Dealing with Sudden, Accidental and Traumatic Loss and Death

Dr. Nathan Kollar, Professor of Religious Studies at St. John Fisher College offered these words on suffering:

Like a tree struck by lightning--splintered, shaken, denuded--
our world is broken by suffering, and we will never be the same again.

A sudden death occurs without any forewarning; it is unanticipated. A traumatic death, in addition to being sudden, can also be violent, mutilating or destructive; it can be random and/or preventable or may involve many deaths. A sudden, accidental, unexpected or traumatic death shatters the world as we know it. It is often a loss that does not make any sense.

In an instance life is forever changed. Survivors* are left with the knowledge that life is not always fair and that sometimes bad things happen to good people. The sudden, traumatic death leaves the survivors feeling shaken, unsure and vulnerable.

_{*Survivors are all of those who suffered injuries or losses during traumatic events. Survivors can also be the rescue workers, ems, medical personell, friends and relatives of the victims.}

Definitions - Deaths and Losses

Deaths
A Sudden Death is an instant unexpected death or a death that occurs within one hour of the onset of symptoms.

An Accidental Death is the loss of life that results from bodily injury caused by an accident. With an accidental death, survivors are left thinking that the death was so random and/or preventable that something could have been done to keep it from happening.

A Traumatic Death is one that is also sudden and unanticipated. The traumatic death is also frequently violent, mutilating or destructive, random and/or preventable. It may involve multiple deaths or be one in which the mourner has a personal encounter with death.

Losses
A Sudden Loss is a loss that occurs without any forewarning. In an instant, life is forever changed.

An Accidental Loss is a loss, often a bodily injury, caused by an accident. There are many different types of losses that can be experienced.

A Traumatic Loss is a sudden and unanticipate loss that is also frequently of a violent, mutiliating, destructive nature that may be random and seem preventable.

Definition - Traumatic Event

A Traumatic Event is an event, or series of events, that causes moderate to severe stress reactions. Traumatic events are characterized by a sense of horror, helplessness, serious injury, or the threat of serious injury or death.

Examples of Sudden, Accidental or Traumatic Deaths
Common examples of sudden deaths include:

• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Ruptured aneurysm
• Accidents - Car, train, airplane, industrial, vacation etc.
• Post-operative complication
• Anaphylactic reactions (bee stings, severe allergies)
• Rapidly fatal acute leukemias
• Sudden infant death syndrome
• Rapidly progressive infectious diseases - respiratory anthrax, certain pneumonias, Legionnaire's
• Suicide
• Homicide
• Natural disasters (Hurricane Katrina, Christmas Tsunami)
• Human-caused disasters (Oklahoma City Bombing, the September 11th terrorist attack or any of the recent school shootings)

Each type of sudden loss, whether a heart or a terrorist attack, leaves survivors bereaved, dazed and vulnerable trying to make sense out of the insensible loss. As survivors of sudden or traumatic death begin to process the loss, they experience a grief response.

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The next page has information on the characteristics of a normal trauma response, traumatic grief and complicated mourning.

© 2006 Kirsti A. Dyer MD, MS, FT. Licensed for use to About.com.