Are you looking for advice on how to describe a car accident in a story? We’ve included 10 words and examples of they can be used to help you get started.
1. Frightening
Definition
Examples
“He stumbled upon the frightening car accident almost by mistake, but he immediately went to try and help those involved.”
“The accident was a frightening scene, with police cars and ambulances everywhere and people crying as they received the help they needed.”
How it Adds Description
Getting into a car accident is scary for anyone. Describing it as frightening will help readers see how a character in your story is reacting emotionally to the accident. What happens after the accident can also be quite frightening as other people get involved and the scene of the accident becomes more chaotic.
2. Dangerous
Definition
Characterized by danger; having the possibility of harm or loss; able or likely to inflict harm.
Examples
“He didn’t know that she had been in a dangerous car accident last week, and had spent the next few days in the hospital.”
“Although they were all rattled, the car accident could have been much more dangerous than it was, and they were all extremely grateful for that.”
How it Adds Description
Use the word dangerous to describe the accident in your story to show readers how close to serious harm characters may have come. This can help it feel like even more of a relief when your characters escape the accident.
3. Loud
Definition
Having a lot of noise or sound; producing a loud sound.
Examples
“She didn’t see the car accident as it happened, but it was so loud that she heard it all the way down the road.”
“The car accident was so loud it was almost deafening.”
How it Adds Description
There are a lot of sounds that might occur during a car accident, like squealing tires or metal grinding together. Describing the noise and how loud it is can help readers feel like they are really there in the moment.
4. Gruesome
Definition
Causing feelings of repulsion or horror; grisly.
Examples
“Standing at the scene of the gruesome car accident, the two police officers contemplated their next move.”
“The wreck was a gruesome sight, and it was one that she knew she would not be able to forget anytime soon.”
How it Adds Description
A car accident can be an extremely gory sight. The word gruesome can describe how the scene looks as well as emphasize how a character involved may be reacting to seeing something that has caused so much carnage.
5. Horrific
Definition
Having the ability to horrify or cause feelings of horror.
Examples
“As they turned down the narrow road, they came suddenly across the horrific car accident that had taken place a few minutes earlier.”
“Once the paramedic had extracted her from the mangled vehicle and brought her to the ambulance, she took a look back at the horrific site she had been rescued from.”
How it Adds Description
Want to make sure your readers understand how truly disturbing the car accident in your story is? Horrific is a much stronger word than something like scary and can evoke a bigger emotional reaction from readers.
6. Tragic
Definition
Marked by a sense of tragedy; extremely serious or unpleasant; lamentable.
Examples
“The tragic car accident that took place earlier that week killed three people.”
“Even months after the tragic car accident, it was difficult for her to recover from the fear and grief she felt.”
How it Adds Description
A car accident may be tragic because a character or multiple characters in your story died. It can also be tragic if a character experiences some other kind of loss. Perhaps an important item broke during the accident, or maybe their sense of fear growing is the tragedy.
7. Senseless
Definition
Lacking in sense; deficient or contrary to sense so as to be foolish, stupid, or meaningless.
Examples
“The driver had been distracted while he was looking at his phone, causing a senseless accident.”
“The deaths caused by the senseless accident were something that the small community would have a difficult time recovering from.”
How it Adds Description
Tragedies caused by things like car accidents often feel unfair. In this case, you can use a word like senseless to describe the accident. You can also use this to set up an emotional arc for your character as they come to terms with the purposelessness of the accident.
8. Devastating
Definition
Causing a lot of damage or harm; causing extreme emotional pain.
Examples
“The car accident was devastating as he not only suffered several broken bones but his vehicle was ruined.”
“The devastating aftermath of the car accident would stay with her for many years to come.”
How it Adds Description
The word devastating can show readers how much damage a car accident in your story caused. It can also show the emotional effect that the accident has had on the character who experienced it, as well as other characters around them.
9. Disastrous
Definition
Causing suffering or disaster; horrendous; terrible.
Examples
“Although the car accident was certainly disastrous, it certainly could have been much worse. The people involved escaped mostly unscathed.”
“There was a disastrous pileup on the highway that morning, and they all waited around for news of what exactly had happened.”
How It Adds Description
Even a small car accident can feel like a disaster. There may have been a lot of damage or harm caused by the accident, or a character involved may have a difficult time dealing with it emotionally. Both of these things can feel disastrous.
10. Minor
Definition
Inferior in degree or size; not serious or having no risk to one’s life.
Examples
“She was pretty shaken after the car accident, but luckily it was a minor one with a dent on the car’s hood being the only major damage.”
“He was relieved that the accident had been so minor since he had heard stories from friends who had been in much worse ones before.”
How It Adds Description
Some car accidents are pretty minor, but that doesn’t mean that there can’t be an emotional effect. You can describe the accident as minor while still having a character struggling to deal with the aftermath.