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jessica31876
02-10-2012, 02:00 PM
My husband and son left the house last July 22nd just to pick up dinner. Our lives changed forever that day and the accident that they were in. My husband has lost balance, he has lost memories, he had almost every rib broken in several places, his liver had a laceration and now scar tissue where the laceration was. His right eye no longer reacts to light and his peripheal vision is effected. His lungs collapsed and he does not have full breathing capabilities in the right side now.

All we want is answers. We had uninsured motoritst coverage and PIP and the guy who hit my husband had liability for the very minimum amount required by law. However all but a small amount for the wrongful death of our son is being held for a lien medicare has on any money recovered. We most likely will not receive anything from this accident and at this point every doctor's visit he goes to we pay our share of cost out of pocket and after it is all said and done could very well end up owing a whole lot of money out

Well today my husband went with our daughter to the ophthalmologist to find out about his pupil not reacting to light in his right eye and the blurriness he has in that eye. The doctor asked my husband and daughter "How do you know this was not a pre-existing condition from prior to this accident?" My daughter showed him pictures on her IPOD that shows his eyes are normal before the date of the accident and he said they are not good enough to prove it was not there. My husband told him well I have been with my wife for almost 21 years I think she would have noticed it since she is the one who did tell the doctor at the hospital and the dr in the hospital seemed to think it was from the accident.

It kinda made me feel like he was insinuating we are searching for more damage to blame on this boy who caused the accident as if we will gain something from that. In fact we just want to know what there is to deal with. This boy had nothing and had the very minimal coverage. He was not charged with the injuries to my husband nor the death of my son. His financial obligaion after the accident has been 180 or so dollars for a ticket and to get a new vehicle. He was not hurt or if he was it is minimal.

Our PIP coverage is exhausted long ago. My husband's hospital bills totalled almost 1/2 a million dollars from his hospital stay. What money we had coming from the other guy's policy in addition the money that was offered from our under insured/uninsured coverage is being held to pay back medicare for what they have had to pay for since they put a lien on it all (and trust me the amount they say is owed is far more then the amount of insurance available).

What do we possibly have to gain to continue trying to get answers for the problems my husband is having from this accident when all it is going to do is cost us more money and just give us the knowledge to be able to deal with what is happening? We cannot sue the guy who hit him because he has nothing and his insurance company has offered the limits of his policy and therefore is no longer financially liable for anything more. All of that is also being held until they decide what to do with the lien medicare has.

This visit was not supposed to be focused on placing blame or having the doctor determine yess it came from the accident (we know it did though) it was to give us an explanation as to why his eye is not reacting to light and why he now has blurry vision. At this point I dont really care why it is that way (meaning who is to blame for it being like that). Id just like to know is it going to stay that way? Can it be repaired? Will it get worse? But from what my husband and daughter said the doctor focused more on trying to put the injuries as a result of something else outside of the accident.

We are doing it just to get the answers and for the dr to behave in a way that insinuates my husband did not know when he sustained the injuries and is just trying to blame this accident is insulting and extremely upsetting to me. I know what my husband's eyes looked like before he had that accident on July 22nd and what they are like now. I know there are issues that are still coming up because of the accident and all I want/all my husband want's is to be able to deal with it all and find solutions to those problems that can be repaired. We know alot of the things are a result of the accident already. We are not asking the doctor's to say yes it definitely came from the accident like we need them to so we can use it in litigation. There wont be any litigation. At this point all we are focused on his trying to help my husband recover to the fullest extent he can

*Celeste*
02-10-2012, 02:14 PM
i'm so sorry you are going through this. my suggestion would be to go to another doctor. obviously the doctor you went to is not the right doctor for your husband. hugs!

jessica31876
02-10-2012, 02:18 PM
I am thinking about that too. Im not sure how many are available in his HMO (he is on medicare but has a medicare HMO). It took a really long time to get this visit scheduled. I am not sure he fully understood we did not need him to say yes/no it was from the accident. Just tell us what to do about it or if it is going to continue to get worse; If there is nerve damage causing it...kinda feel like going they answered no real questions about whats going on with his eye. Like it was more about trying to find out whether it was pre-existing to the accident or not. (he even went to far as to say it might be something my husband was born with)

LenaGardner
02-10-2012, 02:21 PM
Jessica, that's awful :( I'm sorry that doctor was such a jerk.

jessica31876
02-10-2012, 02:29 PM
I really kinda wish I had went with him. Our daughter drove him because of them using the eye drops which dilate his eyes. Im thinking a picture would be better to show you what I mean:

His right eye in photos always looks like that now

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x159/jessica31876/IMG_3047.jpg

Make sure to click the photo to see the eyes close up. Ill see if I can find one prior to accident.

