As I was sitting in the parking lot at Walgreens, saw a woman hit by a car

[Mari333]

I was merely there to buy a bone for my dog. As I was exiting my car, here comes this car flying about 45 mph thru the parking lot and it hits this lady , about 45 yrs old, who is walking across the lot. WHAM<
she screams and her arm and side are hit. the car races out of the parking lot.
I am the only witness.

I tell her to call the police, and she does. They arrive. I give them a full description of the guy and car. They take my phone no and name.

Then I tell the lady "Your arm is very swollen, you should go to the ER and take care of that you might have a hairline fracture"

She looks at me, shaking , and says

"But my husband just got laid off from the plant in town which is closing, our house burned down last month, and we havent got the money for the ER".

Well, thats it in a nutshell, America!!! she has chosen to live with a possibly fractured arm after being hit by a car because she has no health insurance and no money..

this happened one hour ago tonight.

We're No 1!


end of rant.

oh, yeah. I hugged her .

[MadMaddie]

1. Damn!

[lsewpershad]

109. Yes damn

damn shame that this is happening in the "richest most powerful country on earth.

[lsewpershad]

111. Damn is right

Damn shame that this is happening in the "richest most powerful country on earth".

[aquart]

2. Does your state have victims services?

She's a crime victim. She may be able to get care.

[Mari333]

I dont know I will check it out

its Michigan. I dont know who she is, but I might be able to find out from the local cops.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

83. Here's the info on that

Do you know how to reach her? She should contact the victim services go to the doctor and then fill out the form for crime victim compensation. If it's like Texas they'll give her a social worker to help her through the process.

Poor thing, I bet she's in horrible pain today.

Here's the link: http://www.michigan.gov/mdch/0,1607,7-132-2940_3184---,00.html

[Mari333]

84. thanks! i called the local police this am and am waiting

for a call from the attending officer. i will have him pass this info to her.

[D-Lee]

107. Medical bills should be covered by Michigan no-fault law

Do a google search on these terms: "Michigan medical no-fault"

Payment would be by the victim's auto insurance or, if there is no auto insurance, either the offending vehicle's insurance (if the vehicle can be identified) or whatever organization is set up to pay in hit-and-run situations.

[Hissyspit]

3. America has the best health care system in the world and you're just a socialist!

:sarcasm:

:grr:

[chrisa]

127. Somebody needs to stuff a dirty dish rag

into the loudmouth, "Socialist" spouting Republican tools' mouths. In Rush's case it might take a Sham-Wow.

[chrisa]

128. dupe

[Hawkeye-X]

4. Quick! Send the story to Baucus!!!!

Let him KNOW the reason for SINGLE PAYER HEALTH CARE OPTION!

Hawkeye-X

[dgibby]

26. No, he'd just want to have her arrested for getting herself hit.

If he keeps having Drs. and nurses arrested, it won't matter whether we have insurance or not.
There won't be anybody at the hospital to take care of us, 'cause they'll all be in jail.

[dflprincess]

50. Send it to WhiteHouse.gov

we need to hammer Obama about this too. (though I suspect that Rahm has a lacky that deletes any email that favors single payer)

[Mari333]

69. I did!!! this morning!! nt

[mikelgb]

110. Baucus was behind the wheel. n/t

[Jane Austin]

5. I am not a lawyer, but I think

Walgreens should have some liability insurance that might help her out.

[Mari333]

8. maybe they will

I saw the Walgreens manager walk out to speak with the cops. I hope someone did something. I finally left after they got my statement. the dog got his bone, even if it was an hour late.

[The Doctor.]

115. Tell the lady to call an attorney. They live for that stuff.

It's quite possible that she will get a substantial settlement. Any attorney that can't make the case that the parking lot did not have adequate speed reduction features should go into food service.

I'm not sue-crazy, but I've seen too many people suffer with injuries and go broke over it when they had a very real opportunity to be compensated... if they'd just picked up the phone and called an attorney.

