No-one is "a piece of shit". We are all human beings and act and react in all manner of positive and negative ways because of the many and varied influences, conditioning & experiences of our lives.

Neither can someone *not* "fall apart like that!" - It isn't a choice but a reaction to a savaged and cruel blow to self-identity and conditioning that has created a delusion of permanence, expectation and predictable continuity. Falling apart also is often precisely what is needed to release the tension not only of that sudden traumatic finality but also of the accumulation of largely unconscious but continued grazing, piercing, bruising, interactions and events that have eroded perspective, self-assurance & confidence.

Paradoxically, some of what, when experienced, are the most heart rending and difficult experiences, prove to have beneficial outcomes - as in this very case.