Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on April 8, 2014 at 1:53pm

Without knowing who all consulted and what tests were done... Without an admission, and the nature of the injuries you presented with, $14-17,000.

bob hsiung said:

They told me I'd sustained fractures of the ankle and wrist (and neck, but that's another story). I got a list of ankle sprain rehabilitation exercises (but not a brace or wrap). I'm familiar with the temptation to overdo. I definitely want to heal and not to reinjure.

Now I find myself wondering who hit me harder, the taxi or the ER! Anybody want to guess how much my ER bill is going to be?

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Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on April 8, 2014 at 2:36pm

Been away from that world for a long time, but I am going to say Kevin is on the high side and that it will be *only* in the $7,000 to $8,000 range.

Kevin C said:

Without knowing who all consulted and what tests were done... Without an admission, and the nature of the injuries you presented with, $14-17,000.

bob hsiung said:

They told me I'd sustained fractures of the ankle and wrist (and neck, but that's another story). I got a list of ankle sprain rehabilitation exercises (but not a brace or wrap). I'm familiar with the temptation to overdo. I definitely want to heal and not to reinjure.

Now I find myself wondering who hit me harder, the taxi or the ER! Anybody want to guess how much my ER bill is going to be?

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on April 9, 2014 at 3:33am

I see a LOT of these bills at my job.  I'd say that Lisa's guess is probably closer to the mark.

Lisa Curcio 4.1 mi said:

Been away from that world for a long time, but I am going to say Kevin is on the high side and that it will be *only* in the $7,000 to $8,000 range.

Kevin C said:

Without knowing who all consulted and what tests were done... Without an admission, and the nature of the injuries you presented with, $14-17,000.

bob hsiung said:

They told me I'd sustained fractures of the ankle and wrist (and neck, but that's another story). I got a list of ankle sprain rehabilitation exercises (but not a brace or wrap). I'm familiar with the temptation to overdo. I definitely want to heal and not to reinjure.

Now I find myself wondering who hit me harder, the taxi or the ER! Anybody want to guess how much my ER bill is going to be?

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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on April 9, 2014 at 3:56am

Without surgery or a hospital stay I think that sounds about right.

In my case the implants alone ran about this much.  They are not cheap -especially the inner-bone titanium ones.  The simple plates and screws are a lot cheaper.  The surgery was very expensive and ran about $100k after all the costs were added up, not including the 8 days of recovery in the hospital (due to fears about infection and complications with nerve damage.)  I was under the knife for about 5 hours.  It was pretty complex due to how many pieces the bones were broken up into.  My orthopod told me that had it been 5 or 10 years earlier I probably would have lost the leg although I was very lucky that none of the sharp pieces inside had moved around very much and they hadn't been sticking out of the skin.  I had combat boots on which helped keep everything together when the leg was crushed and acted as sort of a compression splint when the lower leg swelled up.  

It's a very good thing that the JeffB's injury was pretty minor in comparison.  My injury was nearly a quarter million in damages by the time everything was said and done with the operation, hospital stay, subsequent medical care, PT, and missing a full 6 months of work.  Even so, almost 15 years later it's almost totally behind me and I rarely think about it any more.  I only walk with a limp when I'm very tired, but if you look at both of my lower legs they don't match.  One is a lot straighter and larger than the other one because of the hardware, not to mention the scars ;)

It can always be worse...

Lisa Curcio 4.1 mi said:

Been away from that world for a long time, but I am going to say Kevin is on the high side and that it will be *only* in the $7,000 to $8,000 range.

Kevin C said:

Without knowing who all consulted and what tests were done... Without an admission, and the nature of the injuries you presented with, $14-17,000.

bob hsiung said:

They told me I'd sustained fractures of the ankle and wrist (and neck, but that's another story). I got a list of ankle sprain rehabilitation exercises (but not a brace or wrap). I'm familiar with the temptation to overdo. I definitely want to heal and not to reinjure.

Now I find myself wondering who hit me harder, the taxi or the ER! Anybody want to guess how much my ER bill is going to be?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on April 9, 2014 at 4:05am

I've also seen cases like this at my job. I'm amazed and encouraged at how far medical science has progressed in developing new ways to help a body heal from such traumatic injuries, and that the injured person can often return (after months of recovery) to most or all of their normal activities. Yes, it does come with a hefty price tag - and a lot of physical therapy for optimal recovery.

I'm glad that only a small percentage of crashes result in such horrific injuries.  I hope that percentage can go DOWN as drivers get used to seeing more bikes on our streets and that all types of road users can find ways to co-exist better, with fewer conflicts and injuries.
 
James BlackHeron said:

In my case the implants alone ran about this much.  They are not cheap -especially the inner-bone titanium ones.  The simple plates and screws are a lot cheaper.  The surgery was very expensive and ran about $100k after all the costs were added up, not including the 8 days of recovery in the hospital (due to fears about infection and complications with nerve damage.)  I was under the knife for about 5 hours.  It was pretty complex due to how many pieces the bones were broken up into.  My orthopod told me that had it been 5 or 10 years earlier I probably would have lost the leg although I was very lucky that none of the sharp pieces inside had moved around very much and they hadn't been sticking out of the skin.  I had combat boots on which helped keep everything together when the leg was crushed and acted as sort of a compression splint when the lower leg swelled up.  

It's a very good thing that the JeffB's injury was pretty minor in comparison.  My injury was nearly a quarter million in damages by the time everything was said and done with the operation, hospital stay, subsequent medical care, PT, and missing a full 6 months of work.  Even so, almost 15 years later it's almost totally behind me and I rarely think about it any more.  I only walk with a limp when I'm very tired, but if you look at both of my lower legs they don't match.  One is a lot straighter and larger than the other one because of the hardware, not to mention the scars ;)

It can always be worse...

 

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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on April 9, 2014 at 4:19am

I was very glad that I had opted for a "Cadillac" health insurance plan at the time.  Not only was everything fully covered under the plan with a max yearly out-of-pocket cap of something like $3k but it also included income continuation insurance which covered the entire time I was not able to work while recovering from my injury.

I do miss running though.  My orothopod said it was out for life unless I wanted to end up with a fused ankle if I went back to it.  The cracked pieces of bone at the bottom of my tib/fib were fine for walking but would cause joint wear and damage if I attempt any high-impact activity on it.  

On the plus side, if I ever need a knee-replacement on my left leg the titanium implant I have is already threaded at the top for accepting the standard artificial knee.  That's a big time-saver right there!

Anne Alt said:

I've also seen cases like this at my job. I'm amazed and encouraged at how far medical science has progressed in developing new ways to help a body heal from such traumatic injuries, and that the injured person can often return (after months of recovery) to most or all of their normal activities. Yes, it does come with a hefty price tag - and a lot of physical therapy for optimal recovery.

I'm glad that only a small percentage of crashes result in such horrific injuries.  I hope that percentage can go DOWN as drivers get used to seeing more bikes on our streets and that all types of road users can find ways to co-exist better, with fewer conflicts and injuries.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Georgina Smith on October 14, 2017 at 3:25am

Very informative thread.

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