Traumatized and Abandoned: How Mandated Shunning After a Tragic Accident Changed My Life Forever

At the age of 16, and not baptized, I had a car accident as a learner driver. Subsequently, due to a death in that accident, which occurred on a beach in Queensland, Australia, I was held as being "blood guilty" because no one was wearing seatbelts. Again, I was the learner driver; the passengers were married adults, who did not instruct me to ensure seatbelts were worn.

As this was traumatic—the person who died was a friend and mentor—I did not attend all the judicial meetings. I was subsequently disfellowshipped.

At that time, unbaptized minors and publishers could be shunned, as permitted until The Watchtower, February 15, 1989, "Questions from Readers." My disfellowshipping caused me to have to leave home and couch surf at "worldly" people's homes. This situation instigated a life of crime, as my Jehovah’s Witness job was also taken away.

The trauma from this treatment has left me a broken person to this day.