Dave’s Story: Protection for the Unexpected
For Dave, a teacher and avid cyclist, purchasing Limited Benefit Accident Insurance made sense.
“I’m on the road on my bike for a lot of miles,” he said. “That’s my preferred hobby and what I do for fun, so the chance was increased that I would have an accident.”
But despite preparing for a potential accident, Dave couldn’t have predicted what his future held.
An Unexpected Ride
In July of 2015, Dave was training to ride in the Seattle to Portland (STP), a 200-mile bike ride through Washington. He was on his way to meet a friend, pedaling down a road with a lot of hills.
“I’m going about 28 miles per hour,” Dave said. “I was in the bike lane and I heard a car coming.”
That’s when the unexpected happened. A large pickup truck suddenly crossed into the bike lane, right in front of Dave.
“I gripped the brakes as hard as I could. The physics took over when I slammed on the brakes after pedaling so hard,” Dave said. “The last thing I remember is thinking, ‘Ouch, this is going to hurt.’”
The truck that hit Dave never stopped. He was found on the side of the road and woke up to paramedics lifting him into an ambulance. As a result of the accident, Dave suffered a concussion, broken ribs, and other injuries.
A Long Recovery
It took Dave six months to recover from the accident. In addition to the ambulance ride, emergency room visit, and therapy sessions, Dave’s bicycle was destroyed in the accident. While he did receive payment from his auto insurance, the bills added up quickly.
“At that point, I was grateful I had an accident policy. The money allowed us not to worry about the other expenses that came up,” Dave said.
“I was able to go home and recover without worrying about other expenses.”
Today, Dave is retired but continues teaching when he’s needed. He encourages his fellow teachers to consider purchasing an accident policy to help financially protect themselves.
“I don’t think anyone likes being told they’re no spring chicken. I wish people would have an open mind and want to listen to what’s offered,” Dave said.
“Everything seems fine until it’s not. It could go south in a heartbeat.”
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This blog is up to date as of May 2021 and has not been updated for changes in the law, administration or current events.
