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Families For Safe Streets
Grief and LossPost-Trauma LifeResource ConversationsYou Are Not Alone
October 6, 2026

Finding Support and Community After a Motor Vehicle Incident

A Conversation with Families for Safe Streets

After a motor vehicle incident, it can be difficult to know where to turn.
You may be dealing with physical injuries, grief, trauma, changes to your everyday life, complicated systems, or simply the feeling that no one around you really understands what you have been through.
And sometimes, you are not just trying to recover. You also want to make sure what happened to you does not happen to someone else.
That is where community can make an enormous difference.
In this Resource Conversation, Sandal Blue Foundation spoke with Aly Geller from Families for Safe Streets about the support available to people who have survived a crash, lost a loved one, or are caring for someone affected by a crash.

You Are Not Alone

Families for Safe Streets is a growing national organization with approximately 2,000 members and chapters across the country. The organization supports people whose lives have been affected by motor vehicle incidents while also working toward preventing future deaths and injuries.
Aly coordinates support services for the national organization. Her role includes helping new community members find the support, resources, and opportunities that fit where they are right now.
That last part is important.
There is no single “right” place to be after a traumatic event.
Maybe you are ready to connect with someone who understands. Maybe you need practical information about navigating what comes next. Maybe you want to talk with other survivors or people who have experienced a loss. Or maybe you are ready to use your experience to advocate for safer roads.
Families for Safe Streets has resources for all of those places.
As Aly shared, their team is ready to ask, “Where are you today?” and then help you find what you need right now.

The Power of Being Seen and Heard

One of the most meaningful parts of support after a motor vehicle incident can be talking with someone who truly understands.
There is something powerful about having a witness to your grief, physical pain, fear, frustration, or changing identity.
It can sound deceptively simple: being seen and heard.
But connecting with someone who has been through something similar can help reduce the isolation that often follows a traumatic experience.
Families for Safe Streets offers a peer mentor program that connects community members with trained mentors who have their own experience with crash loss or injury. Mentors receive training in how to have supportive conversations, and whenever possible, people can be connected with someone whose experience is similar to their own.
Sometimes it also helps to meet someone who is a little farther down the road.
When you are in the middle of something incredibly difficult, seeing someone who has found a way forward can offer something important: a glimpse of possibility.
There can be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Support Does Not Have to Be One-on-One

Not everyone wants individual support, and sometimes it helps to be part of a larger community.
Families for Safe Streets offers virtual support gatherings where people affected by crashes can come together, connect, and participate in facilitated conversations.
The organization also hosts special events, including book clubs and guest speakers, giving members opportunities to learn, connect, and build relationships with others who understand.
There is also a National Story Map, an online space created to honor and memorialize people who have been killed in crashes.
The Story Map gives families and survivors a place to be seen and heard. It also allows decision-makers and the broader community to see the human beings behind crash statistics.
Because these are not just numbers.
They are people.
They are parents, children, spouses, siblings, friends, coworkers, and neighbors whose lives have been changed.

Practical Resources for the Road Ahead

Support after a motor vehicle incident is not only emotional.
Sometimes you need to know what to do next.
Families for Safe Streets has a Post-Crash Resource Guide designed to help people navigate some of the systems and situations that can come after a crash, including interacting with law enforcement, navigating the legal system, and responding if the media reaches out.
They also have a member-generated Resource Guide with resources related to grief, trauma, and other needs that can arise after a crash.
These resources are designed to be something you can return to when you are ready.
You do not have to figure everything out at once.

Turning Experience Into Change

For many people affected by crashes, there eventually comes a point when they want to do something to prevent others from experiencing what they have experienced.
Families for Safe Streets creates opportunities for people to do exactly that.
The organization focuses on upstream solutions: evidence-based approaches that address the conditions that contribute to crashes before someone is injured or killed.
Their advocacy work includes safer roads, safer speeds, and safer vehicles.
One current campaign is Stop Super Speeders, which advocates for legislation requiring intelligent speed assistance devices for repeat speeding offenders. The campaign has passed in nine states or jurisdictions and continues to grow.
Families for Safe Streets also has an Ambassador program that provides training for people who want to become involved in advocacy and learn how to help advance this type of legislation in their own state.
You can explore the Stop Super Speeders campaign, see where legislation has passed or is pending, and learn how to get involved.

