Accident insurance makes all the difference.
My son, John Sadler, Jr., suffered a tibia/fibula fracture during his high school soccer team’s fir
st round playoff game in early May. He plays forward and was taking a shot when the goalie charged out and slid into hi
s planted foot, snapping his leg through the shin guard.
I heard the loud pop from 50 yards away and was hoping it was the plastic shin guard doing its job but…. This injury was similar to the gruesome injury suffered by the basketball player, Kevin Ware, except that John’s bone thankfully did not penetrate the skin.
Orthopedic surgeon Jeffrey Guy repaired the break with an intramedullary nail (IM) procedure where a titanium rod is inserted from the knee down the inside of the tibia to the ankle and affixed with two stabilizing screws (see his actual x-rays). Click here for a video animation of the surgery.
Dr. Guy is confident of a full recovery and return to play. The average return to activity time is a little over five months. At one and a half months post surgery, John is now walking with one crutch and actually participating in races in a summer swim league.
Here is a list of the medical bills so far, which have totaled $49,906 with a lot more to follow:
Ambulance:$554 Anesthesiologist: $7,405
Medical Supplies: $11,801
Hospital Room & Board: $1,890
Drugs: $5,319
Operating Room: $1,453
Radiology: $2,668
Crutches/wheelchair: $369
Surgeon’s Fees: $14,833
Doctors Visits: $413
Physical Therapy: $1,407
Miscellaneous: $1,794
Fortunately, we have a fantastic group Health Insurance plan and have already met our family deductible for the year. But if we didn’t have insurance or if our insurance had a large deductible or coinsurance, it would definitely be a huge problem. This is why is it critical for sports organizations to carry a quality Excess Accident policy with a high limit of coverage.
– John Sadler
