Adults Aren’t the Only Ones Who Grieve After a Georgia DUI Death

The victims of Georgia’s drunk driving crashes are more than statistics. They are fathers and mothers, grandparents, siblings, or friends. Many victims of fatal DUI accidents in Georgia have children, grandchildren or young siblings who are left grieving and confused by the sudden loss.

When a loved one is diagnosed with a terminal illness, family and friends often have time to prepare for their loss. The grieving begins before the death has even occurred. But, Georgia drunk driving deaths are sudden. There is no way to prepare. For a child, a Georgia DUI death can be more than the loss of a loved one; it may also be the first realization that bad things can happen at any time, often for no reason at all.

The fact that bad things do happen is a hard concept for a child to understand. The child may become fearful, or he may look for causes to explain the accident. The child may believe that the family member chose to die or he may blame himself. He may think that the accident was caused by an angry thought he had a week before, or that the death was the result of his bad behavior. The child may feel responsible and guilty.

If a child doesn’t appear to grieve, it may be that the child is not yet able to express his feelings. However, there is no doubt that drunk driving deaths affect children of all ages. Atlanta DUI injury attorney Shane Smith has dedicated his practice to helping all the victims of Georgia drunk driving crashes. To learn more about how children cope with loss and how you can help, look through the library on this website. For more information and resources, contact Shane Smith Law at 866-979-1629.