I am writing this article as a Lived Experience suicide thriver and to share with you my experience in the suicidality space.
In my case it was just over 15 years ago that I was 200 metres from taking my own life. I had the rifle and had to walk 250 metres and climb through the fence.
I walked 50 metres and fortunately realised that I needed to get help. At the time I was managing a medium road transport operation among other businesses.
You may not be aware of the word suicidality. Suicidality is the step before suicide and is the language that should be used in the awareness of suicide and suicide prevention.
Suicide has touched just about everyone we know including ourselves. Sometimes this has been closer than we care to recall.
Sadly individuals taking their own lives has touched a lot more people in the road transport industry than most other industry sectors. The lifestyle and the pressures and stress of being in an industry that by its workings has numerous risks.
The title The Silent Victims above is to highlight how the drivers in this critical industry are sometimes silent victims, in the very real world of an individual taking their own lives.
Drivers who are unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time become the victims of someone else’s decision to take their own life.
This event has enormous impact on the people involved with long-lasting consequences. I have helped drivers who have been silent victims move on with their lives.
The unfortunate part of this outcome is not only the event itself but the flow on impact this has on driver, their families and the transport business involved.
If you are an owner-driver the consequences can be catastrophic. In every fatal accident involving a heavy vehicle, the heavy vehicle is deemed to be at fault by default.
The vehicle is impounded and the inspected with the intention to prepare the necessary report for the Coroner. The fatality will be a suicide statistic depending on the findings of the Coroner.
Irrespective of the Coroner’s finding, the driver is left with having to live with the outcome irrespective. If they are an owner-driver or a small fleet operator it could well be the financial ruin of their business.
As I have said, I have helped drivers move on with their lives and try and pick up the pieces.
The Silent Victims are not only the drivers but their families and people they love and care about. The people who have to live with the person who went to work one day happy and loving what they do, now broken and lost.
If you are a Silent Victim seek help for yourself and the people who you love and care about and who love and care about you.
There are a number of organisations that can help. Lifeline on 13 11 14 is a good starting point.
If you want to talk to someone who has lived experience in the road freight transport sector, I urge you to give me a call any time. You can reach me through my website rapidradicalwellness.com.
In recent times I have become a CORES Suicide Intervention Facilitator to add to my other modalities of Clinical Hypnotherapist, Lived Experience Life and Business Coach and Mindfulness Facilitator.
CORES Suicide Intervention was first rolled out in Tasmania back 2003 and is the most realistic suicide intervention training I have come across.
CORES actually stands for Community Response to Eliminating Suicide and was put together by ordinary people with an ordinary realistic understanding.
I plan to share more about CORES in coming editions of Big Rigs.