Originally Posted by
Dave Cutter
Guilt is inappropriate for this situation. The proper emotion would be sympathy [feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune].
Maybe I wasn't clear. I just wanted to point out the OP should be having an emotional reaction to the accident(s). But the emotion felt should be "sympathy" and that it is likely the OP is
misidentifying his/her sympathy as guilt.
Many people do a crappy job of identifying or properly naming the emotions they feel. But to see and/or be a participant in an accident and then have lingering feelings of sympathy.... is a GOOD thing. But carrying around feelings of guilt for something which you were not responsible for... would be an awful thing. As the OP would have no way to "right" the wrong for which they felt guilty.