Also, the scenario you mentioned is a massive, massive trauma for an 8 year old to go through (for an any-year-old to go through). That child's entire world - every single thing he or she knows and understands and experiences about life - was taken away in the blink of an eye. No eight year old has the inner resources to cope with that kind of tragedy.

That poor child. Seriously... that poor kid. That trauma would have affected every single aspect of life that came after. Relationships, trust, dealing with emotions, sense of safety, PTSD, alienation from self and more. The loss would have been intense. Loss of others, loss of self, loss of life as it was known. That poor, poor kid.