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Alm
Ultra Nomad
   
Posts: 2745
Registered: 5-10-2011
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A record low time indeed.
One thing to remember about DAN (if it was DAN) is that they won't necessarily whisk you up to the US. As I remember from their Member's Handbook,
their obligation is to take you to "closest capable" hospital. Some others give you a choice of a destination hospital.
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dizzyspots
Senior Nomad
 
Posts: 603
Registered: 9-22-2008
Location: Mescal AZ
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Mood: rather be on the beach at Gonzaga
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SPOT satellite messenger also provides (extra cost) $100,000 medevac policy....
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pacificobob
Super Nomad
  
Posts: 2319
Registered: 4-23-2006
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medevac aircraft have a very bad safety record. many insurance carriers(aircraft insurance) require both pilots be type rated (captain qualified) and
often disallow night ops. these rules especially apply to small medevac jets.
when reading posts on this topic i always am waiting for stories of how a helo swooped out of the blue and whisked the injured party to a stateside
university medical school hospital. i would agree with the two posters who suggested either driving, or charter locally and hope to be reimbursed by
the insurance carrier.
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mtgoat666
Select Nomad
     
Posts: 19264
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Hot n spicy
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Quote: Originally posted by pacificobob  | . i would agree with the two posters who suggested either driving, or charter locally and hope to be reimbursed by the insurance carrier.
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every situation is different. really depends on the nature of the medical problem, and the location of the patient. helps to first reach out to
local medical care -- there is pretty competent medical care available in la paz and ensenada - and most air evac insurers typically wont dispatch a
plane until their docs/nurses/case managers have consulted with the local medical provider providing initial care of patient, able to vouch for
patient being stable to transport, etc.
what nomad needs is a list of competent clinics in each city, and a list of clinics to avoid (like the predatory facility in Cabo that occasionally
fleeces tourists unfortunate to need care in cabo).
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Alm
Ultra Nomad
   
Posts: 2745
Registered: 5-10-2011
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... and charters. Giving a yell to your neighbor so that he'll start calling around while you're squirming in pain, and will hopefully find a plane
with pilot within 200 miles that is ready to leave like in the incident described earlier by Pescador... Like Dirty Harry says - Do you feel lucky?
About SPOT - they are inexpensive, yes. I only remember something that wasn't quite right, like 69 years eligibility limit (don't see it now), or the
requirement to initiate the service through SOS button of SPOT - you can't just make a phone call. Never trusted email-based messaging anyway. At
least few times a year have my home emails lost or delayed for several hours.
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AKgringo
Elite Nomad
    
Posts: 6124
Registered: 9-20-2014
Location: Anchorage, AK (no mas!)
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Mood: Retireded
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I have not been able to find the thread, but I remember reading on this forum about someone getting anti venom from a medic at a military check point.
Anyone else recall that post?
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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Alm
Ultra Nomad
   
Posts: 2745
Registered: 5-10-2011
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Make a phone call, but I wouldn't count on it. I remember an incident in Vancouver BC, 2 years ago. The guy walked/crawled into emergency, fresh
from the airport from Costa Rica. Doctors at that dream retirement destination, with jungles and snakes abundant, were incapable of diagnosing a
snake bite. So he was getting worse, and his guts told him "RUN". He got on the plane some 20-30 hours later. Vancouver General Hospital had to
airlift antivenom from Seattle WA. Can't blame Canadian system, it's not like Vancouver is in tropics with snakes, but neither is Seattle. Don't know
what snake.
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
     
Posts: 15939
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
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Mood: Everchangin'
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Make a call to whom? My doctor said haul ass to the closest ER on this side of the border, unless antivenom is known available. 9 hours is a long time
to drive with venom coursing thru the veins. I guess there's no other options as phone service in central Baja is not a given.
Edit: not planning on being bitten, I just like to plan ahead.
[Edited on 6-16-2017 by woody with a view]
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Pescador
Ultra Nomad
   
Posts: 3587
Registered: 10-17-2002
Location: Baja California Sur
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Quote: Originally posted by SFandH  |
Interesting info, thanks, and the prices certainly seem reasonable.
I'm wondering why the person with the broken leg didn't get it fixed in Santa Rosalia or perhaps Guerrero Negro. | I take it that you have not visited the hospital in Santa Rosalia. We had a woman who had a car accident and they
pinned her leg. They are great for fishhooks and pregnancy, but not so good when it comes to pinning a broken leg. In two of the cases, we knew up
front that surgery was going to be required, so it was "prudent" to head for the US. One of the things we live with here is the knowledge that in a
serious emergency, it may be better to head to the states, Tijuana, or La Paz.
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TMW
Select Nomad
     
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
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For those interested here is a list of Emergency Air Evacuation companies. I just updated some of the phone numbers. Please feel free to add to it or
warn against any of them. I personally have never used any of them nor do I know of anyone who has.
Emergency Air Evacuation Companies
6/16/2017
Air-Evac International (24/7)
Chula Vista, CA, Phone 619-754-6755, Toll Free USA 888-761-2253, Mexico 001-888-276-4052
Air Ambulance Medical Transportation (24/7)
Air and Ground, 800-971-4550, International 001-941-556-6717
Angel Med Flight (24/7)
Scottsdale, AZ 844-798-3788, International 480-634-8017
Advanced Air Ambulance (24/7)
Miami, FL 800-633-3590, International 305-232-7700
Bi-national Emergency Medical Committee (24/7) U.S. and Mexico
Chula Vista, CA 619-425-5080 Note: BEMC helps in the coordination of a medical emergency
Divers Alert Network (DAN) (24/7)
Durham, NC, Emergency Hotline 919-684-9111
Non-emergencies 800-446-2671
Note: You do not need to be a diver to join DAN and use their services
[Edited on 6-17-2017 by TMW]
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Alm
Ultra Nomad
   