[truedelphi]

138. I know of no WalMart that has speed bumps - and that probably would make

That dung heap of a Corporation liable.

[tkmorris]

12. That would be helpful to the woman

But REALLY crappy to do to Walgreens. They aren't at fault here in any way unless I missed something.

[Jane Austin]

15. But that's why they have liability insurance. It's part of the cost of doing

business, and they are big enough to handle it.

I could be sued if someone just fell down walking up our driveway. If it happens at your place, you're liable.

Walgreens could easily offer to pay for her visit to the ER and chalk it up to goodwill.

[tkmorris]

22. I hear what you're saying and you are right up to a point

But Walgreens is most definitely NOT liable just because it happened in their lot. Were they negligent in some fashion? Sure, they're large enough it wouldn't even make a ripple on their balance sheet but to me it's still wrong. I could see them doing it for PR purposes perhaps.

[MindPilot]

116. Not a lawyer, but some schooling -- this is called "strict liability"

It doesn't really matter how the incident happened, and fault doesn't really even enter into it, it happened on the property of a business that is open to the public therefore the business is liable.

This is a fairly old legal standard and the reason--as a previous poster pointed out--that carrying liability insurance is "the cost of doing business".

Personally i think the cop was wrong in not calling for medical assistance. The victim's injuries may have some effect on how the perp is charged assuming he is caught.

Also the cop could carry some liability if the injuries turn out to be more severe than they originally appeared.

[Horse with no Name]

123. This isn't true

There were two boys (over 150 lbs each) running through Eckerds while their employees watched and did nothing to stop their horseplay.
One of them clipped me from behind and damaged my knee (after surgery it was determined that a piece of the femur was broken and fell under the kneecap causing the severe pain).
My knee swelled to the size of the basketball--in the store.
The boys ran out the door--past several employees again.
I was off of work for 6 weeks, endured surgery and physical therapy...all on my own dime.
I was told by numerous attorneys that the damages weren't enough and weren't permanent to make it worthwhile to sue for.
So there it is in a nutshell.
Of course, I am in Texas.

[Control-Z]

131. That sucks so bad.

Your pain and suffering wasn't enough to make a lawsuit worthwhile.

I'm so disgusted with how little the consumer is regarded in these matters. It happened to me, in a Carl's Jr. A faulty ice machine that spilled over, salad dressing on the floor, and a bad fall put me in the hospital, followed by three back surgeries over 11 months time.

The case was big enough for a lawsuit, but there was funny business after I won arbitration and it was to go to trial. The night before the trial was to begin, my lawyer called me to tell me I had no chance of winning my, what had been up to that point, "rock solid case". He had spoken on the phone to an ex manager (then living out of state) whom he told me he "believed". What the ex manager had to say was, of course, complete fabrication, and my lawyer knew it, but was still compelled to change his mind about winning my case for reasons I suspect had more to do with $$, than anything the ex manager had to say.

[babylonsister]

18. How about a security video? Might get the tag numbers. nt

[Mari333]

24. maybe thats why the manager was out there

I hope the local cops think of that .

[SheilaT]

66. If they have a security video there it probably

wouldn't be good enough to show that kind of detail. It might, however, show enough detail that if made public, the guy and his car could be identified.

Several years ago there was an incident where a young woman was abducted from a Target parking, and then killed. The surveillance video showed here being grabbed and pushed into the killer's vehicle, and several people who saw the video, which was widely broadcast in the local media, recognized the guy and the car and he was arrested and eventually pleaded guilty to the crime.

But Target seems to be unusual in having a good video surveillance system that actually works and that they make use of in such circumstances. Nevertheless, it wouldn't hurt to see if there's video of this incident.

[Retired AF Dem]

125. Why?

Should they have had traffic control associates in the parking lot? Speed bumps every six feet? Why should Walgreen's have to pay more in insurance and jack up their prices to cover it for some dumb ass moron driving a car in their parking lot?

