they will never gain closure over their loved one’s death.

 

Losing someone we love unexpectedly is something we never want to experience. Knowing that you are allowed to grieve and that others can help you get through and comfort you while you grieve, is comforting and can make this difficult time just that little bit easier.

 

If you would like to arrange a funeral for your loved ones to say a final goodbye or have any questions please get in contact with us today. We also have useful contacts and other useful information that you may find helpful. If you do have any further questions, we are always only a phone call away. You can either call us on  01452 617892 or use our online contact form.