Family vacations promise incredible experiences as one gets quality time with loved ones. Being away from home and work commitments is a chance to rejuvenate your relationship with your partner and rework your bonding with the kids. But some holidays can turn into a nightmare as a mishap can take a loved one away forever. Coping with the loss of a loved one is painful, but it is even more devastating when an unexpected accident causes a wrongful death.
You want justice for the deceased, but the shock and pain can send you into an abyss. Besides dealing with your trauma, you have to take care of the others in your family. But you must find a way back to reclaim your life and resume normalcy for everyone else in your clan. Here are some tips for coping with the loss of a loved one due to a negligent mishap during a vacation.
Accept the truth
The first step toward coping with the loss is to accept the truth. Nothing gets more challenging when you swing between the extreme joy to unending grief. It is exactly how you can expect to feel when a mishap during a family holiday causes the death of a loved one. Coming to terms with the truth is perhaps the toughest thing you may ever do in your lifetime. But acceptance is the first stage of grief, and you must get through it to recover from the shock of losing your spouse or child. Moreover, you have to do it to help others in the family to stay afloat amid the painful situation.
Give yourself some time
You cannot forget a loved one, no matter how hard you try. But the pain and grief fade away with time and remember only fond memories of the deceased. However, you cannot expect it to happen for years. Be ready to give yourself ample time to grieve, and let the others in the family do it too. You may not get back to life as usual right away, but creating a routine will surely help. Consider it an effective step toward resuming your life and coping with the loss.
Seek justice for your loved one
Accidents on vacations may happen due to various reasons, from road mishaps to slip and fall incidents, drowning in hotel pools, and amusement park accidents. Wrongful death can leave you seething with anger and frustration because your family member would have been alive if the guilty person was not negligent. Consider calling a wrongful death lawyer sooner than later, or if their death was due to a medical error after, look into how a medical malpractice attorney can help you. You must check the state-specific statutes to file a lawsuit before it expires. You may have to invest some effort because the accident occurred away from your home. But your loved one deserves justice, so you should ensure that the guilty person has to pay.
Get closure
Seeking justice for the disease is the first step to getting closure to your pain and grief. A wrongful death claim provides compensation for the loss, emotional damage, and medical treatment for your family member. But closure takes more than coverage for your loss. It is also about getting through the pain emotionally so that you can move ahead. The surviving family members require it, and you can do it first to set an example for everyone else. Remember that you need not feel guilty about closure, but consider it a new beginning.
Build a support system within your clan
Coping with the loss of a loved one is not easy, but you can build a support system within your clan to deal with it. You can actually bond better with your family members after having gone through a trauma of this magnitude together. Stick together throughout the healing journey, and be there to boost each other. You can also include your friends, colleagues, neighbors, and church members in your support group. Do not hesitate to ask for help and support because you will be surprised to find how much you can get.
A mishap on a family vacation can ruin your plans, but nothing is worse than losing a family member due to someone’s negligence. The pain stays as an unpleasant memory for a lifetime. You may never want to plan a family holiday again. But you must get over the grief and start afresh to rebuild after the disaster. However, ensuring that the guilty person is punished and getting justice for the deceased family member is the only way to regain peace of mind and move on.
