As some of you already know, I was in a rather severe car accident on Christmas Eve. I was traveling westward on Rt. 37 leaving Seaside Heights on the Thomas A. Mathis Bridge. I was following a procession of cars in the middle of 3 lanes doing about 45 to 50 on the incline when the car in front of me suddenly darted into the fast lane to avoid a parked car in the middle of the road. I had just enough time for half a gasp and then slammed into the car without ever even touching the break.
So much for my Holiday visit to West Virginia.
Spinning, flying metal and glass, a puff of white then smoke and then settling confusion. Hard to breath. Ok... I hit a car. I'm alive. Arms... legs... all there.... no pain there. But my chest! Ouch.
By this time, people are coming up the car saying things like, "...holy shit, man!", and "Wow, are you alright?" Apparently, the driver of the other car wasn't actually IN his car when I struck it. His car was disabled and he didn't like sitting in it for fear of someone sailing into him. Smart thinking on his part.
I didn't get out of the car. I was fine. No punctures, no blood. I just suffered from seatbelt trauma, which ended up being a couple of broken ribs. The car was a rental and I uncharacteristically paid the extra twenty bucks for the complete insurance. Best move I ever made.
It seemed like only a minute or two when an ambulance truck arrived. Two men exited the truck and approached me, one bending down next to me just outside the driver side window.
"Are you alright? What's your name? Tell me what happened," the EMT said in a calming manner.
"I'm Richard the Lionhearted. I fell off my horse," I said dryly.
"Really?"
"No."
"Okay," he chuckled. "I see you have your wits about you. So are you hurt?"
"Yes," I told him. "My chest - it's hard to breath. I got the wind knocked out of me. I struck something..."
"I'll say. Can you walk?"
"Yeah, I think so." I replied. The EMT opened the door and held my arm while he walked me over the ambulance. He opened the side door and guided me to a chair in back of the driver's seat facing the rear of the vehicle. He instructed me to buckle my seat belt.
From here, I'll just say that after a minute or two, they whisked me off three miles or so down Rt. 37 to Community Medical Center where I was treated and released. I was fine - and very lucky.
Well I'll tell you - there's nothing like having 3 upper right broken ribs while having a bit of the flu at the same time. Probably the most agonizing two weeks of my life. Coughing, sneezing and "...oh no, God please no," hiccupping. But time passed and I recovered pretty quickly.
A couple of weeks and my coughing, sniffles and sneezing all subsided. Chest pain was just a twinge. I'm sleeping better, well - for me anyway. Then one day I open my mail to find what should not have been a surprise at all. A bill from the ambulance service in the amount of $500.00.
Exsqueeze me? Five hundred dollars? For for what, a ride 3 miles down the road to the hospital? The EMTs didn't do a thing - they didn't even check my hear beat. No gurney, no medical or first aid treatment what so ever. It was just a ride!
If I'd known that they would (attempt) to charge me that amount, things would have gone much, much differently - even if I was injured more severely...
"Yeah, I think so." I replied as I opened up the door, quickly swinging my legs out the door and standing - apparently with all of my weight on one leg.
"Oh my GOD!" the EMT declared. "Get a gurney! STAT! We got to get this guy to the hospital. Get me a tourniquet..." the EMT barked orders to his counter part while holding on to his cap.
"I'm fine. I have my cell phone, I'll call a cab." I replied in a calm manner to what sounded like someone emptying a bottle of beer on the pavement.
"WHAT? Sir, you leg... it's only hanging on from below the knee with a flap of skin - you're bleeding to death!" the EMT screamed.
"No I'm not."
"YES, YOU ARE. LOOK." the EMT pointed.
Oh my. I indeed seem to have severed my right leg... just below the knee. Huh... fancy that.
"It's just a flesh wound."
"Here, let me help you... HURRY UP WITH THAT GURNEY!" the EMT shouted.
"No thanks."
"Sir?"
"No thanks," I answered calmly.
"But SIR - you're..." the EMT started.
"I know, I know. My leg is hanging off by a thread and I'm bleeding to death. I know. But even if I mange to get care quickly enough and I pull through this intact, you're going to take my leg anyway, along with an arm, right?"
"Sir, I really think you should..." the slack-jawed EMT began.
