Survivor guilt common after such trauma, says grief counsellor
An Air Force crewman seriously injured in the Anzac Day helicopter crash is struggling to come to terms with the death of this three crewmates.
Sergeant Stevin Creeggan was the only survivor when the Iroquois smashed into hills on the Kapiti Coast.
His uncle, Bill Gregory, this week said his nephew was struggling to accept his colleagues were dead.
Sergeant Creeggan, who was unable to speak for the first few days after the crash, asked about his mates the moment he came around.
"He had difficulty comprehending [their deaths] and really getting his head around it," Mr Gregory said.
He had accepted that he was the only survivor, but had later come to question why he had lived when his colleagues had not, his uncle said.
Auckland counsellor Meg Gillard said such reactions were typical for people who had experienced trauma similar to Sergeant Creeggan's.
"Not everyone goes through the same thing, but it's a perfectly normal grief reaction," she said.
Feelings of anger and frustration were common among survivors of events that killed friends or loved ones, Ms Gillard said.
The crash killed Flight Lieutenant Hayden "Muddy" Madsen, 33, Flying Officer Dan Gregory, 28, and 25-year-old Corporal Ben Carson.
Sergeant Creeggan suffered serious chest, spine and leg injuries.
He is expected to make a full recovery after a lengthy rehabilitation.
But the psychological scars from the crash could take much longer to heal, Ms Gillard said.
"People who are used to having a lot of control in their lives find themselves feeling powerless.
"I suspect that [Sergeant Creeggan] is just feeling isolated. He is emotionally out of his environment, and physically out of his environment."
Many people used to being in positions of control can find themselves feeling powerless in the wake of such events, Ms Gillard said.
Grief counsellor Margaret Cleary said Sergeant Creeggan could be experiencing a phenomenon known as "survivor guilt", which was common among those who had lived through traumas that were "exceptional".
People were usually able to mourn the loss of friends and loved ones in private, but such a public event created extra pressures for survivors.
MYSTERIOUS ACT OF GOD
Hamilton man William McGrory says a survivor may not find God but a brush with death certainly leaves you feeling philosophical.
He was a passenger on an Ansett Dash 8 flight that crashed in the Tararua Ranges while approaching Palmerston North in 1995.
Three people were killed at the scene and a fourth died of his injuries.
Mr McGrory said he struggled emotionally while recovering from a cracked vertebra and damaged shoulder.
One of the passengers killed was seated directly behind Mr McGrory, and airline stewardess Karen Gallagher, standing directly in front of him, was also killed.
"Why did me and the seat survive? I do believe we are all here for a set time, and I go back to that. It wasn't my time to go."
