Christmas is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. For one family, the generosity of local San Diegans led to a very Merry Christmas for a teenager hurt in a bicycle accident last year.
Back in May of 2008, 15-year-old Saul Mendoza was paralyzed after being hit by two cars in a bicycle accident near his home in Escondido, California. The first car that hit him stopped, but the second car didn’t. Saul’s right leg had to be amputated at the knee, his kidney shut down and he was in a coma. Doctors didn’t think he would make it, but he came out of it paralyzed.
15-year-old Saul Rodriguez is cared for by his mother, Maria. Saul was in a bicycle accident last year and was left paralyzed. Donations from San Diegans made his family's Christmas very merry. (SOURCE: San Diego Union Tribune)
Our firm’s San Diego personal injury attorneys know that bicycle accidents and other automobile accidents can change the lives of entire families. Sometimes, the worst things can happen and bring out the best in the rest of the public. That is encouraging to a family handcuffed with the high medical bills that come with treating a person who is paralyzed.
According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, the first year in costs for paraplegia comes to about $292,000. For a quadriplegic, that number doubles. Getting those medical bills paid can be extremely difficult, and the average person may have no idea how to get those paid. Our personal injury lawyers have helpful resources that can answer some questions about getting high medical bills covered.
Saul’s mother, Maria Rodriguez, exhausted all of her family-leave benefits and eventually quit her job as a court clerk to care for her son. She contacted a foundation called HeadNorth, an organization that specializes in helping families with paraplegics. They provided her with $1,000, installed a ramp at her house and got her a van.
Yesterday (December 28), the Rodriguez family had more generosity bestowed on them by the Can’t Keep Me Down foundation, created by another paraplegic, Bobby DuCharme, who broke his neck in a surfing accident. DuCharme’s family donated a 51-inch television, clothes, linen, blankets, toys, games and holiday decorations.
Our personal injury attorneys in San Diego are always encouraged when people in horrible situations like the Rodriguez family get their problems solved … or at least a little easier to deal with. The donations don’t cure Saul Rodriguez, but at the very least, they can bring a smile to his face.
Call us now at 1-800-655-6585 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney in San Diego and find out how we can help you. We speak English and Spanish, and we look forward to providing advice for your case. No fee if no recovery.
About Michael PinesMichael Pines is a former insurance company attorney who specializes in car accident injury. While he was an insurance attorney, he learned from behind the scenes on how insurance companies work and how they decided to pay injured people. Now that he works against insurance companies, Michael's inside knowledge has resulted in significant benefits to his clients injured in car accidents.
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