If you see something truly shocking with your own eyes, it seems so surreal that you have a hard time believing that it’s actually real.
And those kinds of incidents can leave a big impression on your psyche.
Let’s hear from AskReddit users about the most disturbing things they’ve seen in person.
1. From the ER.
“ER nurse.
Trauma code on a middle aged gentleman who wrecked his car, basically d**d on arrival and didn’t make it. The ambulance that dropped him off had to do a speed clean of the bloody gurney to rush out to another call immediately. 30 min later it brings in an old lady who had fallen at home.
She kept saying she can’t get ahold of her son and he was suppose to take her to the hospital. Turns out her son was the one who wrecked his car on his way to take his mom to the hospital, and she was brought in on the same gurney that her dead son was just laying on moments earlier. That was a gut punch having to tell her the bad news.
This was in a rural community with limited ambulance service.”
2. The accident.
“I saw a guy’s leg shredded by recycling truck that didn’t see him. It was something out of a human anatomy text book.
You could see every muscle and bone from thigh to shin. The poor dude was still alive in extreme pain. As the ambulance came to get him he looked so pale and cold.
I found out he d**d shortly after.”
3. Yikes.
“Entering a friend’s place for the first time without prior knowledge that he was/is a hoarder at age 40.
Total shock. Dude has normal job, friends etc. but an absolute hoarder.
D**d mice in the flat, trash in the kitchen reaching almost to the ceiling, mould everywhere on one wall of the bedroom. I didn’t dare to use the bathroom…
Utter shock.”
4. The river.
“When I was about 9 years old our family was staying at a campground on a river in northern Michigan.
A 2 year old boy had wandered off and was missing. The entire park was looking for him. After about two hours with no luck some of us began looking in the water at the ends of the docks nearby. When I dove down in about 4’ of water I found him floating just off the bottom of the river.
I pulled him to the surface and shouted for help. The EMTs made an effort to resuscitate him. To no avail. As horrible as that was, the thing that I will never forget was the sound his mother made when I carried him ashore. I still enjoy boating and swimming, but I have a very healthy respect for the water.”
5. Still think about it.
“Witnessed a bad car wreck one time.
This lady & her son had their car totally flipped. She ended up dragging him out of the wreckage, and while he was clearly already quite d**d- she was in such a state of shock that she just kept looking for his missing shoe.
The image plays in the back of my mind constantly.
Her carrying this bloody, limp boy in her arms, stumbling around trying to ask all of us if we knew where his shoe was because ‘he cant be out here without his shoes on’. In between asking she’d let out these inhuman wails- pressing her face against him & reassuring him that it’d be alright cause momma had him.
I have my own son now, & i think about that woman so much.”
6. Horrible.
“Someone jumping off of a building.
I’m haunted by the mental image of blood/cranial matter splattered around a very limp body.”
7. Good Lord.
“Human body parts moments after they got hit by a semi truck.
An arm about 35 feet from the head.”
8. OMG.
“I was waiting at a bus stop, and on the other side of the rather tall divider were three bikers waiting for the light behind a bus, at a major intersection.
Moments later, another bus came up behind, but realised too late it had no brakes. Several people injured, but two of the three bikers were squished to pulp.
One was thrown to the pavement on the far side of the road, and survived with injuries. I never dared cross the road and look on the other side of that divider. It was in the papers the next morning.”
9. The body.
“Was riding with my dad and siblings one morning on our way to school.
There’s a bridge we drive under everyday. That morning we all saw a body hanging from that bridge.
When we got home from school, the body was finally in the process of being taken down.”
10. Scary.
“I watched a guy get sucker punched outside a club (not uncommon where I used to live) but he fell back and hit his head and a pool of blood started spreading from the back of his head.
I always wonder whether he d**d/had long lasting damage.”
11. Horrific.
“Motorcycle rider missing their head.
Launched across highway, run over by numerous cars before traffic stopped.
Head was removed with helmet.”
12. On the tracks.
“About 8 years ago I working as a train conductor, my locomotive engineer and I hit a young woman with an 8,000 ton freight train traveling 40 mph.
After applying the emergency brakes, it was my job to get out and visually check to see if we indeed had an accident. I found her contorted body in seemingly impossible ways near the side of the tracks. I radioed 911 to my dispatcher and emergency services were immediately called.
She unfortunately passed away not long after the ambulance arrived.”
13. Terrible.
“On Easter Sunday about 10-12 years ago I saw a young teenage boy get hit by a car while riding his bicycle.
I watched the life leave his eyes as I stood over him, but that was nothing compared to the sound his mother made when she arrived on the scene, which still haunts me to this day.”
Now we want to hear from you.
Tell us your story in the comments.
We look forward to it!