[WorseBeforeBetter]

139. If my Borders shopping center can install speed bumps...

every XX number of feet, then Walgreen's can too. These stores have a responsibility to their customers, whether it's de-icing sidewalks or providing safe environments in their parking lots. If they didn't shirk their responsibility and took preventive steps, their insurance premiums would go down.

And if a store/mall expects large crowds, then "yes" to traffic control associates. But I'd reserve that mostly for the insane holiday season, as I've seen done at a number of malls.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Hit and run, so the car that hit her, is liable

also if there is insurance the person that hit her should cover it. Of course this is why we need single payer... and all that, but our critters still think we don't.

Oh and good for you to give the info to the cops, that is rare to see these days.

[Mari333]

10. oh hell yeah

my god the guy was about 28 yrs old , looked high, white pudgy guy in a grey beater, looked like a little fiat, rusty car 2 door. I couldnt get his license he was going too fast. had short light brown hair. driving like a maniac.
small town, I hope they catch him.

[corpseratemedia]

14. a lot of people aren't carrying car insurance today like they're supposed to

so when they hit they run..although the guy in your case sounded loaded

our car got hit and they ran, actually happened twice

[gmoney]

7. Hope you hugged gently.... maybe offer her a ride to Canada?

They probably wouldn't turn her away, would they?

[xchrom]

9. sigh -- that really is us in a nutshell. nt

[corpseratemedia]

11. so sorry for her, and sorry you had to witness that..

and sorry for this country being so screwed up now from reaganomics that its come to things like this becoming commonplace



our wages, our bargaining rights, our benefits our pensions our jobs needed to be extinguished to "level the playing field in today's global economy"

[TahitiNut]

13. Which Walgreens?

Woodward & 13? John R & 11? Rochester & 12?

They're everywhere! They're everywhere! :silly:

[Mari333]

16. heh south haven michigan

the one and only walgreens that will ever be here.

[TahitiNut]

21. Oh. (Whew!) Well, I won't have to worry about walking in that one's parking lot, then.

:hi:

Can't be too careful ... I don't move as fast as I once did.

[knitter4democracy]

40. I know that one. Yikes!

:hi: from Battle Creek

[liberalmuse]

17. Oh my god!

You are such a sweet person for hugging her and being there for her. She needed that and deserved it, and you recognized that. Someone cared. That must have been awful to see. This is so fucked up. A person will suffer because this country can't stomach the right wing meme (and falsehood) of 'socilizm'. How sad. Healthcare is a right, not an priviledge, as Obama used to say in his campaign days. I hope he remembers this. :(

[omega minimo]

19. God Bless America

[Booster]

20. Seems to me if the Octomom can walk into Kaiser-Permante

without insurance and have them deliver 8 babies, then this lady should be able to do the same. Kaiser has billed the state for over a million and a half and this lady should have been able to do the same thing. Here in Los Angeles we have a county hospital, but I don't know about small towns. Absofuckinglutely, no one should just go home after being hit by a car.

[LuckyLib]

93. Kaiser Permanente is a member only HMO. I doubt she count have wandered in pregnant with

eight. She was no doubt treated by Kaiser all along, but they now want to foist the bill off on the state, since she's on welfare.

[Booster]

100. I'm confused by your post. She said in the beginning that she

had no insurance so how and why would Kaiser be treating her before the actual delivery?

[LuckyLib]

104. Unless I'm mistaken, you don't just "walk in" to a Kaiser hospital.

My family belonged in CA for decades (still does) and if she appeared in labor at Kaiser hospital, she would be ambulanced to the local county facility. Unless they decided to treat her "pro bono", in which case it's tough to argue that the state should reimburse them. Where was she getting her prenatal care? Somebody was giving PN care to a woman pregnant with 8 fetuses.

