From Cyclingnews.com: cyclist needs help

[Lou D'Amelio]

Below cut and pasted from cyclingnews.com - I don't have any personal
connection to this person or incident, but this kind of thing could
happen to any of us so I thought I should pass it along. Puts things in
perspective - if you have a minute and a couple of spare bucks, think
about supporting one of our own. A hell of a lot more important than
this morass of doping news that's taking our sport down currently.
*******************************************************************************************************
Critically injured cyclist needs support
By Mark Zalewski, North American Editor

Bret Neylon (Heroes Foundation Cycling Team), a middle school history
teacher and running coach from Brownsburg, Indiana, crashed while
racing at the Summer Solstice road race in Wilmington, Ohio. Nylon, 39,
suffered a fractured C3 vertebra causing him to lose all feeling from
the shoulders down. Surgery was performed to fuse the C3 and C4
vertebrae and a plate was placed on the break to stabilise the bone.

The crash occurred during the finish sprint in front of Neylon, giving
him no place to go. He was thrown from his bike and landed on his head.
Friend and fellow cyclist Brent Dawes was the first on the scene. "He
had a look on his face and a fear in his eyes, and he was just gasping
for air," Dawes told the Indianapolis Star. "He kept saying, 'I can't
move. I can't move.' That memory has been really hard for me."

While he is still in critical condition at hospital in Dayton, Ohio,
Neylon has been making some steady progress - breathing for
increasingly longer periods without the assistance of a ventilator and
beginning physical therapy. Doctors are still unsure of the long-term
prognosis at this time.

However, Neylon now needs to be moved to a special facility in Atlanta
to begin his rehabilitation, with the transportation costs of almost
$8,000 needed to be paid up front. A special support fund has been
established and can currently cover about half of the transportation
cost. For more information or to make an online donation, visit
www.morristrucking.com/race/race.html
********************************************************************************************************

Lou D'Amelio

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, Lou
D'Amelio ('[email protected]') wrote:

> Below cut and pasted from cyclingnews.com - I don't have any personal
> connection to this person or incident, but this kind of thing could
> happen to any of us so I thought I should pass it along. Puts things in
> perspective - if you have a minute and a couple of spare bucks, think
> about supporting one of our own. A hell of a lot more important than
> this morass of doping news that's taking our sport down currently.
>
*******************************************************************************************************
> Critically injured cyclist needs support
> By Mark Zalewski, North American Editor
>
> Bret Neylon (Heroes Foundation Cycling Team), a middle school history
> teacher and running coach from Brownsburg, Indiana, crashed while
> racing at the Summer Solstice road race in Wilmington, Ohio. Nylon, 39,
> suffered a fractured C3 vertebra causing him to lose all feeling from
> the shoulders down. Surgery was performed to fuse the C3 and C4
> vertebrae and a plate was placed on the break to stabilise the bone.

Ouch! I've smashed both T5 and T12 in separate crashes, but C3 sounds
nasty.

This is just one more of those times when I'm jolly bloody grateful for
the National Health Service.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

Tony Blair's epitaph, #1: Tony Blair lies here.
Tony Blair's epitaph, #2: Trust me.

 

[Jay S. Hill]

Lou D'Amelio wrote:
> ...from cyclingnews.com
....
> Critically injured cyclist needs support
> By Mark Zalewski, North American Editor
>
> However, Neylon now needs to be moved to a special facility in Atlanta
> to begin his rehabilitation, with the transportation costs...

So this isn't covered in the race insurance?

 

[[email protected]]

Is this another case of an individual who decided bike racing is a high
priority, but health insurance is not? Sorry, but I've known so many of
them.


