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Can someone help me describe a car accident scene?
I've never been in a car accident before, thankfully, and I've only written about a minor one once, so I'm completely at a loss on how to describe a bad car accident for my book.
So the situation is like this:
My main character is driving home one night from work and she gets distracted by her radio as she changes the station. She ends up running a red light and realizes this due to the red glow from the light outside reflecting into the car. Before she can react, she's t-boned by a speeding moving-truck (he was going 75 in a 45 zone . I expect that the car will flip, and I'm aware of the sound of screeching tires and glass and of course the crunching sound of the car. I don't want the accident to be fatal, but critical enough in a way that it's a miracle she lived after requiring to go to the ER.
I need help describing this accident in detail in a way the readers wouldn't expect it just like she didn't. The story is in first person, so that makes it all the more harder for me.
2 Answers
- DavidLv 77 years agoFavorite Answer
Car accidents are quick. As they happen, no-one will compose purple prose in their head to describe it. In fact, they happen so fast that most of the time, people don't realize what really happened. I have been in two accidents including a rollover. My truck was on its side before I knew it. I didn't even feel the motion of it going over.
I recommend having as little detail as possible of the actual accident. Have the time after to take in what happened, describe the chemical smell of engine fluids and air bag propellant. Have your character look around at the broken glass and injuries and then come to realize the extent of what happened.
As the writer, decide what you want the result of the accident to be, how badly injured and traumatized. Then create the incident accordingly.
- ?Lv 77 years ago
The British government did a series of public-awareness commercials (the "Think!" campaign) that featured graphically-detailed, very accurate road traffic accidents.
Look around and you can find them widely posted on the Web.
Here's one: http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/sep/03/gwent-ro...
