I never realized how powerful.. triggers are ... and flashbacks.. until this happened to me.. Every Halloween, brings this back to me.. to some degree...

Years ago on Halloween Day, I was crossing the street... for work.. the staff was housed in several buildings.. and I was crossing a busy street.. I did everything I was suppose to.. waited for the "walk" light.. and then.. a driver in a truck made a right turn on red.. and he hit me.. and I slid under his truck... he backed up.. got me out from underneath.. and "sat" me on the sidewalk... and just left... no one helped.. I got up.. walked to work.. and was taken for medical attention.. in shock.. bruises.. sprained ankle.. scrapes all over my body.. my coat.. had tire thread markings..

Flashback......................................................................................
Years later.. I was crossing a street... an busy street.. again with the "walk" light.. and I slipped and fell.. all the cars facing me.. at a stop light... me on the street - prone..

I couldn't get up.. I went into shock immediately... and I crawled... yepper crawled.. to the curb.. where I remained in shock.. I wasn't hurt.. I just was frozen.. in shock...
Lying there on the sidewalk.. once again - no one to help..
The fireman found me there... and helped...but I remained in shock.. incoherent... he thought that I had a head injury..

I had flashed back... so powerfully to my previous experience.. that I was incoherent... the fireman... really did not know what to do.. ... me either....

This time of year... I do "feel" that experience..

And crossing a street... well... that is something.. that I try not to do while walking...

[Kiya]

=( I can see why this time of the season would be tough to get through. So glad you were physically ok from that experience.
kiya

[Perna]

Oh, what a horrible experience! I had a boyfriend, in his 50's, tall and "large" and he slipped on ice and fell under a truck that was turning a corner in downtown Washington, D.C. and only onlookers banging for all their worth on its sides to get the driver's attention stopped it before it went over him. I remember his telling me about the experience the night it happened, over and over and his obvious shock at how small and helpless it could make him feel and my realizing that personal "size" was no help, being "big and strong," etc. had no influence at all. I can't imagine personally living with that knowledge daily with it in the forefront of my awareness.