Real Customer Examples
Think it can't happen to you? Read This.
A sportsman without medical evacuation insurance was traveling in Africa and severely injured his back. He had to spend $122,822 of his own money to return home for treatment.
Traveling can be a wonderfully satisfying experience. However, without the right insurance plan or assistance provider, a medical emergency away from home can leave you stranded without access to adequate medical care or can be very costly. To learn how we can be there for you and your family when you need us, read these real examples of how our insurance plans and assistance service providers have helped other customers:
A 19-year old female, studying in France, was involved in a scooter accident and sustained a serious, open fracture to her right tibia.
How we helped...
- She was operated on for the fracture and the doctor ordered no weight bearing on the right lower limbs.
- The hospital accepted our assistance company’s guarantee of payment so that the patient would not have to pay an expensive bill out of pocket.
- The assistance staff arranged for ground ambulance to the airport, wheelchair assistance, and a Business Class seat for her to fly home.
An American traveler suffered a presumed appendicitis attack in
Uzbekistan.
How we helped...
- Facilities were below western standards, lacking many essential supplies and sterile equipment. A non-disposable needle was used to draw the patient's blood. When our assistance company's doctor asked if the attending doctor had sterile equipment, he answered, "It looks sterile".
- Our assistance provider evacuated the traveler by air ambulance with medical escort to Helsinki, Finland where emergency surgery was performed.
A missionary family was involved in a motor vehicle accident in Mexico.
The 17-year old daughter was critically injured with a probable unstable cervical spine injury.
How we helped...
- She was initially brought to the local hospital where emergency surgery was performed to stabilize her neck. When our assistance provider received its first call, the treating physician recommended a second surgery to fuse her neck, which could have resulted in a permanent loss of mobility.
- After consulting two neurosurgeons in Miami, the Medical staff agreed that this surgery was contra-indicated. They flew one of the surgeons to Mexico on an air ambulance. He evaluated the girl, applied an external "halo" device to immobilize her and accompanied her back to a Level I Trauma Center.
- She was treated without further surgery and recovered with full mobility.
A woman was studying in Senegal. She was climbing on a cliff when she
fell some distance. She was then hit by falling rock and suffered a severe cut and fracture of her left
tibia and fibula.
How we helped...
- She had surgery in Senegal, but the facility was not equipped to control infection, which could have resulted in amputation. The decision was made to medically evacuate her.
- When our nurse escort arrived, she reported that the injuries were quite serious but the x-ray machine at the hospital was broken. She and the embassy doctor recommended that the patient be upgraded to First Class for the evacuation.
- The hospital in Senegal demanded payment of the patient's bill before they would release her; so the assistance staff guaranteed payment.
- The patient and nurse then flew from Senegal to a medical center in Illinois, where the assistance company had pre-arranged admission.
An 85-year old woman was on an educational tour of the U.K. when
she fell at the train station, fracturing her elbow.
How we helped...
- Surgery could not be performed immediately after the accident, so the patient decided to have the procedure at home.
- Our assistance company arranged for wheelchair assistance at the airport and for Business Class tickets for her and her daughter, as a non-medical escort, to fly home to Wisconsin.
A couple’s grandchild was born early, with serious medical
complications, and was placed in intensive care.
How we helped...
- Though anticipating their upcoming trip, the couple chose to cancel and remain with their family members.
- The couple had purchased our plan including trip cancellation insurance, and were reimbursed for 100% of their loss of prepaid travel arrangements.
A teenage student had arrived in Zimbabwe, and shortly thereafter
was missing. Our assistance provider received a call from her Program Director. The student was now in the
emergency ward of the local hospital, in restraints and on extremely strong medication.
How we helped...
- She had had a psychotic episode and was "acting out." The local treating physician suspected drug use but this was totally inconsistent with her school records and comments from members of her team.
- Our assistance company asked a local Physician to better evaluate her. He recommended an immediate air ambulance transport to South Africa, where she could be treated in a Western-standard facility.
- Meanwhile, the assistance staff attempted to locate her parents who were vacationing in New England, and after several tense hours, the parents were found and apprised of the situation. The assistance staff arranged for the father to fly to Johannesburg to meet his daughter.
- She was successfully diagnosed there with an adverse reaction to her anti-malaria medication and was treated until she was stable to fly. Our assistance company made flight arrangements for her, a medical escort, and her father, to fly via London (where she was examined to ensure she was tolerating the flight) back to Boston where they had arranged for her to be seen by a specialist.
A 22-year old woman was serving as an Au Pair in the United States
when she fractured her leg while skating in Vail, CO.
How we helped...
- She had pins placed in her leg and could no longer fulfill her duties as an Au Pair.
- Our assistance provider arranged for wheelchair assistance in the airport, a Business Class seat for her to elevate her leg, and ground transportation from the airport to her home in Costa Rica.
