In 2012, I survived a life-altering crash. My crash — caused by a presumably drunk driver who was on the way home from a football game — broke my leg in two places, fractured and displaced my pelvis, broke my thumb, and knocked out three of my teeth.
The first night in the hospital alone cost more than $25,000 – I spent 29 days there. Since that day in 2012, I’ve had six orthopedic surgeries, four dental surgeries, dental implants, and over a decade of physical therapy.
In my case, I had elective underinsured driver coverage of $300,000. After all claims and accounting for more than $100,000 my health insurer clawed back, I received a total of about $180,000. It covered my immediate bills (about a year late), but not my lifelong costs as a permanently disabled person.
In a rare experience, the driver who hit me was prosecuted for “leaving after colliding with personal injury.” He faced the maximum sentence: $1,100 in fines and a year of supervised probation.
My experience has led me to advocate for stronger protections for victims of traffic violence, and especially to improve road safety and increase insurance coverage through the D.C. Council’s proposed Motor Vehicle Insurance Modernization Act.