Posts: 2745
Registered: 5-10-2011
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Quote: Originally posted by woody with a view  | Make a call to whom? My doctor said haul ass to the closest ER on this side of the border, unless antivenom is known available. 9 hours is a long time
to drive with venom coursing thru the veins. |
A call to the closest big hospital to find if they have antivenom. La Paz, Ensenada, Tijuana. I wouldn't waste time on Sta Rosalia, their clinic is
a joke.
In 9 hours they are more likely to bring you to hospital alive than dead. There are no hard numbers, can take 6 or 60 hours to die.
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Alm
Ultra Nomad
   
Posts: 2745
Registered: 5-10-2011
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Good job, TMW.
But let's not forget that if you call a carrier directly, you'll pay $$$ out of pocket. (I doubt it will be as little as $1,200 - Pescador probably
meant a ground ambulance). To use an air evac plan, you have to call the contacts in your plan, they will call the carrier after they've received a
confirmation from your Dr and don't know what else. It takes forever.
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John M
Super Nomad
  
Posts: 1923
Registered: 9-3-2003
Location: California High Desert
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AAA plans
From AAA web-sites
Reading it, it sounded pretty good but when I saw the last line it made me wonder how to find out what those "restrictions and limitations" might be.
Travel Assistance AAA Premier members can receive Global Travel Emergency Assistance and Concierge Services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week—in the
United States or internationally—when they are on planned leisure trips 100 miles or more from the AAA Premier member’s primary residence which
include at least one overnight stay and are not more than 45 days in duration. These services are available to AAA Premier members and their spouses
and unmarried dependent children age 21 or under who are traveling with the AAA Premier member. 24-Hour Global Travel Emergency Assistance* for AAA
Premier members includes:
• Medical provider referrals, appointments and admission arrangements
• Emergency translation service arrangements
• Lost tickets and document replacement arrangements
• Prescription replacement arrangements
• Emergency medical transportation arrangements
• Emergency medical visitation arrangements
• Emergency cash transfer arrangements
• Emergency message center service.
The member must purchase AAA Premier service prior to travel departure date in order to use these services. AAA Premier membership benefits include
these services, which are service benefits and not financial benefits. Any costs associated with these services are paid by the member. *Allianz
Global Assistance Service Company is the licensed producer for this plan. Certain restrictions and limitations apply.
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motoged
Elite Nomad
    
Posts: 6481
Registered: 7-31-2006
Location: Kamloops, BC
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Mood: Gettin' Better
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Tom,
Good info....
A previous poster or two made the point that even if the air-evac plane can arrive near the patient....airport rules may well make an immediate
departure impossible....sometimes requiring a 12-24 hour turn-around wait.
This happened to friends motorcycling in Russia....three were hit by a dump truck on the wrong side of the road....each had multiple injuries....the
air rescue plane arrive within 24 hours but was not allowed to depart until the next day....the guy with a broken neck died on the plane once it was
allowed to leave....
So......whatever company anyone buys a plan from should know the fine print as to turn-around conditions and the details of the service provided.
Spot is not always effective:
On a moto ride in the backwoods of BC a few years ago, one guy crashed and was found unconscious and "blue"....after a medic rider performed CPR and
revived him, five riders each sent out a SPOT SOS....and the co-ordinates that the helicopter received were inaccurate....and it spent three hours
looking for us....it finally found us and was within 15 minutes of needing to return when they landed.
The injured rider had a punctured lung and was giving the death gurgle for 4 hours and need to be held down by three riders.
Punctured lung may have been a result of crash or CPR....rider recovered well-enough......
Insurance gives us a sense of protection....until we try to use it...
Don't believe everything you think....
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JZ
Select Nomad
     
Posts: 12039
Registered: 10-3-2003
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With as many ppl we have on here it's very surprising no one knows which service is best for Baja, where they will land, when they can land, and how
long it takes to get there and leave.
[Edited on 6-16-2017 by JZ]
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chuckie
Elite Nomad
    
Posts: 6082
Registered: 2-20-2012
Location: Kansas Prairies
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Mood: Weary
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Jizzy a lot of things on this forum are uprising...
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mtgoat666
Select Nomad
     
Posts: 19264
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Hot n spicy
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Quote: Originally posted by JZ  | With as many ppl we have on here it's very surprising no one knows which service is best for Baja, where they will land, when they can land, and how
long it takes to get there and leave. |
Jizz,
Here are the answers:
it depends
that depends
it depends
that depends
         
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pacificobob
Super Nomad
  
Posts: 2319
Registered: 4-23-2006
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again, no stories of dramatic and timely rescues from remote baja. buying insurance just feels good to some folks.
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
    
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
Member Is Offline
Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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Get stabilized locally, then head north by whatever means
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
     
Posts: 15939
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
Member Is Offline
Mood: Everchangin'
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Thanks Alm!
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