Hit-and-Run - Emergency Threatens Livelihood (gofundme campaign)

[MarshalGraves]

So, I realized I was pushing this in my fanfic thread, and hadn't posted it properly, on this board. I'll post it here, then.

To sum it up, I was in a hit-and-run. Got a witness and the guy's plate, filed a police report (image included in campaign). The accident, however, screwed up my neck, my car, and my ability to work. I've been playing catch-up with the bills from pretty much day one, and have repeatedly had my arse handed to me by the ongoing proceedings.

1) Other guy's insurance company, a skeezy outfit named 'Lyndon Southern', officially denied responsibility (image included in campaign). This occurred early on enough that I was forced to raise the donation cap from 2000 to 4000. I am considering another such raise, given my current situation, but feel that it would be premature before the current goal is met and this month's bills successfully warded off.
2) My lawyer has turned to filing a claim against my Uninsured Motorist coverage. There has been no response as of yet that I am aware of.
3) My neck-and-arm injury seemed, at first, to be moderate inflammation of the neck, severe trauma to the rotator cuff, but as time wore on, the arm healed, the neck was...revealed to be significantly worse. I had surgery one week ago, today, to repair a tendon in my neck attached to my right collarbone.
4) Between prescriptions, bills, and groceries, I have no money, and owe the hospital over $10,000 (NOT part of the claim). My lawyer has already advised me that my therapy bill plus his service fee of 34% means I will see little to no monetary remuneration for the injury claim.
5) I have not managed to scrape together the premium required to have my car repaired.
6) My A/C (specifically the fan) recently decided to go on a semi-permanent vacation, in a rather dramatic fashion. After checking the fuses, then the owner's manual, which, to my surprise, revealed the fan motor *has* no fuses, I am at a loss as to the cause apart from 'bad fan motor'. I cannot get down under my dashboard to check connections, nor can I pay a professional to look and see what's what, either.
7) I am either in the middle of, or hopefully getting over, a respiratory infection that may or may not have been caused by the surgery's antibiotics.

For lack of anywhere better to post this (if there is somewhere, please feel free to move it or let me know so I can move it myself), I am including this link.

Please, read all the updates for the full story. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Link: GoFundMe: Hit-and-Run Threatens Livelihood

[MarshalGraves]

(Second) First Week of Therapy

Good news, bad news. Good news first! My surgery is healing 'as expected', according to the therapist. This is good news, because there were no frowns, and I was given exercises to do. Mostly arm lifts and pushes. Do sets 'til it starts to hurt, then stop.

Apparently, the particular antibiotics I was taking for the post-op are, in fact, partially-responsible for my recent respiratory infection. They wrote a prescription for some more antibiotics, which I am a little leery of filling, not just for financial reasons, this time.

They also said that, in a couple of weeks, if my post-op therapy continues to go well, they'll discharge me of the pre-op therapy and finalize the bill with the lawyer.

That's it for the good news. Here's the bad news!

Today was apparently the last day for Allstate to respond to the claim, not last Friday. They responded. Got a call from my lawyer right as I was leaving therapy.

Allstate has requested a continuance, citing a need for more information on the claim and incident from Lyndon Southern.

My lawyer advised me that this does not mean good things, and Allstate may turn to negotiating down within the limits of my claim, meaning I would owe him and the therapist money at this point.

And bills are due at the end of the week. Yay.

[MarshalGraves]

I messed up. Bank sending angry emails, overdrafted again. Tried working. Hit a pothole, popped something in my neck.

Hurts worse. Doc took an MRI, today. Compressed disc. Yelled at me for trying to work.

Can't do this anymore. I tried. I tried, and tried. Can't help myself. Tired of begging for people to help me. Tired of people telling me I'm a leech.

Can't take it. I'm about to give up.

[classicdrogn]

Wish I could help you, MG. I'm broke as a joke too... and really not the person to try to tell anyone why it's worth persisting through hardship when I fail so completely myself. Best I can say is that there isn't anything worth dying for either.

