Show us your crash pics!!
Discussion
Brother D said:
XplusYplusZ said:
It's a bit blurry but I think an interesting story.
I was living in New York, and was driving upstate to go fishing very early one sunday morning. The toll-road was empty, with a gated toll booth about half a mile ahead. All of a sudden I hear a screech of tyre and a huge impact on my left hand side, as a black SUV side swiped my 2-series. My car pitched 45 degrees and headed straight for the concrete barrier - which thankfully protected me from a 7 story drop off the bridge! I remember the extreme pucker in the second before impact..
Fun facts:
1. When the police arrived they advised me NOT to get an ambulance, as it was expensive... They were right. Despite having very good car and medical insurances, I still had to pay $750 for a 10 minute ambulance to the hospital. I should have called an uber instead..
2. I broke my spine - but fortunately, in a way that I could still walk. The Doctor told me to avoid contact sports and crashing my car for the next 6 weeks..
3. The other driver drove off - a full on hit and run. But the police did absolutely NOTHING. There was a toll booth half a mile ahead, on an empty road at 4:30am, the car who hit me was the ONLY vehicle to pass through there at that time... I was even able to enquire and obtain the footage of the toll booths CCTV where I could have easily pulled the number plate. But I didn't...
4. Because I hired a (dodgy, possibly mafia linked) lawyer who told me not to go after the hit n run driver, but to instead sue my own insurance company for trying to rip me off in their compensation package. The 94 year old judge ruled in my favour - tore the insurance company a new one for trying to short change me, and told them to pay me $100k for my troubles!
5. It took me a year of physiotherapy to strengthen my back, but I completely healed.
6. I still wonder what happened to the other driver. I assume they were drunk. Some witnesses told me they'd seen him weaving all over the road before he hit me. But they were ALSO drunk so didn't want to hang around for the police!
7. The bimmer was sadly written off - I think only the boot was undented. It saved my life and then called the police for me.
Be careful driving in the states early on Sunday Mornings!
Can confirm this is all standard practice, my wife was hit in a cross walk by a car running a red light (also standard practice), the police didn't even record the driver's details, so in the end we had to pay $1,200 I think for the ambulance ride to the hospital as it wasn't covered by the uninsurance. I was living in New York, and was driving upstate to go fishing very early one sunday morning. The toll-road was empty, with a gated toll booth about half a mile ahead. All of a sudden I hear a screech of tyre and a huge impact on my left hand side, as a black SUV side swiped my 2-series. My car pitched 45 degrees and headed straight for the concrete barrier - which thankfully protected me from a 7 story drop off the bridge! I remember the extreme pucker in the second before impact..
Fun facts:
1. When the police arrived they advised me NOT to get an ambulance, as it was expensive... They were right. Despite having very good car and medical insurances, I still had to pay $750 for a 10 minute ambulance to the hospital. I should have called an uber instead..
2. I broke my spine - but fortunately, in a way that I could still walk. The Doctor told me to avoid contact sports and crashing my car for the next 6 weeks..
3. The other driver drove off - a full on hit and run. But the police did absolutely NOTHING. There was a toll booth half a mile ahead, on an empty road at 4:30am, the car who hit me was the ONLY vehicle to pass through there at that time... I was even able to enquire and obtain the footage of the toll booths CCTV where I could have easily pulled the number plate. But I didn't...
4. Because I hired a (dodgy, possibly mafia linked) lawyer who told me not to go after the hit n run driver, but to instead sue my own insurance company for trying to rip me off in their compensation package. The 94 year old judge ruled in my favour - tore the insurance company a new one for trying to short change me, and told them to pay me $100k for my troubles!
5. It took me a year of physiotherapy to strengthen my back, but I completely healed.
6. I still wonder what happened to the other driver. I assume they were drunk. Some witnesses told me they'd seen him weaving all over the road before he hit me. But they were ALSO drunk so didn't want to hang around for the police!
7. The bimmer was sadly written off - I think only the boot was undented. It saved my life and then called the police for me.
Be careful driving in the states early on Sunday Mornings!
Edited by XplusYplusZ on Thursday 14th March 12:25
IIRC my wife checked herself out of hospital before being seen, as when she arrived she found it was out of the insurance network and her injures were relatively minor.
Never call an ambulance (or Police) in America...
