Examples of Critical Incidents

In the past, the Critical Incident Response Team has responded to incidents such as suicide attempts, residence hall fires, the death of a student, racial incidents, the September 11 tragedy, and students overwhelmed as a result of their experiences in overseas immersion trips. The list of potential critical incidents on a university campus is unending. Below are some specific examples of incidents that could require some type of post-incident intervention.

 

Potentially Traumatizing Events for an Individual

  • Automobile accident
  • Sexual assault or abuse
  • Any life-threatening experience
  • Robbery
  • Serious physical injury or abuse
  • Perception of serious threat to self or significant other
  • Psychological abuse
  • Severe injury or death of a child
  • Suicide of family member, friend, or co-worker
  • Homicide
  • Line of duty injury or death among law enforcement or other first responders
  • Multiple homicides within a community
  • Observing any of the trauma listed above

Potentially Traumatizing Events for a Community

  • Earthquake
  • Hurricane
  • Fire
  • Flood
  • Large-scale environmental pollution
  • Multiple injury or fatality accidents
  • Terrorism
  • Child-related traumatic event
  • Homicide in the community
  • High publicity crime of violence or sex
  • Community-wide disaster