Complicated bereavement and posttraumatic stress disorder following fatal car crashes: Recommendations for death notification practice

This article reviewed how four characteristics of car crash deaths-suddenne ss, untimeliness, preventability, and violent, mutilating injuries-may cont ribute to complicated bereavement syndromes or to the development of posttr aumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Fatality Analysis Reporting System was then used to assess the proportion of car crashes from 1990 1996 that invol ved one or more of these characteristics. At least 75% of all deaths involv ed suddenness, untimeliness, or were preventable, that is, due to alcohol o r drug use. Twenty-eight percent of crash deaths involved 2 of these charac teristics and 6% involved all 3. Recommendations for performing death notif ications were provided with and emphasis on identifying and responding to c ircumstances that may lead to complicated bereavement or PTSD. Recommendati ons for further research also were provided.