How I Broke My Leg in Costa Rica & Saved $100K with Travel Insurance
3 Things You Need to Know before Your Next Trip
I inched step by step closer to the edge of a swaying red cage suspended 500 feet above solid ground. My fingers latched on to every last reachable centimeter of the steel frames.
The view out ahead was beautiful. A vast green valley in the midst of the Monteverde Cloud Forest with an infinite horizon ahead. For a moment, looking out at the view ahead, I felt free and at peace.
This feeling lasted until I glanced down at the most terrifying view 500 feet below. Death.
A sharp tingle shot up my spine and every muscle in my body tightened with fear. Deep breaths. Heart bounding. Knees shaking. Stomach-churning.
The countdown: “Five, four, three, two, one…”
I ran off the platform.
My high-pitched screams echoing across the valley as I plunged.
The Accident
But bungee jumping is not how I broke my leg. I left this terrifying adventure completely unscathed.
I broke my leg just a few hours later while riding on the back of one of the slowest moving motor vehicles on earth…a golf cart.
We were cruising down the main street in Tamarindo, Costa Rica.
A street where golf carts passing cars passing motorized scooters passing ATVs passing buses, is completely ordinary.
I was riding on the backbench of the golf cart. The spot that leaves you with no seat belt facing back to back with the driver. So for some stability and support in lieu of a seatbelt, I wrapped my right leg around the cart’s aluminum side railing.
It was a brilliant idea!
Until a powerful thrust of energy sent the friend sitting next to me off of the backbench and onto the asphalt street 20 feet ahead (she did not have the same brilliant idea). While at the same time, my body barely moved an inch, and my leg wasn’t clinging to the side railing anymore…it was dangling adjacent to it.
The piercing sounds of a crash, the smell of burnt tires, the stunned looks of the people on the streets, and the flipped ATV laying ahead of us clarified that we had an accident.
The ATV driver had made a speedy left turn in front of our cruising golf cart and nicked the edge of our cart, causing the ATV to flip. Luckily, the ATV driver was fine.
But as it turns out, my brilliant idea was not so brilliant.
I sat frozen on the backbench with a right leg that felt like it was on fire. It was burning from the inside out and a giant hammer was pounding down on it.
I had never broken a bone in my life, but it was clear that there was something out of place.
My friends quickly waved down a taxi and carried me like a baby into the backseat.
This was the start of what would become the long, painful, and enlightening journey of my broken leg.
To summarize the rest…
This journey involved a 1.5-hour ambulance ride speeding over potholes and speed bumps, while on zero pain medications. Two nights in a hospital and one surgery in Costa Rica to install an “external fabrication”, which involved a rod through my heel and drilling screws into my leg. An emergency flight back to the USA for a second surgery to install an “internal fabrication” involving 12 more screws and 2 plates. Then, lots of time sitting on my ass, crutches, a boot, and 3 months of intense physical therapy.
Ok, now for the good stuff…
This is the absolute most important lesson this journey has taught me so far:
ALWAYS PURCHASE TRAVEL HEALTH INSURANCE.
3 Things You Need to Know about Travel Health Insurance
No one thinks an accident, like breaking your leg while riding a golf cart, is going to happen to them. We forget that more often than not, life is out of our control.
In those times, travel health insurance is worth every penny.
If you’re injured during your trip, travel health insurance will save you SO much money in medical expenses. Many plans also provide extra, incredibly helpful, benefits that can make the entire journey more comfortable.
My injury was a broken Tibia & Fibia.
Treatment required two surgeries. First, an internal fabrication in Costa Rica, and second, an external fabrication in the USA. Plus a 3–6 month recovery time that included many doctor’s visits, X-Rays, and physical therapy sessions.
At the end of this journey, my travel health insurance, SafetyWing, will have covered over $100,000 USD in expenses resulting from my injury.
So again, travel insurance is worth every penny.
1. Purchasing Travel Health Insurance
There are many different travel health insurance policies out there.
Here’s the one that saved my ass:
SafetyWing
“The world’s first International Travel Medical Insurance developed to meet the needs of entrepreneurs and remote workers traveling or living abroad worldwide.”
The cost: $42 / month
At this rate, I will be seeing the ROI from one injury for the rest of my life.
Here are some of the things SafetyWing insurance covers:
- COVID-19
Surprisingly, many other travel insurances do not currently cover COVID related expenses - Hospitalization & Intensive Care
- Emergency Dental
- Physical Therapy & Chiropractic Care
- Trip Interruption
Including natural disaster or political evacuation (this came in handy at the start of the pandemic) - & more life-saving benefits (read on to #3)
Check out more here.
If you have any questions, their customer service via chat or email is a 5-Star service.
2. Always Keep Proof of Your Insurance ID On-hand
When you seek medical attention in the USA, treatment comes first, then the bill. Abroad, that’s not always the case.
When I broke my leg in Costa Rica, the ambulance and hospital would not provide any treatment until I verified payment.
So if you don’t have insurance coverage or $30,000 to hold on credit cards, it really seemed like you’d be SOL.
That’s why it’s helpful to have a copy of your travel insurance ID card handy at all times.
In Costa Rica, it saved me some serious time during some critical, painful minutes.
All you need is your membership ID number or a photo of your card saved on your phone.
The faster you can provide the details, the faster you can start treatment.
3. Know ALL of Your Benefits
Many travel health insurance plans will cover more than just medical expenses!
So if you ever find yourself on a similar journey (but I hope you don’t), make sure you’re aware of all of the benefits included in your insurance plan.
Soon after I reached the hospital in Costa Rica, a helpful friend called SafetyWing and found out my plan would provide some incredible benefits, including:
Coverage of any medical expenses related to the injury in your home country for up to 90 days after the injury
As I do not have health insurance in the USA, this benefit was a real lifesaver.
When I returned home to the USA for my second surgery, SafteyWing became my primary health insurance and covered all medical expenses related to my injury for up to 90 days!!
This included the entire cost of the surgery in the USA, doctor’s visits, physical therapy sessions, and more.
Flight back to your home country
As soon as I was fit to travel, SafetyWing purchased my flight home, and in first-class to give me extra legroom.
Nurse Rescue Mission
(That’s literally what they called it)
SafetyWing sent a nurse down to push my wheelchair and escort me during my flight home. This included transportation to and from the airport. In a stretch limo to give me extra legroom.
When you’re suffering from a broken leg, you gotta enjoy any perks you can, right?
More often than not, life is out of our control.
There are many things that I’ve been grateful for during the journey of my broken leg. Travel health insurance is certainly one of them.
When planning your next trip abroad, whether for a weekend, a couple of weeks, or a few months, do yourself a favor and purchase travel health insurance.
Required Disclaimer: This article contains a SafteyWing affiliate link. Any click may result in me receiving a commission.
