Key witness trauma after mass stabbing on Washington DC toll road
Traffic on Interstate 495 near Washington, DC, suddenly came to a standstill in a terrifying incident. A man carried out a blind stabbing attack on the toll road, resulting in the death of a woman and her dog on the spot.
The horrifying event occurred in Fairfax County on March 1, shortly after 13:00 local time. Virginia State Police initially responded to a call about a road rage incident following a car accident. Upon arrival, officers confronted a suspect armed with a knife and were forced to shoot him in self-defence.
“A police officer stepped out and immediately fired, at least two to three times, from what I saw,” said a female eyewitness who requested anonymity to CNN. “At that moment, I screamed and hung up the phone with my cousin. I called 911 while trying to process what I was witnessing.”
The traumatic incident has left a deep psychological impact on the eyewitness, a mother of two. “I was terrified there might be others involved or that this was part of a larger operation rather than just a madman’s act,” she said.
Experts say facing such traumatic events can severely affect one’s mental health. Philadelphia-based trauma therapist Shari Botwin advises victims or witnesses to speak or write about the experience immediately to begin the recovery process.
The eyewitness is currently undergoing therapy and has been granted eight weeks of paid leave from her employer. “I’m in therapy, but I still experience moments where everyday civilian situations trigger flashbacks, and I have to be kind to myself,” she said. She reports frequent flashbacks when seeing police cars, ambulances, or hearing sirens.
Clinical psychologist Ricky Greenwald recommends EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing) therapy, one of the most effective trauma recovery methods since the late 1980s, which helps the brain store traumatic memories differently to reduce anxiety symptoms.
“When you process, talk about, and name the experience, you’re less likely to experience flashbacks, become overly vigilant, or enter fight-or-flight mode,” Botwin explained.
Botwin emphasised the importance of confronting trauma, avoiding self-destructive escapes, and being compassionate towards oneself during healing. “Humans tend to downplay trauma… but the reality is, no one can control how they respond to it,” she concluded.