by Donald J. Boudreaux
The American Institute for Economic Research
When Vicky was 30 years old, her two dearest friends were riding in an automobile when another car, operated by a negligent driver, ran a red light and crashed into her friends’ car. One of Vicky’s friends was instantly killed. The other survived, but only with permanent damage to his legs. For the rest of his life this friend walked with a severe limp.
Vicky was of course traumatized by this tragedy. Her trauma was intensified by the gruesome photographs she happened to come to possess of the crash scene, including one of her dead friend’s horribly mangled and bloodied body. Seeing her other friend’s slow, painful recovery and permanent limp only made Vicky’s trauma worse.