As I have my benefits open I thought it might be useful for me to go through some of the costs. First, I am not saying the system is not broken. It clearly benefits those with jobs that come with benefits. However, It is worth noting that the person on minimum wage at one company gets the same level of coverage as a person on $400k at the same company. But, the person on $400k may be paying a lot more. (not unfairly and to subsidize those on lower income). I only mention this because there is a perception that the richer you are the better the coverage.
Also, the cost of the NHS per person is around $5,333. The Cost of my medical coverage is around the same if I include employer contributions. (i.e. the amount I do not pay but my employer does)
Where things get very different is considering deductibles and copay. You can get a few different types of coverage. You can think of them as "3rd party" and "full comp" in the car world. Some will be lower contributions from your pay check but cost more when you visit the doctor. This might be a good fit for a 23 year old single male with no pre-existing medical conditions.
If you get married and are planning a family, you would consider the higher cost out of pay check plan with lower co-pays. A co-pay is the money you pay when you use a service. It is often a percentage of the cost or a flat fee. For some plans, the co-pay only kicks in once you have met a minimum spend (deductible).
In the example above, the ambulance cost could count towards the deductible, depending on which plan you have, and once met you would pay a percentage. The deductible is often $1200. In this example, if the person had met that spend threshold on other medical expenses the ambulance would be "free" or a fraction of the "cost". In my case an ambulance costs $100 with no deductible so it doesn't matter what level of spend I am at. ER room costs $250 if it is in, or out of their preferred network. If admitted, the $250 is waived. If admitted, the hospital visit for the duration is capped at $400. The insurance company will be billed way more but that is not my responsibility. The poster above could have a very different experience than as I have described my own experience would look like.
The final point here is the maximum out of pocket. Let's say you had a wild year. You spent $100k on IVF and then your wife was involved in an accident that required a 2 week stay in hospital at another $100k. For my plan, that would cost a total $3.500 as it is an individual. (just looking at the costs and it almost certainly would not hit the max) For the family I have a max out of pocket of $7k. That money is not taxed. I can contribute to a pre-tax investment scheme that builds up over years to pay off medical costs now and through retirement.
People do go bankrupt due to medical expenses because they don't have insurance. However, most of those have decided to roll the dice at the casino and elect to not pay. That's like saying you are not going to contribute to the NHS.
Back to my original point, it is far from perfect but saying "That ambulance cost me $1200" isn't representative of the everyday reality. It could be that the ambulance was the first medical bill of the year and so represented a $1200 cost but if it had been the second it would be free.
Edited by h0b0 on Thursday 14th March 22:07
Dave200 said:
h0b0 said:
People do go bankrupt due to medical expenses because they don't have insurance.
This sounds reasonable.https://www.cbsnews.com/news/wisconsin-woman-sent-...
Brother D said:
Dave200 said:
h0b0 said:
People do go bankrupt due to medical expenses because they don't have insurance.
This sounds reasonable.https://www.cbsnews.com/news/wisconsin-woman-sent-...
The example you gave is a poor one because it is 10 years old. Also, it is full of "faces" and could" statements. The out of pocket max Ms Rothbauer was liable for was $6,350. She would have received medical bills totaling many thousands and was dealing with the paperwork. Nothing more.
Ms Rothbauer said:
I kind of wish they would just lock themselves in a room and go figure it out together, hash it out
I have seen similar situations where the facility is in network but the lab is not. Then the bills all pile up until it is figured out.Having said that, based on the way the story is written it is clear the author has either an axe to grind or a desire to be published. Frankly, it is misleading articles like this that compelled me to post on the subject in the first place.
Examples of insured bankruptcies could be as simple as not being able to pay the max out of pocket. The vast majority of Americans do not have savings that could cover $12k.That leads them to get a loan. I mentioned in my earlier post about being able to save/invest tax free. Most people are not able to and when hit with a medical bill are not prepared. That is where the real issue is. Not some BS story of Ms Rothbauer's admin issues.
Dave200 said:
h0b0 said:
People do go bankrupt due to medical expenses because they don't have insurance.
This sounds reasonable....or unless you're homeless (lot of them in the US).
...or any one of half a dozen other reasonable excuses that in the WHOLE of Europe woudn't matter a damn and would still see you receive necessary medical treatment free of charge.
Next comment - 2022/23 spend on the NHS was £155bn. Across a population of 70m+. So that's a little over £2,000 per capita, not the $5,333 that hobo claimed. Probably about half as much. ENTIRELY free to use except for prescriptions, no "copay" at all.
