Fatal North Carolina Truck Accident Brings Traffic on I-85 to a Standstill
A fatal North Carolina truck accident brought traffic screeching to a halt last Monday on Interstate 85 near the Sam Wilson Road exit. But it also brought radical changes to the lives of the family members of Larry James Grier, 59. According to the North Carolina Highway Patrol report, Grier died after his Budget rental truck ran into a broken down tractor-trailer at a truck weigh station near exit 29.
Local news reports about the story were relatively brief. This was not a North Carolina truck accident involving a lot of fireworks or controversy. There was no one apparently DUI. There was no one driving under the influence of drugs. It was not a multi-car wreck, nor was it tied to any broader cultural or socio-economic issue that might provoke public debate.
But it’s important to reflect on the tragedy of this accident: it is horrific news in and of itself, but it’s also sad that stories like these often fall under people’s radar. Imagine if your loved one got injured in a collision like this. A simple passing mention in a news stories seems like paltry tribute to your loss and pain.
Part of the problem is we are living in an attention-deficit society, so we essentially have grown numb to “pedestrian” North Carolina car accidents and other tragedies. And this is sad. It is sad because it demonstrates that we may miss out on critical reminders of how precious life is and opportunities to connect with people in pain and help them through it.
If you’ve recently been a victim in a truck or car accident on North Carolina roads, you probably feel resentful or even angry because the world around you doesn’t seem to “care enough.” Sure, you may receive sympathy and condolence cards. You may get other kinds of help, including compensation, support from friends and family members, medical attention, etc. But we often fail to get the empathy that we really need in times of great crisis.
Recognize that you need to be listened to. If people who are close to you are unable to listen, seek out someone who will listen. It’s not that we necessarily want solutions to our problems—rather, we want people to understand our pain on a human level.
More Web Resources:
Fatal North Carolina Truck Accident Kills 59-Year-Old Rental Truck Driver
What We Really Need Is Empathy