[Fumesucker]

23. I'm fucking terrified walking in parking lots..

My head swivels like a radar antenna on meth.

I honestly think crossing a parking lot is more dangerous for the average pedestrian than crossing a busy street, cars are coming from every conceivable direction (and a few that aren't) and there is a great deal of visual clutter (in a crowded lot) to screw with your ability to detect them.

Good on you for doing the right thing and I have to say that the lady is lucky to be alive.

Oh, and yeah, you are absolutely correct regarding single payer.

[1]

25. so what would this "public option" do for this woman in this situation?

i'm guessing not much, but i am no expert on the "public option"...

[Fumesucker]

38. I don't know about "public option" but I suspect if it's something you have to pay for

As an individual before you are covered than the answer would be "nothing".

Single payer universal coverage on the other hand would allow the woman to take an ambulance to the hospital and have her injuries properly tended to without having to fucking worry about whether or not she will be able to pay the ridiculously high bill.

[1]

41. that's what i thought...

since single payer looks dead, i'm not going to get too excited about the "public option."

[Fumesucker]

43. And why is single payer dead?

Because the big money people who have bought and paid for our political class do not wish it to become reality.

It would get in the way of their profiting from misery such as the woman in question is now suffering, without even decent pain meds.

There really is no other reason.

[rockymountaindem]

42. The "public option" would theoretically allow that woman to enroll in medicare

and get whatever treatment Medicare offers in that scenario.

[Fumesucker]

44. But she would have to pay...

To enroll in Medicare.

Not to mention that a great many doctors now will not take Medicare patients.

[Overseas]

112. She wouldn't lose every dollar her family has left just to get the arm fixed.

That's what a public option would do.

Remove the terror of consulting a doctor in an emergency.

[1]

113. not much of an option, this public option...

[Overseas]

117. I understood the public option meant allowing the public to buy into Medicare

but leaving everyone the option of purchasing private insurance if they'd prefer that.

The "public option" introduction allows legislators to promote the fact that they're giving consumers a choice. Those who think the fabulous for-profit insurance systems are great can keep those. The rest of us can buy into Medicare.

[dysfunctional press]

27. did you get the plate number of the car...?

this accident could be the woman's 'lucky day', if the driver actually has insurance.
if he doesn't- she can go after walgreen's, since it happened in their lot.

cha-ching.

she DOES need to get medical attention in a bigtime hurry rthough- if only to raise the dollar amount of the medical bills part of the claim.

[Mari333]

29. no i didnt

i saw him clearly but not the plate..my attention went immediately to her, because she was screaming and i was drawn to run to her to see if she needed help. i told her to go into walgreens and tell the manager, but he came outside. i left, i hope she decided to go get medical help. I didnt wait around to see.

[Liberal_in_LA]

95. I hope a walgreen's camera caught the license plate. It makes me angry that the car drove off

[Roon]

136. I have been in a couple of situations where I needed to get a plate number

off fleeing cars. When the adrenaline is pumping it's very hard to remember the number.It was for me anyway.

[DURHAM D]

28. Walgreens will have "med-pay".

In fact, if she still has insurance on her house her homeowners insurance might be good for a "med-pay". Just talked with someone today who was riding her bike about five miles from her home and was hit by a car that drove away. Her homeowners insurance paid the $4,500 ER bill.

[Mari333]

30. wish Id known that when I spoke with her

thats a heads up for me too..!

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

63. Why don't you call the PD and have them contact her? n/t

[Mari333]

75. I am doing that this morning

thanks. I have so many option/tips on here. hugs.

[Vidar]

86. The cops are the ones that should know it & inform the victim.

[Goblinmonger]

47. I believe that in most states

if she has auto insurance with uninsured/underinsured, that would cover her, too.

[SheilaT]

31. Maybe her own car insurance will

pay under the uninsured motorist part? I'm not sure, since she was not in the car herself.