Third comment - I know a few people in the US. Those occasions we've talked about healthcare, they've said that their private healthcare insurance was between $10k and $25k per person (couples or single people mainly). Granted none are under 40 any more, but only one couple are close to retirement (and they're worried about what they do IN retirement - $40k p.a. is a big pill to swallow), but that's a LOT different to $5k and even more different to £2k. I'd love to know why it costs 4-8x per patient to run the US system vs our system...
Anyway, getting very O/T.
havoc said:
Dave200 said:
h0b0 said:
People do go bankrupt due to medical expenses because they don't have insurance.
This sounds reasonable....or unless you're homeless (lot of them in the US).
...or any one of half a dozen other reasonable excuses that in the WHOLE of Europe woudn't matter a damn and would still see you receive necessary medical treatment free of charge.
Next comment - 2022/23 spend on the NHS was £155bn. Across a population of 70m+. So that's a little over £2,000 per capita, not the $5,333 that hobo claimed. Probably about half as much. ENTIRELY free to use except for prescriptions, no "copay" at all.
Third comment - I know a few people in the US. Those occasions we've talked about healthcare, they've said that their private healthcare insurance was between $10k and $25k per person (couples or single people mainly). Granted none are under 40 any more, but only one couple are close to retirement (and they're worried about what they do IN retirement - $40k p.a. is a big pill to swallow), but that's a LOT different to $5k and even more different to £2k. I'd love to know why it costs 4-8x per patient to run the US system vs our system...
Anyway, getting very O/T.
I think there’s a moment for all of us older posters where we just give up. Pistonheads used to be a place where you would come to learn from those that had experience in situations.
Instead Havoc, you have just come in a made up a load of garbage that demonstrates you have no clue about what you are saying. I however have been in the industry for 20+ years. But, what would I know when your mate Dave down the pub said his friend Bob is worried. Well, get a message to Bob because he to has no f
king clue. Let’s go back to the original point of my post which was saying don’t call an ambulance is dangerous and then I gave the reasons why the two people who said it were mistaken.
Can we all agree that in a serious accident we should call an ambulance?
Another that isn't mine but spotted on my drive home from Poole a few hours ago, can only speculate that either the driver was drunk or way too much speed....
Slight bend in the road...
Unless the driver was having a 'Back to the future' moment, thinking where they are going they don't need roads!
Slight bend in the road...
Unless the driver was having a 'Back to the future' moment, thinking where they are going they don't need roads!
h0b0 said:
I see my link to the .gov site with actual numbers was broken. I have updated it.
...
Instead Havoc, you have just come in a made up a load of garbage...
Really? Which of my figures was garbage? Please tell me?...
Instead Havoc, you have just come in a made up a load of garbage...
NHS spend? Your link includes "Long term care" (£60bn), private health insurance spend (double-count, surely?), charity spend and personal expenditure. That's not all NHS, that's ANYTHING healthcare related in the UK. I'd wager a lot of that ISN'T covered by the US PMI schemes, so isn't comparing apples with apples.
Do try to have a reasoned debate, eh, rather than cherry-pick the wrong figures to defend an indefensible position. And drop the ad hominem stuff.
havoc said:
h0b0 said:
I see my link to the .gov site with actual numbers was broken. I have updated it.
...
Instead Havoc, you have just come in a made up a load of garbage...
Really? Which of my figures was garbage? Please tell me?...
Instead Havoc, you have just come in a made up a load of garbage...
NHS spend? Your link includes "Long term care" (£60bn), private health insurance spend (double-count, surely?), charity spend and personal expenditure. That's not all NHS, that's ANYTHING healthcare related in the UK. I'd wager a lot of that ISN'T covered by the US PMI schemes, so isn't comparing apples with apples.
Do try to have a reasoned debate, eh, rather than cherry-pick the wrong figures to defend an indefensible position. And drop the ad hominem stuff.
h0b0 said:
havoc said:
Dave200 said:
h0b0 said:
People do go bankrupt due to medical expenses because they don't have insurance.
This sounds reasonable....or unless you're homeless (lot of them in the US).
...or any one of half a dozen other reasonable excuses that in the WHOLE of Europe woudn't matter a damn and would still see you receive necessary medical treatment free of charge.
Next comment - 2022/23 spend on the NHS was £155bn. Across a population of 70m+. So that's a little over £2,000 per capita, not the $5,333 that hobo claimed. Probably about half as much. ENTIRELY free to use except for prescriptions, no "copay" at all.
