PTSD from MVA (Motor Vehicle Accident)

[Progressive]

I was 18 years old when I had my car accident, it was on boxing day 2012. I was driving back home after spending Christmas with my family, driving a 1993 corolla, so no airbags. About an hour into my way home it started to rain, nothing to heavy. I was almost halfway home and excited to enjoy my gifts from Christmas. As I was coming around a bend on the road another car was also but lost control and smashed into me at over 100km per hour. I was hit on the driver side door (T-Bone). The impact broke 4 of my ribs, I was bleeding into my stomach and lacerated my liver and spleen also puncturing a lung.

As I was in shock, the car behind the one that hit me pulled over. A women was running towards me and just happened to be a nurse on her way to work at the local hospital. She kicked in the back door window and crawled in. She was comforting me as best she could, saying it was going to be ok and it wasnt to bad. At this stage I was coughing blood, I thought I was going to die.

It wasnt to long till police arrived, they also just comforted me until an ambulance arrived. The police called in the fire brigade to cut me out of the car as it was completely smashed in. That took over an hour, I was then placed on a spinal and taken to the ambulance. Still being in shock and not knowing what was going on I started saying my goodbyes, to loved ones. After being in the ambulance for about half an hour I then was taken to be airlifted to hospital. I spent 5 days in ICU (Intensive care unit) and further 7 in surgical ward.

Its been almost 4 years since that day but during that time since the crash my mental health was actually worse then the initial car crash was because it lasted so much longer. Having 14 hospital admissions for suicidal thoughts/attempts within 3 years after the accident.

I still struggle with my crash, everyday of my life. But things get better. I am getting the proper treatment for PTSD and am in my first year of Uni and that is something I never saw for myself. I have gotten through the worst of it now and am planning for my future which is still weird for me to say.

If I can get through such dark and scary times then anyone can, you just have to be brave and stick at the hope of getting better because it does, it really does get better.

[Neil_1]

Hi there Progressive,

Welcome to Beyond Blue and thank you so much for sharing your post.

What an absolutely horrific ordeal you had to go through - not only, as you say physically, but mentally also. These are the kinds of things that will be us forever. I guess in a way, they shape us for how we are for our future.

But I do have to say, that to read what you've been through and then to read how you are now, that is almost more than your name of "Progressive", but almost "Sensational Advancement". You're now beginning to take on and achieve things that you wouldn't have thought possible before.

And I again thank you for sharing this post, your insights and progression as well. It is a truly uplifting and inspirational post.

Kind regards

Neil

[geoff]

dear Progressive, after reading your comment the pain, the shock and the disbelief that anything like this could ever happen is more of a horrible dream, but unfortunately it did and has put you through to hell and back, not once but several times, and for you to now manage to change your life around is truly amazing, so I salute you.
You don't mention the people who have stuck by your side whether they were friends, family and staff at the hospital, but this probably doesn't matter, because your determination and strength far more exemplifies that there is some light at the end for you to achieve.
I can relate to your comment because I had an accident which damaged my hip and also had several operations, life for me had to continue on, the accident was my fault and can't blame anyone else, and for you to want to get a course at uni only proves that you are so courageous and hope that we will hear back from you. Geoff.