Two accidents in three years destroyed everything I was rebuilding. I don't know how to keep going.

I could have written this post a year and a half ago, word for word almost. Second accident is what broke me too — I'd already been compensating physically from the first one and then boom, my body just couldn't adapt anymore. The anger and hollowness you're describing is REAL and it's not weakness. What you're carrying is genuinely crushing. I'm not going to tell you it's all fine now for me because I'm still in it, but I'm further along than I was and there were real moments where I thought it would never shift. It did shift, a little. I want that for you too.

Please don't disappear on us. I'm a stranger on a forum and I mean that. If tonight is really dark, please reach out to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988. What you're going through is overwhelming and you deserve actual human support, not just to white-knuckle it alone in bed. I'm so sorry this happened to you.

The hand tremors, the nerve pain radiating into both arms, the sleep deprivation — your body is in a serious chronic stress state and that absolutely affects mood, cognition, and your ability to see any kind of future. That's not a character flaw, that's physiology. Have you been able to see a neurologist since the second accident? I ask because nerve involvement that's been untreated or under-treated for a while can sometimes be addressed in ways that weren't options earlier. Also — and I say this gently — the 'hollow and disappearing' feeling you described needs to be on your care team's radar too. You don't have to frame it as a crisis. Just tell them exactly what you told us.

Jumping in on what the person above said — they're not wrong. I used to work claims and when there's a prior accident in someone's file, the default internal posture is 'pre-existing condition.' It takes real documentation — imaging, treatment records, timelines — to counter that narrative. The gap between your first accident and your second actually can work in your favor if the records show you were improving before the second hit. That's a documented baseline change. Just something to keep in mind if you end up talking to an attorney.

With two separate accidents and the level of injury you're describing — nerve damage, loss of ability to work in your trade, ongoing care needs — there are potentially multiple liable parties and multiple insurance policies involved. That's genuinely complex, but it's also the kind of case most PI attorneys will take on contingency, meaning no upfront cost to you. Many also offer free consultations. I'm not telling you what to do, just: the financial hole you're in may have legal remedies you haven't been able to pursue yet because you've been in survival mode. That's understandable. But it's worth a conversation.

Not legal advice, but I'll say this: the fact that you were already in a vulnerable physical state from the first accident when the second one happened doesn't automatically reduce your claim — in many jurisdictions there's something called the 'eggshell plaintiff' principle that means defendants take you as they find you. Two accidents, documented deterioration, loss of livelihood in a physical trade — these are serious damages. Please talk to someone before any statutes of limitations close on either case. Not saying it fixes everything, but don't leave that door unopened.

I know 'silver lining' feels insulting right now and I'm not going to minimize how bad this is. But the fact that you wrote this out and asked how others keep going — that's not nothing. That's still you reaching for something. Hold onto that.

Okay, practical stuff first: 988 if tonight gets darker, no shame in it. Second — before you lose housing, look up whether your county has an emergency rental assistance program. A lot of them still have funds and 'unable to work due to injury' is often a qualifying circumstance. Third — if you haven't applied for short-term disability or SSDI, start that process now even if it feels overwhelming, because the clock on those matters. You're dealing with too much alone. Start with one thing tonight.