Here is one taken a few months prior to the accident:

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x159/jessica31876/SAM_0072.jpg

Those photos are SOOC no touch-ups. So the red eye is from using the on camera flash. There is a defenite difference in the two images though.

At any rate he did not get many answers today. They said the results for the other testing will be available in a few days. The doctor told him the only way that could have happened from the accident is if he had severe brain damage which would then contradict the reports I was getting from the hospital saying he has NO brain damage. Then our primary care doctor told us last week the report she got from the hospital says he had swelling on the right side of his brain.

breakingbrie
02-10-2012, 02:45 PM
I know switching doctors sucks, especially with a long medical history! We've had the opposite problem before, where dh's doctor wanted ot contribute everything to his past surgery, and we had to see a different dr, just to get him looked at objectively for something that had nothing to do with his prior med condition... It might be worth it to just see someone else if he can for this one thing, so you can at least get to the bottom of it and find out what it is - so you can know what to expect, if it'll go away with time, or if it's going to get worse, or just a permanent condition!!

jessica31876
02-10-2012, 03:14 PM
My husband said when he goes back he will see a different doctor. Same practice but different doctor. Obviously this doctor does not know all of the history of the accident and all we have been through so it is not entirely his fault he was so insensitive I guess. With everything that has happened and all that my husband has went through and our family has went through though you would think he could have been a little more sensitive especially when my daughter and husband both told him this was not pre-existing. Maybe he was worried about when it happened and how because of who he would need to bill for the coverage first. I don't know. I feel like sometimes I did get my husband back but he isn't whole. He has forgotten so much stuff we have done as a family and the two of us together. Even recent stuff he forgets easily. He cannot walk long distances (like going to the theme park the other day even though our walking was REALLY limited and he rested alot) he still struggled with it.

Julie Billingsley
02-10-2012, 03:32 PM
Maybe he was worried about when it happened and how because of who he would need to bill for the coverage first.

that is exactly what it was. I worked for a doctor that specialized in work comp and auto accidents... and they see the world differently. And totally treat patients differently. Basically they have to render an analysis on if the injury is caused by the accident, and because of that they often get focused on the investigation part of their duty... instead of the treatment of the injury. :(

You all have been though so much. I hope you find a compassionate doctor to treat this eye condition.

heathergw
02-10-2012, 03:38 PM
(((hugs)))

kristijoy
02-10-2012, 04:14 PM
Do you have a personal injury lawyer? I would totally be on the phone right now.

jessica31876
02-10-2012, 04:47 PM
we have a friend of the family who's a personal injury attorney who is investigating it. Most personal injury attorneys will not touch it because he had 10,000/20,000 coverage and it was like a day after the accident his insurance company called me to tell me they were issuing checks for the full amount of coverage. Every single lawyer we have talked to has said that since they issued the policy limits immediately they cannot be sued for anything more. We can sue the guy who caused the accident personally BUT he is 27, lives at home with his parents still, has three kids and had to be court ordered to pay child support for at least one of those kids which he only does sporadically. He has nothing we could sue for.

The worst part of that though is his license is suspended right now and he is still driving from what I have been told. So no driver's license means no insurance. So if he happened to cause another accident whoever he hit will get no coverage from his side. Only if they happen to have uninsured motorist coverage like we did. The whole thing is so stressful and really depressing because I see how much my husband has suffered with his own injuries, how much we lost as a family with Matthew being gone and then how much it costs financially and to think all he has is a ticket for less then 200 dollars and to replace a piece of crap vehicle which maybe was worth 2000 dollars tops it is just really hard to come to terms with.


Sorry to just go off in a different direction it is just sometimes it makes me so angry/frustrated/upset.

ETA:the checks that were issued are held right now one for the lien on any money recovered and one while the attorney investigates whether that is the only coverage available to cover the accident.

Do you have a personal injury lawyer? I would totally be on the phone right now.

nun69
02-10-2012, 08:28 PM
{{{HUGS}}}} sounds like to me he just doesn't want to deal with it {the doctor}, so I am another one that says get a 2nd opinion even if it takes awhile.:hugs:

LJSDesigns
02-10-2012, 08:44 PM
I'm so sorry for your loss and this ongoing ordeal Jessica. I would definitely seek a second opinion for your husband. Doctor's can be callous and too focused on their own bottom dollar; some are more business men than care providers. Good luck, I hope your husband gets the treatment he deserves.

