Rear ended someone and im so worried and scared

[missymoomel]

I was driving down a country lane one that I have been driving everyday since last year, the road is 60 I was doing about 50, the csr infront of me stopped suddenly because the car infront of him stopped suddenly and as soon as I saw his break lights I pushed my foot so hard on the break but the car didn't slow down in time and I hit the back of the car very hard, my car is damaged and will be a write off, there was a lady passanger in the back of the car and she was injured she hurt her neck and couldn't move it properly, the ambulance and police came, did a breathalyser which was 0, took my details ans said they would be in touch if they needed anything else.But im feeling so guilty for the women they took her to hospital to be assessed she got out of thr car with help ans they put her in the ambulance with a red box thing round her head, I cant sleep properly or eat much and I just keep replying over and over in my mind , im so worried about her ans I dont even know how she is, and I dont know what's going to happen to me with the police, and im also scared to drive again

The mot and service was done april this year, and there were a couple of advisories small things nothing to with the running of the car and obviously not major, they didnt say anything about breaks or disc pads and it would fail anyway if they were worn etc

Thankyou yes I know we all make mistakes and obviously I didnt mean to do it, and it could of been a lot worse, and im thankful to the god it wasent , I will try and get behind the wheel again ASAP but takes time to find a csr hopefully we will find one soon.Yes she most proberly will make a claim etc but she has every right, hopefully nothing like this will ever happen again

When people drive a car on the roads there will inevitably be car accidents. We have safety features on cars and rules (highway code / speed limits) and road markings and signs to reduce down the risk of accidents and the risk of harm from the accidents. The higher the speed the more likely there is of more serious harm. But the accidents do and will happen. Thats why we have car insurance.
I can understand your worry but you shouldn't try and find out about the other person or contact her family as they may not want to be contacted and their medical status is personal to them. Just try and put it out of your mind as best you can. You didnt intend to her her. It was an accident. The police may check the skid marks on the road which tells them stopping distance and speed. You may get a warning letter. The ambulance would have taken the precaution of putting the head and neck support on the lady as the cautious approach to prevent any further damage during the journey ready for assessment in hospital. It doesnt mean she is paralysed or anything or has broken her neck. It is just the precautions taken by the paramedics so that they do not cause damage to her when moving her to hospital for treatment. Be kind to yourself. Learn from it. You will be a more cautious driver in future and that is a good thing. Keep your distance and be mindful of stopping distances. You will get behind the wheel again and you will be ok. It will take time to sort out all the insurance and damage repair or replacement vehicles but it will get sorted. Look up how many accidents happen per year to make yourself feel less guilty.

Yes I will definitely be a more cautious driver now as always, I never want to be in a situation like that, my husband said wheh he came past to collect me he didnt see any skid marks.I need to find another car but I may have to do a test drive before we buy so I know I like it but I feel nervous to even do that, but i have to or I will never do it,I'm sure rhr lady is fine but I still worry and care for her, im not going to try and contact her, her family has all my details shouod she wish to reach out to me, I googled how many accidents happen everyday it was 350 a day, I hope I am never in one again.

And always not as always

You are only human OP and a caring responsible person, it not matter if you cry on phone to police they will be understanding. They may not release any information but its worth a try.
if you have private health this is usually included but some employers have basic ADP welfare lines for counselling. If not then research PTSD online and there will be tips on this. You will get over the shock and be able to move on.
most whiplash symptoms are uncomfortable but not permanent and resolve between 6 weeks to 18 months.

Yeah I will move on eventually everything takes doesn't it

Your post is a bit on the aggressive side! You don't know the OP and you've never followed her around on the roads so how on earth can you attack her and claim she always drives up people's arses? Do you know what it's like commuting on country roads! There's so much variation in speeds on them bloody roads. I despise people who won't surrender their driving licenses and blunder along frequently alternating between 50 and 30mph randomly and every time they suddenly drop speed for no reason anybody behind is suddenly not at a safe stopping distance. Add to the mix you get the impatient bastards that ride your arse and recklessly overtake you. If people have to drive way under the speed limit, they should be off the road! There should also be speed cameras on rural roads to catch the dicks doing 80, 90mph!

Don't beat yourself up OP I commute on country roads twice a week and I get frustrated with it because yeah you get people that suddenly want to turn off and expect everybody behind to stop on a sixpence. There's those that dawdle because they aren't that confident behind the wheel and won't do the speed limit and they are constantly going up and down in speed from 50 to 30mph, I hate it when people keep dropping down in speed drastically for no reason because how can you maintain a safe stopping distance if they can't maintain a stable speed!

What I am also wondering is whether your car is like a couple of cars that I have had where they had anti braking system that was too overzealous! It scared me a number times because even doing 30mph in rainy weather if I used my brake the ABS would come on and I couldn't stop, I'd just hear a rhythmic juddering! The issue then is not that you were driving too close but that your anti braking system was kicking in and you couldn't stop.

Once years ago I was going slowly on a 30mph road and got to some traffic lights and the council had failed to grit the road so it was really icy, I pressed my brakes in a normal manner but the ABS came on and I could not stop, I had to go up the kerb and slightly into a wall to avoid hitting a tow truck waiting at the lights.

Don't worry about the woman, she'll be fine - a lot of people will immediately pretend to have a really bad neck in that situation to try and get a claim but they don't get away with once a scan and a doctor says they are fine.