The Shackelford and Jackson families are forever changed after last week’s crash took the lives of three children and their uncle, with two more family members still recuperating, but there will be more injuries that will go unreported in the news cycle.
The law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical personnel, dispatchers, fire police, road crews and nearby residents who rushed to the scene to help will be forever changed by the memories of the images, sounds and smells they encountered, according to experts. Some may also have to cope with depression and, or, post-traumatic stress disorder connected to the night.
Recognizing those risks, the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office and Cecil County Department of Emergency Services activated the county’s Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team, which is made up of deputies and officials who have been trained how to talk to peers who have been in a traumatic incident.