SeattleSheri
02-10-2012, 09:06 PM
Do you have a personal injury lawyer? I would totally be on the phone right now.
I know the natural inclination is to get an attorney, but since the claimant's limits are exhausted, getting an attorney would be detrimental, since they typically take 33% in PI cases (including medical bills). I've worked in the insurance industry for 15 years, so I'm pretty versed in this.

Jessica, I guess my first comment is, if the limits are exhausted and the claimant doesn't have any assets, it doesn't really matter whether the injury is attributed to the accident. Once the limits are exhausted, personal medical insurance kicks in an excess capacity. Your auto insurance should work with your health insurance and the claimant's auto insurance to ensure you get general damages from his policy limits and the medical bills are paid by a combination of PIP and medical insurance (varies by state regulations).

I am sooooo sorry you are in this situation! It sucks no matter how you look at it. A million hugs to you and your family!!

mlrw70
02-11-2012, 09:13 AM
Jessica, I'm so sorry that you are still having to deal with things like that. It's awful and my prayers are with you and your family.

jessica31876
02-11-2012, 09:35 AM
I am glad you understand it! So many people tell me oh you should just get an attorney and sue the heck out of him. First sueing him is not going to make me feel better and second we CANT!! Then I try to explain what you said and they do not get it. I tell them you pay your insurance company to cover you in an accident and you choose the amount of coverage. We (my husband and I) have 100,000 in coverage. We need to meet with our agent because I would like to increase it to 300,000 at least. The lawyer my sister worked for at one time whom I met with to talk about this when it happened carries 1 million in coverage. But most people drive around with just 10,000 dollars in coverage.


I know the natural inclination is to get an attorney, but since the claimant's limits are exhausted, getting an attorney would be detrimental, since they typically take 33% in PI cases (including medical bills). I've worked in the insurance industry for 15 years, so I'm pretty versed in this.

Jessica, I guess my first comment is, if the limits are exhausted and the claimant doesn't have any assets, it doesn't really matter whether the injury is attributed to the accident. Once the limits are exhausted, personal medical insurance kicks in an excess capacity. Your auto insurance should work with your health insurance and the claimant's auto insurance to ensure you get general damages from his policy limits and the medical bills are paid by a combination of PIP and medical insurance (varies by state regulations).

I am sooooo sorry you are in this situation! It sucks no matter how you look at it. A million hugs to you and your family!!

rach3975
02-11-2012, 10:49 AM
As if the direct effects of the accident weren't devastating enough, it's terrible that you have to deal with all the bills on top of it. I'm glad your DH is going to see another doctor next time. I hope the 2nd doctor is able to focus on the injury and helping your DH. I didn't realize what low coverage many people have. That just doesn't seem right considering how expensive a serious car accident is. ((Hugs))

jessica31876
02-12-2012, 01:52 PM
Florida law only requires ten thousand/twenty thousand liability to drive. So ten thousand per person or twenty thousand per accident. Say you had four people in a vehicle who were injured that means they would only have to pay a maximum or twenty thousand dollars out for those four people. So they have uninsured/underinsured coverage which covers you if the person at fault does not have adequate insurance. We had one hundred thousand on that (I told my husband to increase it but he did not get around to doing so). That coverage is elective so you can choose to not get it. Other then the liability you are only required to carry PIP or personal injury protection which is to cover your own injuries regardless of who is at fault for the accident. It is billed before your health insurance kicks in but does not last long with a serious accident.

As if the direct effects of the accident weren't devastating enough, it's terrible that you have to deal with all the bills on top of it. I'm glad your DH is going to see another doctor next time. I hope the 2nd doctor is able to focus on the injury and helping your DH. I didn't realize what low coverage many people have. That just doesn't seem right considering how expensive a serious car accident is. ((Hugs))

emmasmommy
02-12-2012, 02:16 PM
so sorry, jessica :(

xboxmom
02-12-2012, 02:25 PM
Jessica I just want to tell you how sorry I am again for the loss of your son and for your husbands injuries. It's so unfair. I hope you are able to find a Dr. that will be willing to help your husband instead of worrying about other things that don't seem relevant. A Dr.'s first priority should really be the care of their patients. Hugs to you.

jessica31876
02-12-2012, 03:40 PM
thanks everyone. I get so overwhelmed sometimes with everything he has going on and dealing with it all and frustrated with the way things are going I just need to vent.

Sherri Tierney
02-12-2012, 05:28 PM
I just wanted to say I'm so sorry that you have been through so much and continue to be dragged through the ringer by all of this. :(