I think when a person is victimized repeatedly, they start to blame themself. And when they are in an environment that is toxic, they start to believe that they are the toxic one. This makes asking for help very difficult. The second guessing creates confusion over whether they are a reliable witness.
Okay, so story time…
Today, I was in the passenger seat of a car on the phone with someone while my sister was driving. It was lightly raining. A truck pulled quickly out in front of us and overshot the road and then over-corrected to get back onto it. The truck bounced from shoulder to shoulder for several miles nearly hitting several buildings. We called the emergency line and were on the phone with them as we drove behind this person. Things were pretty chaotic. We eventually lost sight of the truck as they sped away, well above the speed limit.
We then went about our day.
As the day wore on, I began to question myself. I have come to doubt my own recollection of things. Sometimes when you speak up to prevent another person from being harmed, you get a torrent of hate for doing so. So I stewed on this. I didn’t want to be a “Karen” and overreact.
Later that day, my sister received a call from the local police. She had to give a statement about what had happened and I did as well. At the end of the call we were told that the police had received several other complaints about this driver and that they were in fact impaired and have been arrested. The police woman was emphatic that we likely “saved a life today”.
I received this call and gave my statement literally as I was crafting this blog post musing about if I am a reliable witness. So, all of this to say- trust yourself.
Messy Bun Book Lover
(Originally posted on June 5, 2025)