Assist America in Action

*all names have been changed for privacy

Family Tragedy in Four Corners

Martin*, his wife and two young sons made a tragic car trip down a highway in Colorado, nearly 500 miles away from his hometown in Texas.  The vehicle suddenly went out of control, careening off the road for 200 feet, hitting a post and then continuing back onto the roadway where it spun around several times and rolled more than 70 feet, striking the top of another passenger car before coming to rest on the shoulder.  Martin and his 9 year old son were killed in the accident; his wife and 6 year old son were both injured and taken to a hospital in Four Corners, Colorado. 

As soon as Assist America received the notification phone call, we began monitoring the hospitalized patients.  The 6 year old son was quickly able to be released into the care of his aunt, who had flown in from across the country.  The wife had severe injuries though, and together with her treating medical team Assist America determined that she would require a lengthy hospital stay and rehabilitation. We arranged air ambulance transport to a hospital in Texas so that she could recuperate closer to home.  At the family’s request, her son was allowed to travel together with her in the air ambulance.

Simultaneously while handling the details of care for the wife and son, Assist America arranged for the preparations and transport of the remains of the deceased employee and his son back to El Paso.   We also forwarded the death certificates of Martin and his son to family and the embassy in Manila, Philippines, to enable family members there to obtain emergency visas to travel to the U.S. for the funeral.

Mishap in Mexico City

Marcus*, rushing for his return flight home from Mexico City, slipped and fell at the airport, wrenching his knee with a cry of pain. Medical staff at the airport evaluated his condition and recommended that he seek immediate treatment for his injury. 

Marcus’ coworker called Assist America to alert us to the situation. Within minutes, Marcus had a referral and transport to the best local advanced-care medical facility for evaluation.  He was admitted to the hospital as a patient without delay and underwent surgical repair for a fractured knee.  Assist America’s team monitored his progress and care throughout his stay.

Upon discharge, Marcus was not strong enough to handle the rigors of travel alone.  Assist America arranged for a non-medical escort to accompany him in first class commercial airline seating to ensure enough room for leg extension.  Upon arrival to the U.S., Marcus found waiting ground transportation at the airport to take them home, courtesy of Assist America.

Big Problem in Big Sky Country

John*, a 46-year-old long distance trucker, was driving through Billings, Montana, when he fell ill with acute pneumonia and septic shock from a leg infection. He sought care at a local hospital and was admitted for treatment. His sister called Assist America to inform us of his situation, and we immediately began medical monitoring. After nearly a week of hospitalization, our medical team in consultation with the treating physician determined that John was recuperating well and ready to return home to Wisconsin.

But there were considerable logistical difficulties in repatriating him, not only because he was non-ambulatory, but he also had a weight of 550 pounds and girth of 76 inches. No commercial airline or standard air ambulance would be able to accommodate a person of his size. But Assist America came to the rescue! Only because of our vast network of resources, we were able to find an oversized air ambulance that could be specially configured to fit the patient safely. John was loaded through the cargo doors of the plane, flown to Wisconsin with a medical escort and transported via special vehicle to his home without any incident or complication.

Shark Attack in Hawaii

It was spring when the Assist America Operations Center fielded one of its many daily calls.  This time, it was Lauren*, the wife of a scuba diver covered by Assist America.  She reported in to tell us that her husband, Harry, a 45-year-old engineer, had been “free diving” (without using oxygen gear) on their Maui vacation together when he disappeared.  The next day, a kayaking guide near a popular dive spot discovered human remains along with flippers and a mask floating in the water.  Authorities also recovered an identifying necklace nearby that unfortunately pointed to Harry’s demise.  The body was badly ravaged by a shark or sharks, indicating that the victim had either been attacked while alive or had became unconscious and later fed upon by the animals.  In fact, only the lower half of the body was found.   

What bodily remains that could be recovered were taken to a local DNA lab for testing, a process that lasted several weeks.  In the meantime, Lauren discovered her husband’s Assist America card and called us.  Eventually, the test results revealed conclusively that the remains were Harry’s.  Assist America worked with authorities to have the body released to a local funeral home, cremated and returned to California.  Lauren, who was obviously very distressed, was extremely thankful for our help with this traumatic situation.  

Diver Evacuation in Micronesia

A dive boat captain in Chuuk, Micronesia, called Assist America, advising us that he had a diver, Tom*, onboard who was showing signs of decompression sickness (DCS).  Tom had successfully completed his initial dive and was waiting to perform his second when he began to complain of a rash.  Medical personnel on the boat advised him not to dive again.

Tom made the second dive against their advice, and upon surfacing developed additional symptoms of DCS:  tingling arms, numb face and increased spread of the rash.  The medical team placed him on continuous oxygen and monitored his condition as the boat rushed back to port. The captain told us that he had called and learned that the local decompression chamber was closed for the day; he did not know what to do.

Immediately, Assist America called the owner of the decompression facility and was told that the center operator was out of town and not due back for a few days, and that besides, the generator for the facility was not functioning.  The emergency was becoming more serious and complicated, and we knew that the Tom would have to be evacuated quickly.

Our Medical Director swiftly identified the closest hyperbaric chamber, which was located on the island of Guam.  We told the captain that medical responders were on their way to take Tom to the closest airport with lights, approximately 20 minutes from the dock.  Within a very short amount of time, Assist America evacuated Tom via ground ambulance to the airport, and then via air ambulance with a medical team and another ground ambulance to the facility in Guam. We also prearranged his admittance to the emergency room.

The hospital recommended that Tom receive three decompression chamber treatments over a few days, and then wait three days before flying.  Assist America monitored his condition and progress during his stay on the island, and when he was well enough, arranged for him to fly home via commercial carrier. 

Anxious in Acapulco

The president of a mid-sized software company called Assist America from Acapulco with a very unusual situation.  The company had asked one of its employees, Sara*, to perform a skydiving stunt, jumping from a plane and landing on the beach to deliver prizes to her coworkers.  During the dive, she was blown off course by a gust of wind and crashed into the rocks below.  The president was very upset and knew he had an obligation to care for her, but didn’t know what to do.

Sara had suffered multiple traumatic injuries to her lower extremities and was slated for surgery.  Assist America’s medical director consulted with her treating doctors, making sure she received the best of care throughout her hospital stay.  Following the successful procedure, it was clear Sara would need weeks of rehabilitation, and the treating doctors recommended that she should be closer to home.  Assist America advised that because Sara could not bear weight on her legs (neither sit, stand nor move on her own), she could not fly via commercial airline.  We arranged for her to be transported by air ambulance to a top rehabilitation facility near her home town, and secured a bed for her there.  She arrived without incident and made a full recovery.