Lived Experience Forum

[Redapple22]

Hi, I’m new here so hope I’m in the right place. I introduced myself recently and got lovely replies.

I had a car accident the other night, a car didn’t give way and rear ended me. I got extremely abused by her and in the shock I didn’t get her rego number. She gave me a false mobile number. The worst is I can’t stop going over it in my head, I’m so angry that I forgot to get her rego. I can’t stop going over it, it’s put my anxiety level up to max. There’s nothing I can do about the damage to my car, I’m so angry!

[SkySeeker22]

Hi @Redapple22 

I'm so sorry to hear about your car accident.

People can be so caught up in their own little world, they don't take the time to think about how their actions can affect others.

Its understandable that you are feeling angry, but try not to beat yourself up about not getting the registration.  You would have most likely been in shock, and to have someone yelling at you would not have helped you in that situation at all.

Do you have insurance on your car?  If so you could call your insurer and give them the details of the accident and they will be able to chase up the other driver.  If not you would need to pay the excess of your insurance - but I would think this would be a lot less than having to pay for the repairs entirely.

If this isn't an option then perhaps you could contact the police, or other local businesses/residents that may have cameras on buildings in the area?  You might be able to get the rego details that way?

What are some things that have helped in the past when your anxiety levels have been this high?

I know how it feels to have something playing over and over again in your mind.  Some things that have worked for me in the past are grounding techniques - focusing on things that are in you immediate environment that you can see/touch/smell etc, and when grounded in the moment make a clear plan in your mind of the things you have to do next.  I used to make it a challenge as to how far I could get without my mind going back to the event.  Also, planning out "worry time" in my day where I could worry about and think about the event and the ramifications of it.  When I first started using this technique,  I needed to do this every few hours, otherwise I would find myself getting caught up in thoughts again, however over time and sticking to the "worry times" I was able to cut this down significantly.

These may be worth trying for you, and if you are still struggling with you anxiety and it is affecting your daily life in the future it may be worth reaching out to your GP or MH professional (if you have one) to see if there is anything they can recommend to assist you.

Warm regards

SkySeeker22

[Redapple22]

Thank you Skyseeker, I feel a bit better just talking about it. Thanks for taking the time to help. I’ll try grounding myself as you said. My GP is already medicating me for the anxiety. Again, thank you.

Redapple.

[Asgard]

Hi @Redapple22 

First of all how are you, are you ok.  Being rear ended is bad enough but for her to give you false details is actually criminal.  You must go the police and report it, give them as many details as possible, this will help with insurance claims.  As @SkySeeker22 indicated there might have been a camera in that area which recorded it.  If she had damage to her car then it would need repair, the cops would check local mechanics for any recent repairs.

So go to the cops and let them handle it from there.

Please don't dwell on it, whats done is done, it was a stressful situation, so stop being so hard on yourself. 

Thinking of ye 🙂

[Henry2]

I can see how u forgot to get the details as this accident triggered your anxiety sorry to hear.

[MermaidHair]

Heya @Redapple22 and welcome to the forums, I'm glad you're here and have received a warm and lovely welcome 💜

I'm sorry to hear about the accident and the way this person has behaved, that is absolutely horrible. I totally get it, I would be beside myself and extremely anxious too. I think you've received some fantastic advice here and you should definitely make a police report. 

Be kind to yourself through the process. Thankfully nobody was injured and you can handle everything properly, the best you can, from your end and hold your head high.

Hope you're feeling better

[Asgard]

Hi @Redapple22 

Just checking in to see how you are doing since the car accident.  Hope things are going better for you.

Take care

Asgard

[Tilz]

Hi @Redapple22  hope you are doing good. Sorry to hear about accident. Did you find about the CCTV footage in near place to the accident. You would have find the car rego from those.