My name is Chad, so this story starts with one morning at 7:40 a.m. It was raining cats and dogs, and on my way to work, my front driver’s-side tire ran inside of a water pocket in the road. It caused the car to hydroplane onto a guardrail, and from the rail, I slid onto the bridge rail as if the car was a skateboard.

Eventually, the car teeter-tottered off the bridge, plunging into the ocean upside down. The car sank 15 feet very fast with me inside. With the car upside down, so was I—underwater with all of my windows up. I found no way out. Thinking to myself this is it this is how I go. 

Already panicking, I started to feel around, but there was no way out. I said a prayer and began to feel around once more and found a very small hole somewhere where I feel no hole was supposed to be.

I pulled my body through the hole and began to swim out with very, very little breath—basically none. On the way up, I was caught in a very strong rip current that pulled me through water trenches. As I fought my way out of that, I swam to the top, where I was pulled to safety.

I came out with no shirt and one shoe, so confused about what just happened. My first instinct was to jump back in the water. Literally, all my things were in the car right before a guy brought me back to reality with how strong the current was and how deep the car actually was.

So, in the pouring rain, freezing cold, one shoe, no shirt, I continued to get to work. I kept begging the officers to take me to my job. I still needed to work. No one could believe that I was still focused on getting to work.

Yea because  bills don’t stop, and neither do responsibilities. I had just gotten the car, and I have spent much of my life working. At that moment, going to work felt like the closest place I felt was the safest place 

I got to work and put on a coworker’s jacket and clocked in and got ready to work until my manager at the time was also in disbelief about what just happened and made me go home.

I was very terrified and honestly thought life was over.

I was ordered by my mother to go to the hospital, and from there, I was informed I had pneumonia from ingesting so much water. I had scars and bruising from all the impact. I was sick for a while, and I have a life of trauma from the thoughts that now live in my head. The physical injuries were painful, but the emotional effects lasted much longer.

I survived the accident, but I didn’t simply walk away from it.

The trauma came with me.

To this day, driving over bridges can trigger immediate panic. The memories return without warning. A routine drive can suddenly take me back to that moment underwater—trapped inside my car, running out of air, and unsure whether I would survive.

I have tried to overcome it on my own. I’ve told myself I should be stronger. I’ve told myself that enough time has passed and that I should be able to move forward.

But the truth is that it has gotten worse.

The fear, stress, and exhaustion have begun affecting my daily life. I want to drive without feeling trapped by panic. I want to feel safe again. I want to stop reliving the accident and start living beyond it.

I know I need professional help.

Therapy could give me the tools and support to process what happened, manage the panic, and begin healing in a healthy way. I don’t want to keep forcing myself through each day or pretending that surviving the accident means I should automatically be fine.

Unfortunately, I don’t have health insurance, and the cost of trauma-focused therapy is more than I can afford right now. That is why I’m asking for help.

I survived something I truly believed would take my life. I’m grateful to be here, but surviving the accident was only the beginning. Now I’m trying to recover from what came after it.

Donations will help cover therapy and related mental-health expenses. If you cannot donate, sharing my story or offering support would still mean more than I can express.

I don’t want this trauma to define the rest of my life.

I survived. Now I need help learning how to live again.

Eric  Finch 

DeMeterius Smith

Anonymous

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