[robkelk]

You're not a leech. You've just had a run of bad luck.

Don't give up. Please.

[classicdrogn]

Still with us, Marshal? I hope you're feeling better today.

[MarshalGraves]

I'm still here. Just been really sick. As to the cliff-edge I've been trying not to step off....

I'll just say that my relatives are all made of suck, and leave it there.

[Black Aeronaut]

Just say the word, man, and I'll see about coming to get you as soon as I can. We might not be able to get the furniture (not unless someone is willing to lend us a truck), but at least we can bring the stuff that's really important to you.

[MarshalGraves]

Missed a few updates over here. Sorry about that.

(Second) Second Week of Therapy.

Doing well. Compressed disc is not as bad as it could be. Don't need another surgery, and my tendon is still healing 'as expected'.

No word from the lawyer. I'm fairly sure Allstate is going to take this the full 30 days again.

Thanks for all your help, so far, everyone. Y'all are keeping me going.

----------
(This is Wednesday's update. Above is Monday's.)

Therapy was okay. Have me doing some exercises to stretch my neck to the point of pain, and then icepaks.

Was almost late, though. Tire was rim-on-ground flat. Roomie slapped on the spare (which was mildly flat, but that was fixed with a bike pump).

Doing as well as I can, I guess.

-----------
(Yesterday's update)
(Mental) First therapy visit.

My physical therapist told me to visit a mental therapist, and scheduled an appointment for me after yesterday's session. Today was my first session with the shrink.

Spent an hour and change discussing my feelings and the accident and the operation.

I now have a $200 prescription for Zoloft for depression.

I hate shrinks.

[hazard]

Come to the Netherlands and live here.

The health insurance is compulsory and the yearly copay is (currently) 385 euros, it usually gets shuffled around a bit. And yes, that's yearly. The insurer can't demand more from you than that. The psychotherapy and medication are also insured in full (copay terms depending on contract but never in full), but the physiotherapy is not. Well, not in the basic, legally mandated contract that all insurers are required to offer or else. About the only bad thing is that the monthly fee is about 110 euros.

And in cases like car accidents the precedent (and I think the law but IANAL and all that) is that first all medical bills are settled as they arrive and that the insurance companies have to figure out which of them is paying. And if they try to dodge that job they're going to have an amazingly bad day in court. Unless you got hit by an uninsured vehicle, in which case the driver is going to have a bad day because he's got no insurance to cover the bills you are amassing and he's going to have to pay the fine for driving an uninsured vehicle. Because that insurance is also compulsory.

[MarshalGraves]

Come to the Netherlands and live here.

The health insurance is compulsory and the yearly copay is (currently) 385 euros, it usually gets shuffled around a bit. And yes, that's yearly. The insurer can't demand more from you than that. The psychotherapy and medication are also insured in full (copay terms depending on contract but never in full), but the physiotherapy is not. Well, not in the basic, legally mandated contract that all insurers are required to offer or else. About the only bad thing is that the monthly fee is about 110 euros.

And in cases like car accidents the precedent (and I think the law but IANAL and all that) is that first all medical bills are settled as they arrive and that the insurance companies have to figure out which of them is paying. And if they try to dodge that job they're going to have an amazingly bad day in court. Unless you got hit by an uninsured vehicle, in which case the driver is going to have a bad day because he's got no insurance to cover the bills you are amassing and he's going to have to pay the fine for driving an uninsured vehicle. Because that insurance is also compulsory.

This. I like this. I wish America had this.

[robkelk]

You had at least part of it - Obamacare.

[MarshalGraves]

You had at least part of it - Obamacare.

Yes, we did. And hopefully, we'll have something more closely related to it next year, if the Blue Wave happens.

Anyway. Campaign update.

(Second) Third week of therapy

Got a good bit to unpack this time.

