What Are You Supposed to Do if You Suffer a Serious Injury Far From Home
- Mateo
- Nov 22
- 4 min read
Getting a little tired of the Florida sunshine? That’s no problem!
The Sunshine State has a lot going for it, sure. But sometimes, when that adventurous spirit of yours yearns for something new, there's really no other choice but to travel to a different location that's completely different from where you currently are.
Thinking of taking a road trip to Chicago for the 312 Comedy Festival, watching the Thanksgiving Parade, and having a wander around the Christkindlmarket for a nice cup of hot chocolate to take the chill out?
Why not get the campervan fitted out for a little road trip? Why not?
A change is as good as a rest, so they say! Y.O.L.O.
This trip might take you about a week or ten days, depending on how much driving you want to do each day. You could talk a friend into making the journey with you so you can share the driving part, the expenses (driving expenses included), get there fast, and then take it slow – but with company!
That's how the Beach Boys suggest visiting Kokomo; why not Chicago?
Imagine how much fun you will have. You can take the I-95 from Miami and make your way up through to Orlando, Atlanta, Nashville, and then onto Chicago, easy peasy. You could zip up to Illinois, and then on your way back, you can visit any sites that appeal to you on the way back.
Nothing does the soul good like an honest-to-goodness road trip, and you'll appreciate the Miami weather more upon your return!
A Turning Point
The trip so far has been fab!
You have made good time and find you are just outside Chicago and pretty ready for a good sleep, good food, and then let the festivities begin. Suddenly, the van is spinning on the road and is rolling over into the ditch. In your heart, you know this is NOT good, this is gonna change everything, and then… BLACK.
After a while…
You regain full consciousness while in an ambulance – dazed and confused, not knowing where you are or what happened – part of you takes note that your friend is right beside you, holding your hand and crying, and you cannot move, then you find yourself going back to sleep.
After what seemed like hours, you wake up from your dreams of old familiar sites of hanging out at South Miami Beach before getting ready to head out to Fontainebleau and meeting with Crokett and Tubbs? Wait, what?
What you actually hear when you wake up is the voice of your friend on the phone to someone saying they did not know what's happening yet, they are waiting for the doctor.
The doctor shares his findings, and you really cannot believe what he is saying!
Things like possible spinal cord injury, swelling on the brain, waiting for specialists, next steps, the road ahead, and we have called your parents.
Pushing Through it All
In situations like this, you get a different perspective on life, and suddenly, your priorities are different. You come to realize that you’ll have to work through all this – things like medical bills and lost income, because you cannot work. And you’ll have to push through all the stress that comes with all that (especially if your finances aren’t that great).
There'll be specialists who are explaining things to you, and it all can be overwhelming.
What you really want right now is to go home to Miami and recover. To do this, you need a medical transfer, and this entails more legal complexities, and trying to understand the laws (which, at this point, sound like a foreign language) in Illinois are different from those in Florida, and to be real, you don't care about all that, not right now, you want to go home.
At this point, you need to know more about your medical needs, financial obligations, and future costs for adapting your house to your new needs or long-term carers.
Now’s the time for your family to get expert advice from a catastrophic injury law firm Chicago residents would hire, to help you know your rights and secure the resources you need to get you back home. From a local, you got info that Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers (RIL) is a great Chicago-based law firm, so you contact them. RIL, now your Chicago Representative, can contact your Florida Representative, and the goal now is to focus on your recovery and let the professionals handle the legal burdens.
Welcome To Miami
Getting back home will help with your emotional well-being, and you can start to build a new support system:
Finding local neurologists, physiatrists, and physical therapists in South Florida.
Connecting with local support groups for spinal cord or brain injury survivors.
Seek out grief counseling and trauma therapy.
Make changes to your home to make it more accessible (ramps, wider doorways, accessible bathrooms).
Looking up adaptive sports and activities available in Florida.
Finding your new financial management of costs for resources
Most of all, focus on recovery and quality of life.
Conclusion
Things can change in a moment, a second, and all you can do is be prepared as well as you can. Once you are settled back at home, you can continue on the recovery journey and work towards well-being and healing. Expect the unexpected, and play the hand you are dealt.
With proper support, determination, and good doctors, you will come out the other end with a full and contented life.