"No way - stay away from me. I'll call a cab. Ooh... look at the pretty blond lady all dressed in white flying down to say 'Hi'... I'm tired. I think I'll rest up a bit now before I go..."
Never, never never would I have stepped one foot in that ambulance if I knew they were going to try to charge me five hundred bucks for a simple ride. I remember when I was growing up we didn't have companies with squadrons of trucks and EMTs. We had a volunteer First Aid Squad. It's name was Community First Aid Squad and it was comprised of a building and I think two ambulances, all donated by the township or some other organization(s). It was manned by volunteers that were qualified in first aid techniques and had medical experience. They didn't get paid a dime for being woken up in the middle of the night and having to rush to the scene of an accident to give assistance. They did what they did because the cared and wanted to do something to help the community. Organizations donated money for ambulances and other equipment and expenses along with twenty dollars from my parents and other folks once a year. They performed excellent service and were usually there before the police. They didn't charge for services, but I believe they asked for a small donation - whatever you could afford, which most people lovingly gave.
Well, those days are gone in favor of dozens of companies crowded around our area like pizza take-out places dotted all over our town map. American capitalism at it's best.
Before I sign this one off, I have a movie recommendation. It's a Japanese animation of the conventional style (non-computer gen) called Ponyo. This charming movie is a Japanese twist on The Little Mermaid. It has a star studded cast including Liam Neeson, Lily Tomlin, Betty White, Cate Blanchette, Tina Fey, Matt Damon and more. The musical soundtrack is incredibly beautiful. There's a really nice scene where the lead character, a little boy named Sosuka uses a signal lamp from his cliff side home to say goodbye to his father on a departing ship. The boy's mother is angry with her husband because he's leaving for a second non-scheduled trip out to sea and won't be coming home for dinner. She tells the boy to signal, "Bug off." I have to admit that my eyes welled up when the father signals "I love you" with not only the signal lamp, but every light on the ship. So romantic [sniff-sniff].
This movie is old style, hand drawn animation. It's really only television quality but the music, the story, the characters - well, as I said, very charming and a real good evening for the whole family. I wouldn't be surprised if this one gets a nomination for best animation next year.
Well, there you have it. So go out and Rent Ponyo. And if you heaven forbid get into an accident and you find yourself injured, whatever you do, don't let anyone call an ambulance. Tell them to call you a cab.
So much for my Holiday visit to West Virginia.
Spinning, flying metal and glass, a puff of white then smoke and then settling confusion. Hard to breath. Ok... I hit a car. I'm alive. Arms... legs... all there.... no pain there. But my chest! Ouch.
By this time, people are coming up the car saying things like, "...holy shit, man!", and "Wow, are you alright?" Apparently, the driver of the other car wasn't actually IN his car when I struck it. His car was disabled and he didn't like sitting in it for fear of someone sailing into him. Smart thinking on his part.
I didn't get out of the car. I was fine. No punctures, no blood. I just suffered from seatbelt trauma, which ended up being a couple of broken ribs. The car was a rental and I uncharacteristically paid the extra twenty bucks for the complete insurance. Best move I ever made.
It seemed like only a minute or two when an ambulance truck arrived. Two men exited the truck and approached me, one bending down next to me just outside the driver side window.
"Are you alright? What's your name? Tell me what happened," the EMT said in a calming manner.
"I'm Richard the Lionhearted. I fell off my horse," I said dryly.
"Really?"
"No."
"Okay," he chuckled. "I see you have your wits about you. So are you hurt?"
"Yes," I told him. "My chest - it's hard to breath. I got the wind knocked out of me. I struck something..."
"I'll say. Can you walk?"
"Yeah, I think so." I replied. The EMT opened the door and held my arm while he walked me over the ambulance. He opened the side door and guided me to a chair in back of the driver's seat facing the rear of the vehicle. He instructed me to buckle my seat belt.
From here, I'll just say that after a minute or two, they whisked me off three miles or so down Rt. 37 to Community Medical Center where I was treated and released. I was fine - and very lucky.
Well I'll tell you - there's nothing like having 3 upper right broken ribs while having a bit of the flu at the same time. Probably the most agonizing two weeks of my life. Coughing, sneezing and "...oh no, God please no," hiccupping. But time passed and I recovered pretty quickly.