Had a bad weekend. Been rationing my painkillers, because it's a $150 prescription that's supposed to last two weeks. This did not go as planned, as I still hurt, so I screwed up majorly and ended up with a massive nosebleed because I drank a couple of mixed drinks (mixed with Monster, no less) while there was still oxycodone in my system. I have not yet purchased my antidepressants.

Fortunately, I avoided going to the hospital.

Therapy went well. Stretches hurt like hell, but I'm still healing 'as expected'. My pre-surgery therapy was closed out and handed off to billing, so my lawyer's going to be sending me that paperwork when he gets it, and I'll try for disability.

Financially, car note, insurance, and phone bill are all paid up. Overdrafted, but a friend helped out (thank you!) and I'm sitting pretty at 'not owing the bank money' until the rent check clears.

Legally, there is much update.

1) Lawyer called this morning. Allstate has responded, they just need a letter of affidavit from Lyndon Southern, their insured who owns the truck, and his son, the supposed driver that hit me, assuring them there is no other insurance claim or company involved (this is apparently to make sure I'm not double-dipping or committing insurance fraud), then they'll pay out.

2) Lyndon Southern has been having significant trouble getting this affidavit from their insured and his son, as they have apparently gone to ground. Payment on the policy has stopped, phone went straight to voicemail, then the number stopped working entirely, and snail mail just wastes postage.

3) Apparently, a VIN search for the truck was run in an attempt to locate the insured. The truck was found in the inventory of a used car lot, where it has been for just over three weeks.

4) According to my lawyer, Lyndon Southern is being cooperative and pro-active in the matter, because without their insured's sworn statements, Allstate can come down on them with the wrath of God when it comes time for reimbursement.

5) Lacking those affidavits, my lawyer is sending the Department of Public Safety a request for adjudication. They will send letters to the insured and his son. If there is no response within 15 days of the letters being sent, DPS will send my lawyer an affidavit that Allstate will except, in their stead. This is also, apparently, very, very bad, legally-speaking, for the insured and his son. My lawyer did not go into detail.

6) This process, if my lawyer sends DPS the letter today (which he assured me he is), will take about a month and a half. This is, however, the last step, and should see my case closed by mid-October at the latest.

7) The insured's subpoena against me is now on very shaky ground, and any chance I have of suing him directly for damages have gone the way of the dodo before my lawyer could even begin proceedings in that direction.

8) I asked my lawyer for an advance on my settlement. Unfortunately, the settlement is fully accounted for with my medical bills and the lawyer's fees.

[classicdrogn]

Well, that's at least not the worst case, right? You should be somewhere close to breaking even from the sound of things. Still not good, of course, and thank your stars for good friends. I'd help myself if I could, but words are all I have for now. Just, you know, keep at it and don't give up, because the only way to lose for good is to stay down when the universe knocks you.

[MarshalGraves]

Well, that's at least not the worst case, right? You should be somewhere close to breaking even from the sound of things. Still not good, of course, and thank your stars for good friends. I'd help myself if I could, but words are all I have for now. Just, you know, keep at it and don't give up, because the only way to lose for good is to stay down when the universe knocks you.

Unfortunately, I am not breaking even. I should probably have clarified it, but my pre-surgery therapy bills are what's covered. My surgery and resultant therapy are on me, and my car is very much still in need of repair. Allstate will fix it, and provide a rental until the repair is done, but I need to pony up the premium.

[MarshalGraves]

Therapy update.

No therapy today.

Therapy was moved from today to Friday, then three days a week again.

Had a nasty incident, yesterday. The stitches popped under the skin while I was asleep and tore open the incision, so I spent a good four hours or so bleeding internally yesterday.

Had to go to the hospital, and they had to reopen the incision completely, pull out the old stitches, and put in new ones. While they were doing that, they checked on the stitches holding my tendon together.

Apparently, they'd used inferior stitching, and wanted to make sure something else wasn't going to snap.

Good news, their mistake has led them to discount my surgery and not charge me for yesterday's visit. Bad news, they're extending my restrictions until the stitches come out. So, three to four more weeks of itchy-neck-I-can't-touch.

