Fatal Car Crash Grief

My master's thesis at Duke University grew out of a question that stayed with me after my years as a newspaper reporter: What happens to families after the headlines fade following a fatal motor vehicle crash?

To find answers, I chose to conduct original research with bereaved family members across North Carolina. Several people kindly suggested I consider a less demanding research project, knowing the significant work required to develop an Institutional Review Board protocol. But the question mattered too much to me to take a different path.

The Duke University Institutional Review Board approved my research, allowing me to interview families about grief, resilience and life after unimaginable loss. The project was later recognized by Duke University as an Exemplary Master's Project.

As Joan Didion writes in The Year of Magical Thinking, "Life changes in the instant."

A fatal motor vehicle crash is an unexpected, violent and heartbreaking event that forever changes the lives of those left behind. It was a privilege to listen to these families, learn from them and help preserve their stories with the care and dignity they deserve.

My thesis, Fatal Automobile Crashes in North Carolina: A Historical and Present-Day Portrait of Grief, is available here.