the controling ATC should run through crash procedures and checks as standard.
GTOTO I have absoloutely NO idea what your procedures and checks are. I am not a pilot.
As to why everyone goes quiet, thats so you have time to think and do whatever checks you need to do. Noone wants to put more pressure on you than is already there.
And whilst you think everyone has gone quiet, let me assure you ATC are working their butts off with phone calls, not only alerting the emergency services at the airfield and outside emergency services (incase you dont make it to the field), but also phoning ajacent units trying to sort out traffic so that nothing will get in your way. And thats inbetween working our own traffic and clearing it away from you so you dont have to think about it.