Car accidents are an unfortunate inevitability on UK roads. According to recent statistics published by Brake.org, 84 injuries and five deaths occur each day as a result of road traffic collisions and other related incidents. On one such day, your partner might have been one of those 84, and plunged into a new reality of injury, recovery, trauma and therapy.
A particularly traumatic element to car accidents is that they are, quite often, completely out of the victim’s hands. Another driver’s error could lead to catastrophic injury without a moment’s notice. While there can be compensation and closure through personal injury litigation, these routes do not address the totality of a car accident’s impact on a life. What are some ways in which you can tangibly help a partner that has suffered a serious car accident?
Give Them Time
Time is the most valuable tool in your arsenal when it comes to doing right by your partner. In the weeks and months after the accident, and during recovery for any injuries incurred, there will invariably be times when your partner wants to be alone. They will need time to understand and process the things that have happened to them, and time to come to terms – in their own time – with recovery or any new limitations.
Tangibly, this might manifest through taking a patient stance with them. Be sure to give them that time and space when they request it, and do your best to notice signs that some alone time might be good for them. They might not be particularly good at signalling their needs, particularly early on.
Give Them Your Time
But, just as giving them alone time is crucial for managing their recovery well, it is also vital that they do not spend too long alone with their thoughts. Without an involved therapy journey, moderated by a licensed professional, it can be easy to fall into unhelpful thinking processes and strategies; some time to process is absolutely valid, but this can quickly become time to ‘stew’, and a gateway to worsening mental health.
As such, you should be open to communication wherever you can be, and patient enough to give them your time when they feel ready to open up a little more. Your time and energy can be supremely helpful in their navigation of complicated feelings about the accident, and their future.
Celebrate Milestones
Recovery is not an entirely linear process, but nor is it a necessarily negative one. Indeed, recovery should be treated with a celebratory air, as each victory over a given hurdle or milestone is a step closer to recovery. Recording and celebrating these milestones accordingly can help your partner feel both seen and accomplished, as well as spur further efforts towards complete recovery.
