Oakley Rallies Around Injured Student
I’m Ed Smith, an Oakley personal injury lawyer. Sometimes positive things come out of tragic situations. This is happening in Oakley as an entire town rallies around a local student injured in a car accident.
About the Accident
In late March, a senior at Freedom High School in Oakley, California and her parents were visiting colleges in Arizona. The three were then involved in a serious car accident shortly after crossing the California-Arizona border. All three family members were hospitalized in Arizona where the young woman remains hospitalized today.
About the Injured Teenager
The young woman seriously injured in the accident is a leader at Freedom High School and is on both the softball and golf teams. She also serves as a mentor to incoming students at her school. Going to college in Arizona was a childhood dream and she has already been accepted to several Arizona colleges. She is on track to become the first person in her family to attend college.
Injuries Sustained in the Accident
The young woman sustained a variety of injuries, including fractured vertebrae, a broken nose, and various internal injuries. These injuries caused an extended stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of an Arizona hospital and multiple surgeries. As of 25 April, she is still hospitalized in Arizona.
The injured teenager’s parents were also injured in the car accident. Her mother sustained a serious neck injury and also spent time in the ICU alongside her daughter. The mother has since been released from the hospital.
Medical Expenses Incurred
The family’s insurance is covering some of these costs, but the family was recently informed that not all of the medical expenses will be covered. Although the family has not released any details, these costs are likely extreme.
According to the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, the average cost of a two to three day ICU stay was $61,800 in 2011. This number has likely increased in the proceeding 6 years. Consequently, the costs of the young woman’s hospital stay will likely exceed $200,000.
Community Response
Students and teacher’s at the injured teenager’s high school started a GoFundMe page to raise money for her hospital bills. They set a starting goal of $50,000. As of 25 April, 147 people have donated over $8,000 to the fund.
Community members are also working to organize dinners and other activities to further raise money for the young woman and her family.
Costs in Excess of Insurance Coverage
Insurance often does not cover all medical expenses in the case of serious injuries. This is due to insurance plan limits and the level of care required in many cases. Even in cases where insurance does cover the full cost of medical treatment, many other costs are not covered. This can include wages lost while caring for an injured person and, in this case, family member travel to the hospital.
How a Personal Injury Attorney Can Help in Similar Situations
When health insurance fails to cover all of the costs from an accident, a personal injury lawyer can help by finding other sources of funds. In the case of car accidents, a personal injury attorney can investigate to determine who is liable and then seek damages from those parties. These funds obtained by a personal injury lawyer can then go towards both medical expenses and other costs incurred during the course of recovery.
Oakley Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers
I’m Ed Smith, a Oakley personal injury lawyer. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, please call me at (925) 428-5220 for free, friendly advice. You may also call toll free at (800) 404-5400.
I have handled cases involving personal injury and wrongful death law exclusively for more than 34 years.
Learn what clients have to say about my services on Yelp, Avvo (a lawyer review provider), and Google.
I am a member of the Million Dollar Forum. This is a forum of top-ranking US injury lawyers with case settlements and verdicts in excess of One Million Dollars.
Please take a look at my Past Verdicts and Settlements.
Image Attribution: By LPS.1 – Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32467738
Source of Oakley Rallies Around Injured Student ~ http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/04/19/oakley-rallies-around-girl-after-accident-in-arizona/