I do know, from having worked for an attorney who handled personal injury suits, it is imperative that if you're in a car accident and there's even a distant possibility that you are injured, to go to the ER. Your own car insurance will pay up to whatever amount of coverage you've opted for, and you absolutely should have about $10,000 of coverage for that (I forget exactly what this specific coverage is called and it probably goes by different names in different states). For one thing, hospitals love this because they bill your insurance directly and you will never see a bill if your ER costs are less than whatever your coverage amount is. For another, it doesn't matter if the other driver is insured because this is part of the uninsured/underinsured motorist portion of your insurance. And if you wind up with on-going health problems from the accident, and you did not go to the ER right away, be assured that the insurance company will deny all claims because you did not establish that your problems are a result of the accident.

In a car accident people worry too hard about whether or not they have medical insurance, when at that point they need to be concerned about the coverage on their auto insurance.

[jillan]

32. The ER would take her no matter what.

I just can't stand these stories :cry: :cry:

[readmoreoften]

36. She'd likely get about a $6000 bill. Sometimes people are too scared to risk it.

My partner didn't want to go to the ER last week when we thought she might have appendicitis. I'm really glad she didn't have it. I was trying to convince her to go but she was too upset about racking up debt.

[Echo In Light]

45. In that kind of situation, I say fuck the debt

[Maru Kitteh]

53. Nice thought, but since she just lost one house to fire, that might not be her best option.

I've fractured a metatarsal myself and done without treatment because I didn't have the insurance and we couldn't take the hit.

Our suck-ass system means sometimes we are left to choose between housing security and medical treatment.

[Echo In Light]

55. We've experienced the opposite re injury. I couldn't care less if the hospital doesn't get my $

[geckosfeet]

33. What did the fucking police say to her!?! Have nice day!!?? They should have

called an ambulance.

If she was hit head on by a car going 45mph I doubt she would be able to stand.

If she was sideswiped her injuries may not be as severe.

In any case - she better get to an ER asap.

[Quantess]

34. It sounds like the lady would have refused the ambulance, which is understandable.

She'd be better off hitch-hiking to Immediate Care.

[Mari333]

35. They advised her to go to ER since the injuries werent life threatening

but her arm was swollen considerably .

she refused because she said she couldnt afford it. The cop just shook his head. I think hes heard it before. ' no money, no insurance, sir, we have no money to pay for the ER'.

[rateyes]

101. She'll be in the ER soon is my bet.

[MindPilot]

118. "Advised"? When someone is hit by a car, you call medical.

If the person refuses treatment, they should be talking to an EMT not a cop when they say 'No".

A police officer is generally not qualified to determine if the person's injuries are life-threating or not. There may be serious internal injuries that may not show up for hours.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

133. An ambulance should have been dispatched when police were.

[michreject]

37. Plop

Thud and splat.

[Wednesdays]

39. K&R

:kick:

[avaistheone1]

46. I watched a couple of Oprah Shows where people were asking

Dr Oz various questions. When Dr Oz suggested to many of them that they needed to see their doctors I was surprised at how many were so candid to say on national tv that they could not because they have no health insurance.

What a disgrace in America.

[MrSlayer]

48. Don't they have to take you at the ER?

I thought they had to take you no matter what.

[Maru Kitteh]

56. You still have to pay for it. She just lost a house to fire.

That kind of debt could deny her the chance to get into another home.

[MrSlayer]

58. That's really weak.

Our system is fucked.

[Maru Kitteh]

59. It's weak as hell. That's why it has to change. n/t

[smalll]

49. The conteporary automobile does both 1) kills/maims and 2) is the "gateway" convenience that ...

allows "the state" to strip us of our hard-fought-for-rights.

