Posted on 07/07/2008 9:12:19 PM PDT by Graybeard58
Motorcycle wreck that caused injuries, amputation also has Bartonville couple struggling to pay the bills
BARTONVILLE —
Since coming home from a nearly two-week hospital stay following a motorcycle accident, Thom and Pam Royster have spent most of each day in their bedroom, where they lie in comfortable darkness, surrounded by motorcycle memorabilia.
They grimace when pain strikes. They console each other. They try to stay optimistic.
Losing hope amid the compounding worries that have impinged their lives since the accident would be destructive.
"We have to (be optimistic)," Pam, 41, said recently. "If I'm not confident, things will be worse."
On the evening of June 21, a car crashed into the side of Thom's '74 Harley-Davidson Sportster. They are now, for most purposes, bed-ridden.
Doctors amputated Thom's left leg below the knee. They inserted a rod into Pam's left leg to support her fractured femur and stitched closed her deep road wounds.
The injuries, which will keep them from standing for months and top a long list of trauma, are the beginning of their problems.
The driver of the car, Mindy M. Hash, 34, of Bartonville, did not have insurance. She was ticketed with operating an uninsured motor vehicle and failure to yield.
The Roysters only had liability insurance.
What's worse, the couple does not have health insurance or disability insurance.
"Our main concern is losing the house," the split-level at 6105 S. Adams St. where the Roysters and their three children - ages 15, 17 and 19 - have lived for a decade, Pam said.
Accident and aftermath
On June 21, Pam was riding with her husband of 10 years as he drove drove west on Garfield Avenue. The couple were on their way to the Splash Carnival at Alpha Park in Bartonville when a Buick LeSabre turned from LaFayette Avenue and hit them.
"Unfortunately, I was awake through it all," Thom said. "By the time I stopped and rolled off the bike, I look back and she's about 10, 15 feet behind me just laying there not moving . . . I look down, I see my leg, and I got a couple tendons holding the bone, which had my sock and shoe on it."
Pam spent 13 days at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, three of them in intensive care. Thom's stay was one day less. While at the hospital, both lost their jobs.
Thom was in training at Caterpillar Inc., which days after the accident sent him a letter that read, "Sorry to hear about your accident. As a supplemental employee, you are not eligible for disability benefits or leave of absence."
And Pam, a temporary worker, was replaced at Kirby Risk Electrical Supply.
While their income has ceased, the medical bills, the mortgage, utility bills and food costs still are mounting.
"My mom has been calling around to different churches, this and that, for helping hands," Thom said, but they haven't received a response.
"Frankly, we're somewhat at a standstill, really. We don't know what to do next," he said.
Help is limited
Family and friends have offered help, especially in acquiring materials to build a ramp to the front door - much needed, as Pam spent 35 minutes moving from the driveway to her bedroom Friday morning when she was released from the hospital. But they haven't received all the materials and they don't know how to build it.
"Until we get someone who even knows how to put something into this place, because of the shortness of the lot and height of the yard, nobody knows what to do," said Peggy Royster, Thom's mother.
And their families can offer limited help in paying for essentials, such as electricity and food.
"I just borrowed $74 (Friday) just to get my prescriptions from my mother-in-law," Pam said.
"We've never been rich, by no means, but we've always paid our bills."
The couple has applied for Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, which could help. They've also applied for a medical card, which could pay for the estimated $200,000 hospital bill they've accumulated so far. Their approval status for both won't be known for months.
Along with financial hardship, weighing equally on their minds are the aspects of life that will be lost or delayed because of the accident: Things like fishing with the kids, working for themselves and riding the Harley.
That's something that may never happen again, they said, regardless of the love for the freedom they felt while riding.
"It's going to take us a while to get over this," Pam said. "And me, I don't even know if I can get back on a bike again. I have that fear. And I love riding, and to me, that's taking part of my life away - the fear."
How about this stupid idea: make insurance mandatory and stick-it to policy holders. Government and insurance companies in bed together. Call 1-800-General now!
And flood insurance for houses in floodplains?
...shakes head...
INFRACTION.....
“And flood insurance for houses in floodplains?”
Absolutely.
Here in St. Louis, the same bunch of retarded river rats is allowed to slink back into their hovels-on-stilts every year, because even if they can’t or won’t carry insurance, the idiotic federal government will bail them out.
If you can’t get jail time how about getting an hour with a sledge hammer and a chain saw, and maybe the jaws of life to bust up some of the offender’s stuff.
Makes sense.
Is this a Chinese proverb? ;^)
I was thinking with today's technology one might swipe a card (proving insurance is current) at the pump and receive a discount on the price paid.
Outstanding idea! I'm trying to think of a drawback, but can't come up with one.
Sometimes utility companies have funds for things like this. Mine has a program called “operation roundup” - if you consent, they round up the bill to the nearest dollar. When a family has a one time tragic event, like a fire or cancer, they become eligible for a payment that may help with things like a mortgage or medical equipment.
Prayers up. I have a new Sportster that I bought mostly to ride back and forth to work. I’ve been riding bikes all my life and have a respect for both them and the rules of the road. As a bike rider, extreme defensive driving is a necessity. And for those on here looking for responsibility, I have full insurance on all 3 out of 5 vehicles that I own. The other 2 are liability only as they are both over 15 years old and are not “classics”. I also have work insurance that is paid for by me. Insurance on vehicles and family health alone cost me over $125 a week and this is in an area where premiums are less expensive than in many places of the country. But I definitely do not want to see socialized health care! I do believe that vehicle insurance should be mandatory everywhere to receive a license ... if you’re driving on the road, you put more than yourself in possible danger.
I’m not, plus I’m throwing the BS flags on this story
1.) Insured Illinois drivers already pay an uninsured/under-insured motorist premium to cover for irresponsible drivers, such as Ms. Hash.
This is a tragedy of their own making.
2.) They only carried liability on the motorcycle.
3.) They hold home mortgage without disability insurance.
Reminds me of the life insurance axiom: Make your death a REAL tragedy, die without life insurance.
Cheers,
OLA
You have uncommon wisdom!
Hooligan ping . . .
This is why I carry a truckload of insurance. Sure, the money could be spent on other “fun” things. If you cross paths with an irresponsible individual you’d best be prepared to deal with the outcome.
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst . . .
Prayers for the wounded bikers, Thom and Pam Royster. Financial ruin for Mindy M. Hash.
As a biker of 35+ years, I am in complete agreement with you.
This is sad, but they didn't have to ride a motorcycle without insurance. They gambled and lost. Why are we supposed to fund others' gambling losses?
My dad was a supplemental worker at Cat for awhile. They explain the arrangement up front, including what benefits you are and are not eligible for.
This is clearly President Bush’s fault. If it weren’t for the high gas prices these folks wouldn’t have been taking such risks to save gas!
(Is a sarc tag really needed?)
Yes...
L
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