What Is a “Road Crash”?

And Why We Don’t Call It an Accident

If you’ve talked to Michael or me about this subject, you may have noticed that we are breaking the habit of calling what happened to William an accident and instead calling it what it was: a road crash.

It’s not just a matter of wording; it’s a matter of truth, responsibility, and honoring our son.

The word accident implies that something was unavoidable, that no one could have seen it coming or done anything to stop it. But road crashes are not random. They are preventable. They happen because of choices, choices about speed, distraction, design, enforcement, and awareness. Calling it an accident makes it easier to accept as just bad luck. But there was nothing random about the road where William was hit. And there was nothing random about the conditions that made it unsafe.

We’ve learned that language shapes the way people think, and how society responds. When we call it a crash, we invite people to ask questions. What happened? Could it have been prevented? What needs to change? That’s the space where change can begin.

We’re not perfect. After years of using “accident” ourselves, the word still slips out sometimes. But we are trying. Because using more honest language is one small way we can shift the conversation, and hopefully we can prevent other families from experiencing the same pain.

William’s death was not an accident. It was a crash. It was preventable. And it is the reason we do this work.