Former WBMA Reporter Ashley Gooden got out of TV news after 8 years and she wrote about her reason to leave the Sinclair station and how it all happened after she was involved in a car accident in a station vehicle.

Gooden writes in a blog post:

A couple of months ago something literally hit me…. I was in the passenger seat of the news car on the way to a story. My photographer was driving, and we crashed into the car in front of us. The airbags deployed, smoke was filling the car, and I could smell a stench I’d never smelled before, but I’ll never forget. I still don’t know what it was. Adrenaline rushing, and numb to the pain I’d feel later that day, I called 911. It was the only thing I could think to do. I sat on the curb and when the fire truck and ambulance arrived I let the paramedics check me out. The car was totaled, my heart was racing, and my mind was everywhere. I got a phone call saying another photographer would come and pick me up so we could continue on… to finish the story. I finished my shift that day… all 9 hours of it. That was my sign from God that it was time to find something that made me happy, at a place that likely would have sent me home after such an incident. The job wasn’t the fun, thrilling experience it used to be. I knew public relations was a good path for people who were interested in getting out of the news business. I’d already been asking people I knew about how they liked life after “getting out”. I know it sounds like it’s prison. I haven’t been to prison, but there’s a reason we say “She/he got out” and most fellow news people respond with “congratulations” rather than “I’m sorry to hear that!”. Never had I heard anything negative about life outside of the biz! The next week, I reached out to Style asking about open positions and I am SO grateful to be in my new role. I took a leap of faith and God hasn’t let me down yet! There’s a learning curve, but I have enjoyed this transition and the people I work with are so helpful and patient with me! I want people to know when you are unhappy with something in your life, you have to take the steps to change it. My friends and family see a huge difference in how happy I am now, and I see it and feel it too! I feel better waking up in the mornings, I feel more accomplished, there are hard days with every job, but I am not waking up and dreading having to be sent to a shooting or having to interview a mother who just lost her son or daughter to gun violence. I’m happy to have gotten out while I am still empathetic, and before becoming numb to the emotions other humans have. We’re all on this earth together and empathy is something we all need to have! I’ve learned so much from the news business and I’m grateful for all of the good that came from it, especially friendships and connections, but in this season of my life taking a step away has been nothing short of amazing. I feel even greater coming!