Third comment - I know a few people in the US. Those occasions we've talked about healthcare, they've said that their private healthcare insurance was between $10k and $25k per person (couples or single people mainly). Granted none are under 40 any more, but only one couple are close to retirement (and they're worried about what they do IN retirement - $40k p.a. is a big pill to swallow), but that's a LOT different to $5k and even more different to £2k. I'd love to know why it costs 4-8x per patient to run the US system vs our system...
Anyway, getting very O/T.
I think there’s a moment for all of us older posters where we just give up. Pistonheads used to be a place where you would come to learn from those that had experience in situations.
Instead Havoc, you have just come in a made up a load of garbage that demonstrates you have no clue about what you are saying. I however have been in the industry for 20+ years. But, what would I know when your mate Dave down the pub said his friend Bob is worried. Well, get a message to Bob because he to has no f
king clue. Let’s go back to the original point of my post which was saying don’t call an ambulance is dangerous and then I gave the reasons why the two people who said it were mistaken.
Can we all agree that in a serious accident we should call an ambulance?
Saleen836 said:
Another that isn't mine but spotted on my drive home from Poole a few hours ago, can only speculate that either the driver was drunk or way too much speed....
Slight bend in the road...
Unless the driver was having a 'Back to the future' moment, thinking where they are going they don't need roads!
“Let’s Offroad!”Slight bend in the road...
Unless the driver was having a 'Back to the future' moment, thinking where they are going they don't need roads!
dxg said:
silentbrown said:
JAMSXR said:
"Pop-up hood power unit". Those are the equivalent of pedestrian airbags for the bonnet, AIUI?
The fact that they've fired, will also explain the new sensor assembly for behind the front bumper. Not a simple case of swapping the parking sensors over. Oh, and the new hinges, even though they're a good few feet from the action.
All in the pursuit of NCAP ratings.
(Although with the news from a couple of days ago that NCAP are insisting on "some" buttons returning/being retained in the interior of cars (which, reading, seems to be larkely limited to stalks on the steering column) might be a good thing).
XplusYplusZ said:
It's a bit blurry but I think an interesting story.
I was living in New York, and was driving upstate to go fishing very early one sunday morning. The toll-road was empty, with a gated toll booth about half a mile ahead. All of a sudden I hear a screech of tyre and a huge impact on my left hand side, as a black SUV side swiped my 2-series. My car pitched 45 degrees and headed straight for the concrete barrier - which thankfully protected me from a 7 story drop off the bridge! I remember the extreme pucker in the second before impact..
Fun facts:
1. When the police arrived they advised me NOT to get an ambulance, as it was expensive... They were right. Despite having very good car and medical insurances, I still had to pay $750 for a 10 minute ambulance to the hospital. I should have called an uber instead..
2. I broke my spine - but fortunately, in a way that I could still walk. The Doctor told me to avoid contact sports and crashing my car for the next 6 weeks..
3. The other driver drove off - a full on hit and run. But the police did absolutely NOTHING. There was a toll booth half a mile ahead, on an empty road at 4:30am, the car who hit me was the ONLY vehicle to pass through there at that time... I was even able to enquire and obtain the footage of the toll booths CCTV where I could have easily pulled the number plate. But I didn't...
4. Because I hired a (dodgy, possibly mafia linked) lawyer who told me not to go after the hit n run driver, but to instead sue my own insurance company for trying to rip me off in their compensation package. The 94 year old judge ruled in my favour - tore the insurance company a new one for trying to short change me, and told them to pay me $100k for my troubles!
5. It took me a year of physiotherapy to strengthen my back, but I completely healed.
6. I still wonder what happened to the other driver. I assume they were drunk. Some witnesses told me they'd seen him weaving all over the road before he hit me. But they were ALSO drunk so didn't want to hang around for the police!
7. The bimmer was sadly written off - I think only the boot was undented. It saved my life and then called the police for me.
Be careful driving in the states early on Sunday Mornings!
Edited by XplusYplusZ on Thursday 14th March 12:25
They dont look like they would be people with medical insurance, how would they go on for getting treatment ?
Stick Legs said:
this is the only article i could find, from 2016 and not in english. however the image seems to be doing it's rounds over the past couple of days
Puddenchucker said:
Watch this!800 views in 12 hrs - success!
Unfortunate location, might only have been a damaged wheel elsewhere.
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