[classicdrogn]

A mixed blessing indeed. Still, at least they are owning up to it and providing some compensation without having to be chased into a corner about it.

[MarshalGraves]

Therapy update

Therapy went about as well as can be expected. My neck and shoulder are sore as hell, and they didn't keep me long. I can't stretch too far without pulling on the new stitches, so they had me do rotations more than anything else. Gotta keep that up through the weekend. The 'proceeding as expected' disappeared, this time.

Mental therapy was a chore. I've been crying and lethargic, and the hour I spent with the therapist felt like scrubbing a skinned knee with steel wool.

On the plus side, a friend recommended I talk to my docs about substituting my prescriptions with generics from pharmacy sites, and the shrink agreed. Still can't afford it, but it's much, much cheaper than the $200 Zoloft.

My physical therapist said 'no' and told me it's Percocet or bust, though. At least it's cheaper than Zoloft

[MarshalGraves]

(Second) Fourth week of therapy.

Long day, sorry I left this so long. Physio went about as well as it could have. Stitches are still itchy and achy, but the tendon is healing as well as expected.

No word from my lawyer, but given today was Labor Day, I didn't really expect anything. I'll hope he gets in touch with me by Wednesday.

Sent a request for documentation regarding the clinic's billing. I've been feeling paranoid lately, thinking that everyone's laughing at me. Allstate, Lyndon Southern, my lawyer, the courts...I can't shake it. I keep feeling like nothing I do is worth anything and won't amount to anything.

Sorry. I just...I'm slipping. I'm slipping and I know it. I feel lethargic all the time, I keep taking naps when I know I shouldn't. I just...meh.

[Labster]

Sent a request for documentation regarding the clinic's billing. I've been feeling paranoid lately, thinking that everyone's laughing at me. Allstate, Lyndon Southern, my lawyer, the courts...I can't shake it. I keep feeling like nothing I do is worth anything and won't amount to anything.

It sounds like you have no choice but to revolutionize the world.  The path you must take has been prepared for you.

Just a bit of a reminder that most people are fairly self-centered, and don't actually think about most other people enough to judge them.  If they do, it's fairly shallow like "he's a good bloke" or "bit of an odd duck".

Sorry about your run of bad luck, but you can't blame yourself.  Most everything is just random, and you rolled a couple crit fails in a row.  If we had more of a social safety net and less of a social safety floor, it wouldn't hurt so much to stand back up.  But American culture is obsessed with blaming the victim, and people internalize that a lot (thanks John Calvin).

[MarshalGraves]

Weird update.

No, seriously. Today was weird.

Lawyer called me, told me to go to the hospital's clinic for my therapy instead of the private clinic that's been taking care of my case.

On that side, they were confused, as they only had records from the surgery, and the request for my records from the clinic went unfulfilled. I told them what I've been doing for my neck, and they gave me some ice packs (I have ten of them, now) and sent me off. No idea on whether or not that's good.

Called my lawyer back, asked why he changed things up. The private clinic apparently sent him a receipt instead of an itemized bill.

This is apparently not what usually happens. He asked me what sort of therapy I was doing before the surgery (electrotherapy, percussive therapy, traction, and ultrasound, in varying amounts). I told him, and he told me they were trying to screw us.

He's going to be working on that while we wait for the affidavits.

[robkelk]

Sounds like you've got a decent lawyer looking out for your interests.

[hazard]

A lawyer that is (provably) not acting in the interests of his or her client will soon find themselves not a lawyer at all.

[ECSNorway]

Yes, but it sounds like the lawyer is actually being proactive and gives a damn, and is not just going through the motions to collect their fee.

Rat-bastard gone to ground and ditched the truck... that sounds to me like they know they're in serious doodoo. Are you pressing charges against them, I hope?

[MarshalGraves]

Already signed the charges the night of the accident. I like my lawyer. He's nice.