California mom faces $70k debt after emergency trip for infant burns

Source: https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1955408927363043618
Published: Aug 14, 2025
Author: Horse
Post Date: 2025-08-14 06:14:43 by Horse
Views: 440

Collin Rugg @CollinRugg

Mother left with a ~$70,000 bill for a 15-minute trip to the emergency room for her 6-month-old son.

Absolutely insane.

CA woman Jessica Farwell says she was forced by doctors to put her son in a helicopter, which ended up costing $90,000.

The insanity doesn't end there.

After the 15-minute helicopter ride, which was deemed necessary by the doctors because the hospital Farwell went to didn't have a burn unit, she was forced to put her son in an ambulance to get him from the helipad to the hospital.

This was a 0.3-mile ride that they charged $10,200 for.

The son, Brody, was treated with second-degree burns and was discharged the next day.

The entire ordeal came to over $100,000.

"You look at the bills, and it's absolutely enraging. We got hit for a $600 waiting fee... there's a fee for it being a nighttime service... there's just every single fee you can think of!" the mother said to ABC 7.

Farwell said she was promised by doctors that her insurance would cover the costs. They didn't initially.

At first, her insurance wouldn't even cover half of the bill, meaning she would owe nearly $70,000.

"I've called the hospital, ambulance company, my insurance numerous times. It's been three years and then they wouldn't listen to me or talk to me. They just kept giving me the runaround..." she said.

It wasn't until Farwell went public with ABC 7 that the insurance company finally gave in and waived the fees.

Video: ABC 7.

Watch https://x.com/i/status/1955408927363043618


Poster Comment:

"The first casualty of war is truth." -- Rudyard Kipling

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#1: BTP Holdings    To: Horse (#0)

This makes me wonder how much they charged those who were injured on the bus trip home to Chicago in a construction zone who were evacuated by helicopter and ambulance.

They sent amblances from as far away as Cleveland. One guy when the excitement was over, he sat down next to a guard rail and went into shock. I hollered, "We got a man down over here!"

A Medic came over and put an IV in his arm. I was on the other side of the guard rail. I stuck my hand in the air and the Medic put the IV bag in my hand. That was Ivan. He got the good looking nurse in the ambulance.

The bus driver was pinned in the wreck for an hour. When they got him out he gave us "thumb up" and we all cheered. We found out later he lost both legs at the knee.

That was the road trip from hell after Woodstock 94. :-/

BTP Holdings posted on 2025-08-17 17:57:18   Reply   Private Reply