Member Stories

I was in a serious motor vehicle accident in 1997. I suffered critical internal injuries and a severe traumatic brain injury. I received first class care and my insurer was understanding and cooperative. I was also was fortunate to have own an excellent disability insurance policy to bridge the long period of lost income, but without the rehab funding my auto insurance provided, I would not have been able to ‘start afresh’ as I did – not the same person I was, but a happy person who is grateful for what was a more compassionate insurance system.
My story is not uncommon, but the stories are changing. The current insurance maximum coverage of $50,000 minus assessment costs would either have left me in a partially recovered condition or my family would have had to suffer crippling financial hardship to finance the services needed to complete my rehabilitation.
I hear of accident victims who because of the reduction in coverage can’t afford to get well and of those who lose everything they own in the attempt. I joined the board of FAIR to help find solutions.
Serious accident victims need sufficient funding to achieve maximum recovery; insurers need to make a reasonable profit; and wherever there is fraud in the system, it must be stopped — but none of that should be at the expense of those who legitimately need to recover from any degree of injury.