When someone you love dies unexpectedly, it is very difficult to process. When the death occurs due to the negligence of another person, it can add to the overall stress of the situation.
You are not alone if all you can think about is how the death was needless and preventable. This is completely normal, but it is important for you to work through what you are feeling. Psychology Today explains that the unexpected death will alter your life forever, but you should work through the five stages of grief to help you process the situation in a healthy manner.
Denial
The first stage is denial. You will likely move through this right away. You will think there is no way the person died. Some people want to sit in this stage. They think if they do not accept it, then it did not really happen. To move on, you must accept your loved one is gone.
Anger
The second step is anger. Once you realize the person is gone, you will likely be very mad at whoever took the person from you. This is normal. The key in this stage is to accept that you have the right to be angry, but you cannot act on your feelings. You need to let the legal system handle it.
Bargaining
You will move into the third step of bargaining where you try to do things to make yourself feel better. You may push aside the grief and focus on putting together a memorial or honoring the person’s memory. This is the very first step at complete acceptance of the loss.
Depression
The next step is one where people may get stuck. Depression is when you have trouble moving on from the loss. You are stuck under the weight of it. You cannot do anything because you are so deep in your grief.
Acceptance
Once you get over the hurdle of depression and pick yourself up, you reach acceptance. The final stage is when you realize the person died, there is nothing you can do about it and you need to move on with your life.
