In my mid-20s, I was hit by a car while walking to school. The driver, who was elderly, thought the median was an extra turn lane, and in the process, hit three pedestrians, including me. One moment I was a stressed-out graduate student worrying about finishing her experiments; the next moment, I looked over to see the light brown hood of a car coming straight toward me, followed by oblivion. When I woke up, I was lying on the pavement, covered in blood and in more pain than I’ve ever been in, childbirth included.
In the weeks and months following the accident, I started experiencing frequent nightmares where I’d get hit by a car, over and over again. I also started having panic attacks every time I saw a car coming toward me, whether I was sitting in a car or standing on the sidewalk. Driving became impossible.
You Can Get PTSD From a Car Accident (and How to Recover)
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