Be prepared

What would the first day after your loved one died or was so seriously injured that they would never be the same again be like?

It can happen unexpectedly – you may have already have made plans for tomorrow, with a fully stocked fridge and people expected to come round. The clothes that your partner had got changed out of a couple of hours earlier are still laid out on the bed, because they were supposed to return home safely as they had done every time for over 20 years.

But this time they don't - a driver decided to do an unsafe overtaking and forced your partner off the road, causing them to crash and sustain fatal injuries.

You realise that you will never again see your loved one smile, or hear their voice again. You desperately try to find recent photos and videos, but realise that you haven't taken any pictures of your loved one since the holiday last year. And the videos are action or scenery videos without any talking. A friend send through a recent photo that you frame and put in several places around the house and you finally find an 8s voicemail – the other recordings you've managed to retrieve are very old or made for work, so your partner doesn't sound different.

At least we would resolve any disagreements before falling asleep every night, with very few exceptions, and we knew that we loved each other, because we would tell each other every night.

So my advice is to record a video of everyday life at least once a month, tell your loved one that you love them and don't let arguments linger. Because one day, they may not come home.