Sure, when the Model-T first came out, the internal combustion engine seemed like machine/catalyst of freedom. And maybe it was, back then. But these days, it's a machine/catalyst of slavery --

you pay the gas taxes, you pay the oil companies, you pay (by legislated force) the auto insurance companies, you can't spend a night at a nice local bar without risking a DWI; if you're poor, you'll get busted for not having your kid in a Sharper Image 4-figure-cost age-appropriate child seat, you're hurtling tons of metal through space, and F=MA teaches us just how deadly this is, plus, it makes you all into sedentary un-hot fatties as you drive from parking lot to parking lot each day for at least over 2 HOURS A DAY which is the current national average --- no wonder all the youngsters (and train engineers/bus drivers) are texting away happily as they speed their death machines over the roads/tracks -- how can we blame them, really?

Also, I just read here on DU just a day or two ago about some state Supreme Court or somesuch that found, understandably, but still, that the cops have the right to surreptitiously affix a GPS monitor to your car, and follow you wherever you go.

(Realizing how this may all look from a certain perspective, let me just say, I am NOT a conspiracy theorist (eg, I Don't believe that Skill and Bones runs much of anything) -- but it is no accident, comrade, that the capitalists AND the commissars (the government) have found nothing better than the car with which to sink their claws into us -- because it is (relatively) needlessly expensive, and more importantly, when your average man gets the opportunity to catapult tons of metal across the countryside (with gallons of highly explosive fuel hidden within, like with some juicy soft candy) you can totally understand how and why the Powers That Be use the car as a lever to do their level best to make te rest of us into serfs alll over again.

[myrna minx]

77. Greetings comrade. You really need to see the new Star Trek movie.

Sincerely,

sedentary, un-hot fattie
Skull and Bones Chapter GPS Chapter

[MindPilot]

119. I get it; you hate cars, but that's some serious broad brush shit right there.

Are you trying to see how many stereotypes and generalizations you can fit into one post?

[obliviously]

51. Dog bone

Walgreen's wouldn't be my first choice for buying a dog bone.

[obliviously]

52. Hugged?

You seriously hugged a woman who had been hit by a car going 45 mph. Please do not ever help me out if I am injured!

[auntAgonist]

61. oh fer crying out loud! she HUGGED her gently

She was compassionate. She cared. So many don't.


:shrug:

Let's hope if you're ever injured someone IS there to hug/hold/commiserate/care/ whatever, let's hope someone is there for you.

She did a good deed.

that's all.

aA

[michreject]

65. You don't touch someone who's been traumatized

You could cause irreparable damage.

[Mari333]

68. I promise you it was an extremely light light hug

with merely my arm around her back as she shook .nothing dangerous. the cops were standing there as I did it. dont worry. hugs.

[arikara]

85. Que??? What a strange statement

Sometimes people walk away from things you'd never believe if you saw it happen. There are different levels and types of injury, not everything is a catastrophic spinal fracture.

[michreject]

137. Remember the old song... ankle bone is connected to the shin bone

It's not just a childs tune. I droped a piece of steel on the tip on a finger and it caused a cracked wrist along with a broken finger.

You get hit by a object moving at 45 MPH and the damage could be anywhere in your skeletal system.

[LisaL]

54. If they ever find out who did it, and the driver has car insurance,

then insurance most likely would pay for the lady to be treated. Of course they have to find the driver first.
If they do find the driver, and there is insurance, then the lady's going to the doctor would only increase the money she would get out of it.

[EFerrari]

57. USA! USA!

The last time Doug flipped out and got paranoid and violent, he stomped on my writing hand. I couldn't go to the hospital because although as a disabled guy, he had insurance, as his caregiver I had nada -- except maybe a coupla broken bones in my right hand. Sweet. It would have been easier to knit myself a new hand with one hand than to get to a doctor.

I hope someday this country won't be so hostile to human beans.

[KittyWampus]

74. I am sorry that happened to your hand and hope you can write okay with it.

[EFerrari]

82. I've always been very lucky and a fast healer. It could have been worse.

And it's ridiculous that in 2008, we don't have Medicare for everyone.