Why Stories Matter

Story sharing is at the heart of much of Families for Safe Streets’ advocacy work.
Research shows that stories can make information more memorable and can influence decision-makers. But Aly also recognizes something equally important:
Sharing your story can be empowering, and it can also be incredibly difficult.
That is why Families for Safe Streets does not simply ask people to tell their stories and send them on their way.
They work to create a foundation of support around the process.
Aly provides one-on-one guidance from the time someone joins the organization and throughout their involvement. The organization also provides training and support to help people understand how to share their experiences in ways that feel appropriate for them.
You get to decide what you share, when you share it, and how you participate.

You Can Start Wherever You Are

If you are interested in connecting with Families for Safe Streets, you do not have to know exactly what you need before you reach out.
One of the easiest places to start is by becoming a member.
Once you join, you can be connected with a local chapter when one is available in your area. Chapters are supported by sponsor organizations and provide opportunities for community gatherings, programs, advocacy, and connection.
You can also:
And if you do not see exactly what you need, you can reach out directly. Their team can help you figure out what might be a good next step.

World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims

Families for Safe Streets is also a co-planner of World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims in the United States, a national event taking place in communities across the country on the third Sunday in November.
The event provides an opportunity to remember those who have been killed or injured in road traffic incidents and to call attention to the need for safer roads and transportation systems.
The World Day of Remembrance website includes resources for people who want to attend an event or organize one in their own community.

You Can Be Supported While You Make Change

One of the things that stood out in our conversation with Aly is that support and advocacy do not have to be separate.
You can be grieving and still want change.
You can be healing and still want to help others.
You can be overwhelmed and still take one small step.
And you do not have to do any of it alone.
Families for Safe Streets exists to walk alongside people affected by crashes, whether that means helping you find a peer mentor, connecting you with resources, giving you a place to share your story, or helping you find a way to turn your experience into action.
As Aly shared, you are not alone.
It may feel that way sometimes, but there is a powerful community of people who understand and are ready to hold and guide you.
Watch the full Resource Conversation to learn more about Families for Safe Streets.
By Seantae Jackson
Crash Support Network Resource Conversation (1)
Post-Trauma LifeResource ConversationsSupport and CaregivingYou Are Not Alone
September 24, 2026

You Are Not Stuck Forever: Finding Support After a Motor Vehicle Incident

After a motor vehicle incident, it can feel like the rest of the world is moving forward while you are standing still.

There are appointments to manage. Symptoms to understand. Insurance questions. Medical decisions. Financial concerns. Legal questions. And on top of all of that, you are trying to figure out who you are now and what recovery is going to look like.

For Dawne McKay, founder of the Crash Support Network and author of Talk Crash to Me: What to Expect After Surviving a Motor Vehicle Collision and How to Manage Your Recovery, that feeling lasted for years.

Dawne was rear-ended at a high rate of speed by a distracted driver. Her recovery became a long and complicated road, and 14 years later, she understands firsthand how overwhelming the process can be.

One of the things she wanted most during those early years was simple: someone who understood.

She searched for other people who had been through something similar and was surprised by how little she could find.

So she created what she needed.

Dawne started a private Facebook group for crash survivors. Within 10 minutes, a man reached out to her. Having someone who could relate to what she was experiencing made a difference.

That small group eventually grew into the Crash Support Network, a resource dedicated to helping crash survivors feel less alone and providing information throughout the many stages of recovery.

You Are Not Going to Be Stuck Forever

One of the most important messages Dawne wants survivors to hear is this:

You won’t be stuck forever.

