December of “last year” saw some tragic events where lives were lost and there were also some close calls. While we have covered these events extensively, there have been other newsworthy items too on which we focus here.
Huge Insurance Claim involving Air Ambulance Passed
This happened in New Zealand where a whopping claim of $537,000 was approved by Southern Cross Travel Insurance. The claim involved rescue through air ambulance services from Kenya where the patient was suffering from encephalitis. The claim is the second biggest processed by the insurance company. The biggest claim passed was in 2009 where $1 million was paid. Historically, most of the high payouts by this insurance company have involved air ambulance evacuations internationally.
Best Efforts by Air Ambulance Services Fall Short in Saving a Young Life
Drew Jacobson was only 16. In the beginning of December, he suddenly collapsed during basketball. The young boy was immediately transferred to intensive care at the Des Moines hospital. The evacuation was done on time utilizing air ambulance services. The young boy’s loss of life was attributed to congestive heart failure.
Young Girl Transferred to Vancouver via Air Ambulance after MVA
The 11-year-old girl was a passenger in a overcrowded vehicle that crashed near Merritt. The vehicle lost control in the snowy driving conditions and crashed heavily, ejecting the girl out of the vehicle. She was immediately transferred to Kamloops and then to Vancouver via air ambulance for treatment. No lives were lost in the incident.
Air ambulance Accreditation Pioneer Honored
Eileen Frazer who is the executive director of Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems was awarded with Airbus Helicopters Golden Hour Award for her contribution to the air ambulance industry. Her endeavor at establishing an independent accreditation body for air ambulance industry had given birth to CAMTS in 1989. Today, the organization offers accreditation services in six countries.
