TIL During the University of Texas shooting, pregnant student Claire Wilson was shot, and her fiance killed. While Wilson lay crying out for help directly in the sniper's view, student Rita Starpattern ran to her and played dead for 90 minutes, talking to Wilson to keep her awake until help arrived.

Maybe you miswrote, but some things you said aren't correct.

First, being unconscious doesn't make you more likely to go into shock. If you fall unconscious, you are already significantly in shock such that your brain is not being given adequate blood.

Second, shock causes vasoconstriction, not dilation. Your body's response to shock is to try and push as much blood to your core as possible. That's why people in shock (at least hypovolemic shock) will look very pale and unwell.

Overall though, shock is a physiological state of inadequate tissue perfusion resulting in hypoxia. There are a lot of reasons it can happen, but it is completely distinct from any mental state the person may be in.

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