[flvegan]

60. Had you been armed...

you could've pulled your sidearm and pumped a dozen rounds into the ass-end of that car.

Seriously though, I'd like to thank you for assisting this person and helping with the report. Far too many "people" are too busy or just won't be bothered with standing up to testify. God forbid we do what we can to help folks.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

62. Uh, if her husband just got laid off he should still be eligible for health insurance...

...at a very reduced rate, if nothing else.

[Critters2]

91. COBRA isn't a reduced rate. The insured is expected to pay the full

premium that the employer paid. The only advantage to COBRA is that you can't be kept out because of pre-existing conditions. But you pay through the nose.

[Missy Vixen]

130. Actually, the current administration is now requiring the former

employer to pay 66% of one's COBRA coverage for the first nine months after being laid off. We're now taking advantage of it. It dropped the monthly premium from over $900 per month to $300.

There is some paperwork to fill out. We're having a hard time coming up with that $300, but at least now I can sleep at night and stop worrying that one of us will end up in the hospital with no way to pay for it.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

142. Thanks for listing specifics.

I don't know the exact situation of the people the OP was referring to, but it sounds like they should be applicable for this based on employment history.

[armyowalgreens]

64. I'm sure someone who's wealthy would be willing to help her out...

:sarcasm:

[whistler162]

67. My BS meter just went into full alert!

[Mari333]

71. ? nt

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

88. Not Just Yours...

There are plenty goin off right now...

[Mari333]

102. why would you say that?

why would anyone say that? call the south haven police dept and ask them . if you have a problem with my OP.

[DS1]

98. +1

[Zodiak]

106. Whistler, accusing someone on DU of lying is against the rules

So cut it the fuck out.

[WI_DEM]

70. She was hit by a car and she has an apparant injury wouldn't the cops automatically call a ambulance

I would think so. Strange if that didn't happen. Furthermore people have to become more educated about health care. Most hospitals offer programs for Uncompensated Care if people can't pay there bills. They would actually rather offer people Uncomp rather than send a bill to bad debt. With bad debt it stays on the books, with Uncomp there is a tax write-off.

[Mari333]

yes, the cops showed up and saw the swollen arm

but they didnt call an ambulance. They did advise her to go to the ER. When she called them she said "I dont think I need an ambulance". Maybe thats why. But I did think she needed to get her arm checked out.

[KittyWampus]

72. Mari, I just want to thank you for being there for that woman. So very glad you were there.

[OHDEM]

73. Thank you for what you did.

I know you probably think it's just human to stay, comfort the victim and be a witness for the authorities, but there are plently of folks out there that wouldn't be bothered. After all, that driver didn't even stop to see if he killed someone!

I'm so afraid in parking lots. I have 2 small kids and I'm always watching out for crazy people.

I hope that lady gets treatment and that scumbag gets caught.

[Name removed]

76. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Mari333]

80. not that I saw

but the guy looked high to me. I saw his face clearly. if they catch him i would be able to identify him.

[Name removed]

141. Deleted message

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[madmom]

78. The same thing almost happened to me about a month or so ago. I saw it coming though and stopped.

[FloriTexan]

79. A co-worker was hit by a car in the crosswalk outside our building...

The attorney she hired as well as the multiple doctors she had to see as a result of her injuries, told her that she had to personally pay for her medical bills. Her insurance through her work would have to seek reimbursement from the driver of the car under the automobile policy. Luckily for her the woman stopped and even more lucky for her she was able to walk away from it. It sounds like this woman was lucky to walk away from it to but she should have been able to get emergency treatment even if she had no insurance. She probably wasn't thinking clearly. My friend who was hit lot a tooth and all she could think about at the scene was that someone please find her tooth.

I hope they catch this driver. Not only will she have an insurance policy to tap but the driver is also going to face criminal charges for at least failure to stop and render aid.

