Are we prepared to deliver a message of death to the loved ones of an accident victim and do we have the skills to do this in a professional and compassionate manner? At a recent accident investigation and reconstruction conference in Cape Town, senior superintendent Rob Askew mentioned that this is indeed one of the most difficult things to do – and we need to provide guidelines on how to perform this duty! Too often this is done in a manner that is not compassionate – thereby adding to the anguish and trauma of the surviving family members!
The Arrive Alive website did some international research on this topic and added content to the website to assist those entrusted with this difficult task. In our research we came across a number of interesting aspects which we would also like to share with visitors to this Blog.
In September 2007 South African soccer experienced terrible loss after the tragic death of the talented Gift Leremi. His death in a vehicle accident was well reported – unfortunately this also highlighted a serious breach of “good policy” as the death was reported in the media before family members were informed! The family of Gift Leremi revealed that this did indeed add to their trauma!
In South Africa, with our cultural diversity, it is even more important to be aware of cultural and linguistic differences when performing such a notification. An Afrikaans lady friend of mine suffered the anguish of notification that her dad was in a serious accident. The notification was done over the telephone and she was informed that her dad “het verongeluk” and not that “hy was in ‘n ongeluk”. In Afrikaans the first phrase is interpreted as if the person died in the accident whereas the second interpretation is that he was involved in an accident!
To quote from the Arrive Alive website – “The way in which a death notification is delivered and questions that are left unanswered can add several years of additional grief to the survivor’s pain and suffering. It is our duty not to add to this trauma and to follow “good practice” methods when breaking the bad news of sudden death.”
Visit the Arrive Alive website for detailed information on “Road Safety and the Notification of Sudden Death”
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