Lou D'Amelio wrote:
> Below cut and pasted from cyclingnews.com - I don't have any personal
> connection to this person or incident, but this kind of thing could
> happen to any of us so I thought I should pass it along. Puts things in
> perspective - if you have a minute and a couple of spare bucks, think
> about supporting one of our own. A hell of a lot more important than
> this morass of doping news that's taking our sport down currently.
> *******************************************************************************************************
> Critically injured cyclist needs support
> By Mark Zalewski, North American Editor
>
> Bret Neylon (Heroes Foundation Cycling Team), a middle school history
> teacher and running coach from Brownsburg, Indiana, crashed while
> racing at the Summer Solstice road race in Wilmington, Ohio. Nylon, 39,
> suffered a fractured C3 vertebra causing him to lose all feeling from
> the shoulders down. Surgery was performed to fuse the C3 and C4
> vertebrae and a plate was placed on the break to stabilise the bone.
>
> The crash occurred during the finish sprint in front of Neylon, giving
> him no place to go. He was thrown from his bike and landed on his head.
> Friend and fellow cyclist Brent Dawes was the first on the scene. "He
> had a look on his face and a fear in his eyes, and he was just gasping
> for air," Dawes told the Indianapolis Star. "He kept saying, 'I can't
> move. I can't move.' That memory has been really hard for me."
>
> While he is still in critical condition at hospital in Dayton, Ohio,
> Neylon has been making some steady progress - breathing for
> increasingly longer periods without the assistance of a ventilator and
> beginning physical therapy. Doctors are still unsure of the long-term
> prognosis at this time.
>
> However, Neylon now needs to be moved to a special facility in Atlanta
> to begin his rehabilitation, with the transportation costs of almost
> $8,000 needed to be paid up front. A special support fund has been
> established and can currently cover about half of the transportation
> cost. For more information or to make an online donation, visit
> www.morristrucking.com/race/race.html
> ********************************************************************************************************
>
> Lou D'Amelio

 

[Lou D'Amelio]

Pretty unkind - it says he's a middle school teacher, so he probably
has health insurance. Quadriplegia has lifetime costs of care in the
millions per individual, and most health insurance policies have enough
loopholes in them or caps well below the costs he will incur. Most
people with quadriplegia wind up on Medicaid/Medicare in the long-term.
This will spell financial ruin for him and his family in addition to
what is possibly the worst hell for anyone to bear - permanently
immobile. And no, race insurance doesn't cover this.

Karma, my friend. This poor guy is in a wheelchair for the rest of his
life. Could happen to any of us.

Lou D'Amelio

 

[Jim S]

Health insurance - even very good plans - don't cover transpotation like an
air ambulance - up front. I suspect this guy has insurance - just not the
cash to pay for this.


"Lou D'Amelio" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Pretty unkind - it says he's a middle school teacher, so he probably
> has health insurance. Quadriplegia has lifetime costs of care in the
> millions per individual, and most health insurance policies have enough
> loopholes in them or caps well below the costs he will incur. Most
> people with quadriplegia wind up on Medicaid/Medicare in the long-term.
> This will spell financial ruin for him and his family in addition to
> what is possibly the worst hell for anyone to bear - permanently
> immobile. And no, race insurance doesn't cover this.
>
> Karma, my friend. This poor guy is in a wheelchair for the rest of his
> life. Could happen to any of us.
>
> Lou D'Amelio
>

 

[Wayne Pein]

Lou D'Amelio wrote:

> Pretty unkind - it says he's a middle school teacher, so he probably
> has health insurance. Quadriplegia has


Is it certain that quadriplegia is a permanent outcome for him? It is
possible that he doesn't have a sever of the cord but some compression
that may dissipate with time?

Wayne

 

[Lou D'Amelio]

You're right - there weren't enough details in the article to make that
prognosis absolute for this poor guy although is was clear he was
quadriplegic shortly after injury and it is a strong possibility. There
are circumstances where people recover some function after cord
contusions, epidural hematomas, etc. The poster above who states that
many health insurance policies don't cover many transportation costs is
correct.

The main bug up my ass just has to do with the unkind (and likely
incorrect) assumption that the injured rider, employed in what I
consider to be a noble profession, negligently and willingly did not
have health insurance. And, as I stated, this could happen to any of us
(or at least those of us who actually ride and race our bikes).

Enough from me. I was just trying to pass the word for this unfortunate
guy .................and yes, I did make a donation myself.

Lou D'Amelio