[Ganja Ninja]

81. She can probably sue the store. n/t

[Fire1]

120. No she cannot.

[dugaresa]

87. 45 miles per hour is pretty fast and I am wondering how she was even standing

afterwards. most police officers would have insisted she be seen in an ER especially if her arm was so visibly swollen.

how she didn't get thrown a fair distance and receive more injuries is a miracle.

[Mari333]

89. when the car hit her

i saw her swirl around..his front end hit her hand and arm..she jumped back enough not to get hit head on but she was grazed as he went past..she was very lucky because he was gunning thru the lot. it was like he was trying to race or something which made no sense. why would anyone race in a parking lot except if they were high. thats all i can think of.
i am just glad i didnt see worse.
i have called the police this morning and given them all of the info i got on this thread. i hope they consider giving it to her.
this town is very small. small hospital and not much else.
the real issue in this, to me, is her reluctance to get help based on the fact that there Is No Form of Health Insurance out there for anyone without health insurance. nothing to take care of any of us in the same circumstances.

[dugaresa]

92. yeah i agree it is horrible that she would decline treatment

due to the fear of financially burdening her family. that is a shame.

it always seems the folks who can least afford it are the ones who have this stuff happen to them (not that anyone should have it happen)

[Parker CA]

99. No one, repeat, no one gets hit by a vehicle moving 45 mph and sustains only a swollen

arm and sore side. Said person would be thrown through the air on impact. Either the OP has the speeds WAY off, or there is something else fishy going on in this story.

[Fire1]

121. There are mandatory speed reductions near highway

construction zones of 45 miles per hour. That is not enough to send someone flying in the air.

[Politicalboi]

135. I think it was her arm

That probably hit the windshield which made her spin. Apparently she tried to avoid the car but it nailed her arm. She didn't get hit head on.

[Critters2]

90. If they get the person who hit her, his insurance should cover her

expenses. So, one can hope.

[Retired AF Dem]

132. Why do you think it was a hit and run?

No insurance, suspended, revoked or never had a drivers license.

[Critters2]

134. Good points all. nt

[rateyes]

94. She should still go to the ER.

And, when and if they find the scumbag who did that to her, may he be a man of great wealth who has to give her everything he owns, and will ever make again.

And, may he rot in jail for a fucking looooooonnnnnggggggggg time.

[derby378]

96. Have the cops found the hit-and-run driver yet?

For starters, the courts should make him pay her medical bills.

[Mari333]

97. i havent heard anything. nt

[FiveGoodMen]

103. Awful!

[mzmolly]

105. My gawd.

Horrid.

[Soylent Brice]

108. no shock here.

then there's this also:

Too broke for the ER, patients flee early

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5633141

[valerief]

114. Americans will be rafting to Cuba for real health care, if they aren't already. nt

[Enthusiast]

122. K&R, But you know what is worse

than an untreated broken arm? Socialized medicine.


Socialized medicine is worse than anything except for social security.

[Hannah Bell]

124. and cuba. health care is meaningless if you can't freely access all sites on the internet.

especially the porn.

[CraftyGal]

126. Wow! Good for you! n/t

[Politicalboi]

129. It's sad

She should also find out about property insurance from the store. It's kinda like Home Owners Insurance. It may have been on video. They may have needed speed bumps in that lot but it never got done. I'm not a sue happy person but if you have nothing to take care of your injuries then you have to do what you have to do. And if the store has insurance then they should help her. It's their property. And most of all yes she should be able to go to the hospital and recieve care for almost nothing in a perfect world.

[dflprincess]

140. The store may not own the property

but they could give her the property owner's information.

This is a fine example of how the lack of universal access to health care raises the costs of everything. We already know it raises the costs ofof goods and services and we're all paying higher liablity rates on our various auto and property insurance policies because of it.

[Fire1]

143. The only liability in this case rests with the driver. The same

if she was hit on the street. She couldn't sue the city, either.