Independent of the ongoing investigations and legal issues, our victim support officers offer those involved help and guidance in individual discussions to help them deal with the consequences of the accident in the best possible way. In particular, the affected persons are informed about "normal" stress reactions in serious traffic accidents and it is explored together whether further offers of help from suitable specialist institutions and networks are possible.
Accident victim Ms. S.'s description one week after her traffic accident:
"Immediately after the accident, I felt very bad. Fortunately, I only had superficial injuries, but I had major problems getting back to my everyday life. You always sleep badly in hospital, but it didn't get any better at home in your own bed. I woke up every night with a racing heart and couldn't go back to sleep. Regular working hours were out of the question. The accident site is on the direct route to the grocery store. I took long detours to avoid having to go there. And cycling was completely out of the question. I thought I was going crazy.
What I didn't know at the time was that all of this was a totally normal reaction to the accident. And that knowledge alone calmed me down. The advice from the police victim support team really helped me. I took great care to strengthen what was good for me. And I knew where and how I could get help if things didn't get better."