‘I remember all of them’: Major Crash cop reveals how they break the worst news

Brevet Sergeant Rebecca Guest has worked as a Major Crash officer for 13 years and she’s never forgotten the name of any victims.

Brevet Sergeant Rebecca Guest has never forgotten the name of a fatal crash victim in the 13 years she’s been a Major Crash investigator.

“I remember all of them,” she said.

“I remember names, circumstances and families. It’s very important to me that people know that it’s not a number.

“It’s most certainly not a number as far as investigators are concerned, and obviously as far as families and communities are concerned.”

There are some crashes that stay with Sergeant Guest more than others.

“They move with you depending where you are in life,” she said.

“I remember going to a crash that involved a young child, my child was the same age at the time.

“When you can really picture yourself as that family, than you remember, more so.”

The child in the crash Sergeant Guest remembers did not survive.

“I know my child being the same age then, the milestones that she’s achieved since then, is something that family is missing out on,” she said.

“I know that’s what they should be going through rather than what they have gone through.”

Brevet Sergeant Rebecca Guest is the police officer responsible for telling next of kin their loved one was killed in a car crash. Picture by Kelly Barnes

One of the most difficult and heart-wrenching parts of Sergeant Guest’s job is breaking the devastating news to families that their loved one has died.

SA Police’s Major Crash investigators take turns to deliver the tragic news. Sergeant Guest has spoken to just fewer than 10 families already this year.

Sergeant Guest said each time she speaks to a family, the situation is different.

“Some people are expecting bad news as soon as they see the police,” she said.

“A lot of people haven’t had dealings with police before so I guess we’re not usually there for good news.

“Some people have been wondering where their loved one is, they’re late or they’re not answering the phone.

“As soon as you have police officers on your doorstep, some people know before I’ve spoken to them, so their reaction is different.

“There’s no set way of doing it, other than being honest about what’s happened and very direct initially so that there’s no ambiguity about what’s happened.”

The SAPOL Major Crash officers take in turns delivering the devastating news to families. Picture by Kelly Barnes

Sergeant Guest gives the families as much information as they are want.

“I’m guided by them throughout the whole process,” she said.

“I don’t know what information is important and different things are important to different families.

“But the initial advising of what’s happened, I will always tell them that there’s been some sort of vehicle accident.”

Before Sergeant Guest knocks on the family’s door she takes a moment to herself to mentally prepare for the conversation and to ensure she is at the correct address.

“I couldn’t imagine getting that wrong,” she said.

The Brevet Sergeant and team’s other staff all work to keep work and home separate.

When they return from a job the team likes to debrief in order to avoid taking their work home.

“I’ve got my family – that really keeps my focus on them,” Sergeant Guest said.

But sometimes she is pulled away from her family when crashes occur outside of work hours.

“My girls know that if I’ve missed family events – and I’ve missed things that mums are generally expected to be at – they understand that if mum’s not home, there’s a family having a harder time,” the mum-of-two said.

Working as a Major Crash investigator means Sergeant Guest appreciates life much more.

“No one expects to go through road trauma – no one expects to have us knock on the door and tell them that their life has changed,” she said.

There have been 77 lives lost on South Australian roads this year compared to 48 at the same time last year.

Originally published as ‘I remember all of them’: Major Crash cop reveals how they break the worst news