A couple of weeks and my coughing, sniffles and sneezing all subsided. Chest pain was just a twinge. I'm sleeping better, well - for me anyway. Then one day I open my mail to find what should not have been a surprise at all. A bill from the ambulance service in the amount of $500.00.
Exsqueeze me? Five hundred dollars? For for what, a ride 3 miles down the road to the hospital? The EMTs didn't do a thing - they didn't even check my hear beat. No gurney, no medical or first aid treatment what so ever. It was just a ride!
If I'd known that they would (attempt) to charge me that amount, things would have gone much, much differently - even if I was injured more severely...
***
"Can you walk?""Yeah, I think so." I replied as I opened up the door, quickly swinging my legs out the door and standing - apparently with all of my weight on one leg.
"Oh my GOD!" the EMT declared. "Get a gurney! STAT! We got to get this guy to the hospital. Get me a tourniquet..." the EMT barked orders to his counter part while holding on to his cap.
"I'm fine. I have my cell phone, I'll call a cab." I replied in a calm manner to what sounded like someone emptying a bottle of beer on the pavement.
"WHAT? Sir, you leg... it's only hanging on from below the knee with a flap of skin - you're bleeding to death!" the EMT screamed.
"No I'm not."
"YES, YOU ARE. LOOK." the EMT pointed.
Oh my. I indeed seem to have severed my right leg... just below the knee. Huh... fancy that.
"It's just a flesh wound."
"Here, let me help you... HURRY UP WITH THAT GURNEY!" the EMT shouted.
"No thanks."
"Sir?"
"No thanks," I answered calmly.
"But SIR - you're..." the EMT started.
"I know, I know. My leg is hanging off by a thread and I'm bleeding to death. I know. But even if I mange to get care quickly enough and I pull through this intact, you're going to take my leg anyway, along with an arm, right?"
"Sir, I really think you should..." the slack-jawed EMT began.
"No way - stay away from me. I'll call a cab. Ooh... look at the pretty blond lady all dressed in white flying down to say 'Hi'... I'm tired. I think I'll rest up a bit now before I go..."
* * *
Never, never never would I have stepped one foot in that ambulance if I knew they were going to try to charge me five hundred bucks for a simple ride. I remember when I was growing up we didn't have companies with squadrons of trucks and EMTs. We had a volunteer First Aid Squad. It's name was Community First Aid Squad and it was comprised of a building and I think two ambulances, all donated by the township or some other organization(s). It was manned by volunteers that were qualified in first aid techniques and had medical experience. They didn't get paid a dime for being woken up in the middle of the night and having to rush to the scene of an accident to give assistance. They did what they did because the cared and wanted to do something to help the community. Organizations donated money for ambulances and other equipment and expenses along with twenty dollars from my parents and other folks once a year. They performed excellent service and were usually there before the police. They didn't charge for services, but I believe they asked for a small donation - whatever you could afford, which most people lovingly gave.
Well, those days are gone in favor of dozens of companies crowded around our area like pizza take-out places dotted all over our town map. American capitalism at it's best.
Before I sign this one off, I have a movie recommendation. It's a Japanese animation of the conventional style (non-computer gen) called Ponyo. This charming movie is a Japanese twist on The Little Mermaid. It has a star studded cast including Liam Neeson, Lily Tomlin, Betty White, Cate Blanchette, Tina Fey, Matt Damon and more. The musical soundtrack is incredibly beautiful. There's a really nice scene where the lead character, a little boy named Sosuka uses a signal lamp from his cliff side home to say goodbye to his father on a departing ship. The boy's mother is angry with her husband because he's leaving for a second non-scheduled trip out to sea and won't be coming home for dinner. She tells the boy to signal, "Bug off." I have to admit that my eyes welled up when the father signals "I love you" with not only the signal lamp, but every light on the ship. So romantic [sniff-sniff].
This movie is old style, hand drawn animation. It's really only television quality but the music, the story, the characters - well, as I said, very charming and a real good evening for the whole family. I wouldn't be surprised if this one gets a nomination for best animation next year.
Well, there you have it. So go out and Rent Ponyo. And if you heaven forbid get into an accident and you find yourself injured, whatever you do, don't let anyone call an ambulance. Tell them to call you a cab.
Well written and entertaining story Chris! Glad you were okay. Isn't it ironic that can we use the phrase "an arm and a leg" when talking about the cost of medical care?
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