That doesn’t mean recovery is quick or predictable.

Healing is not a straight line.

There may be times when it feels like you are making progress and other times when you feel like you have taken several steps backward. There can be so many moving pieces that it is difficult to see what the path forward even looks like.

Dawne describes recovery as requiring strength, motivation, patience, and support.

And sometimes, people around you may not realize how much you are carrying.

You may look like you are doing okay from the outside while managing pain, appointments, symptoms, financial stress, emotional challenges, or other things that no one else can see.

That doesn’t mean you aren’t working hard.

Recovery takes a tremendous amount of strength.

Over time, with the right people and teams supporting you, the path can become clearer.

Listen to Your Body and Become Your Own Advocate

So where do you start?

Dawne encourages survivors to listen to their bodies and become their own advocates.

If something doesn’t feel right, ask questions.

If you don’t feel heard, keep looking for answers.

If you aren’t comfortable with an explanation or recommendation, you can seek another opinion from a medical professional.

It can be discouraging when someone tells you that nothing is wrong because you “look fine.” But looking okay does not tell someone everything about what you are experiencing.

Dawne encourages survivors to stay curious.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions, explore resources, learn about your options, and continue to voice what you need.

You know your body and your experience. Being an advocate for yourself is an important part of recovery.

Keep Everything

One of Dawne’s most practical recommendations is also one of the simplest:

Keep everything.

Discharge papers. Medical records. Prescription receipts. Emails. Business cards. Contact information for doctors, social workers, and other professionals. Anything related to your motor vehicle incident.

Her recommendation?

Put it all in a box.

It doesn’t have to be perfectly organized. Just have one place where you can keep the documents and information you may need later.

Dawne also recommends keeping an electronic folder for emails and other digital records.

And if you have legal representation, don’t assume that means you don’t need your own copies.

Having your own records can help you stay informed and advocate for yourself throughout the process.

Consider Getting Legal Advice

Dawne also encourages survivors to consider talking with a personal injury attorney.

Many personal injury attorneys offer free consultations, so having an initial conversation doesn’t necessarily mean you are committing to hiring someone.

And if making that call feels overwhelming, ask a trusted family member to help.

The sooner you explore your options, the better, because legal matters can involve deadlines.

A conversation with an attorney can also help you understand what options and resources may be available to you so you can make an informed decision about what comes next.

Dawne also encourages survivors to ask other survivors about their experiences with legal representation.

Legal and insurance processes can take time. Sometimes a very long time. Just like medical recovery, they can require patience.

Having someone help navigate those pieces can allow you to focus more of your energy on your own recovery.

And remember: you can advocate for yourself not only when it comes to your health, but also when it comes to your finances.

A Resource Created Because Dawne Needed It Herself

Dawne eventually took the information she had gathered through years of blogging and supporting survivors and turned it into a book.

Talk Crash to Me: What to Expect After Surviving a Motor Vehicle Collision and How to Manage Your Recovery was created to be the guide she wished someone had handed her after her own crash.

It brings together practical information and resources in an easy-to-read format, with the hope that survivors will feel less alone while navigating recovery.

Dawne also offers complimentary copies of the book to some survivors. You can reach her at info@crashsupportnetwork.com to ask about receiving a copy.

You are not alone.

And Dawne wants caregivers to hear that message, too.

While you’re supporting someone through recovery, you are carrying a lot yourself. You deserve support, information, and space to care for yourself, too.

Connect with Crash Support Network

The Crash Support Network provides survivor-focused resources, peer support, educational information, a confidential helpline, survivor stories, and a monthly Crash Connections group.

Visit www.crashsupportnetwork.com to explore the available resources and connect with the Crash Support Network or call the Crash Support Hotline at 905-674-1445 or toll-free at 1-866-473-0794.

Watch this Resource Conversation to learn more about Dawne and her work with Crash Support Network. 

By Seantae Jackson