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There was a cliffstrike followed by heli rescue at ITW on Oct 15th. The jumper, Vladimir Kuzmin, ended up in Trento hospital with a broken leg and elected to undergo two non-emergency orthopedic surgeries there to repair the damage. Unfortunately he has left without paying the hospital and rescue bill, and didn't bother to make an effort to pay up since.

It has been explained to Vladimir in private that such behavior puts every jumper in Dolomites (who would, in case of an accident, invariably end up in Trento's St. Chiara hospital) at risk of not getting an urgently needed surgery - until it is prepaid. However, as of today the bill is still unpaid.

To add insult to an injury, the guy has the means to pay up - he claims to own a large travel agency that sends Russian tourists to Italy.

Local jumpers are in touch with the hospital, which is about to move the case to their legal department (doubling the bill with lawyer's cut). It would be an ideal outcome for everybody if the bill simply got paid and the case was closed. If you would like to encourage this, you may try to contact Vladimir at vlkuz@mail.ru.

bsbd!

Yuri.

Tar and feather the bastard!

Yes

+1

and then i want to see how he gets his credit card from his wallet

How much was the bill?

You would expect him to have some sort of medical insurance coverage, especially when one considers the nature & risks of the sport! What a knob! It's lousy attitudes like Vladimir's that bring negative publicity to jump sites & risks shutting them down!

what is the best thing to do if a jumper with no insurance and no ability to pay hospital bill gets injured? Obviously you are going to hospital if its bad enough (broken legs or something). So its not like you can just limp home.

It sucks he wasnt covered, but is it really that rare in the base jumping community to not be covered with insurance? I ask because most everybody I know does not have insurance (at least 90%).

Should the jumper attempt to pay off the hospital bill in payments to show good will and not taint the image of base jumping for the public???

Some people have no possibility of paying off 30k in their lifetime let alone within a few months.

I think the point of The OP was that the jumper in question has the means to pay the bill but didn't.

I personally think that even if you have no insurance you should make an attempt to pay your bill wether it is a base accident or you stubbed your toe and need a perk prescription refill. Be responsible for your own actions... That's what I say.

Maybe it is a whole lot different in other countries. I am from Canada and I buy travel insurance whenever I go anywhere out of country even if there is no BASE involved. Getting hit by a car is also really expensive, getting knifed by a tranny hooker will also cost some real money at the hospital.
Last time I was in Europe for a BASE jumping trip I bought insurance that covered BASE as long as I wasn't competing or breaking the law. It covered every possible medical requirement right down to a private air ambulance back to Canada. The cost for 14 days? Right around $70 CDN, $5 and pennies a day. To not buy that kind of insurance would be completely retarded. I would not go on BASE trips without it.
Do you not have that available where you are? Serious question as I reallt don't know what it's like in other countries.

Dave

Just like SabreDave, I too ensure to have travel insurance to cover all potential medical circumstances. It's not expensive at all & the benefits are priceless! It would be irresponsible otherwise. I'm glad the guy survived the accident, but he should make some attempt to clear his bill..

Samadhi typed: Some people have no possibility
of paying off 30k in their lifetime

Really? The average new car price in 2011
was $29,602 after rebates & promotions.

The median price for a used home runs
about $160,000 depending on the year.

Hell most people pay around $100 per
month for their 'smart' cell-telephones.

SKY & BASE jumping are luyxury items
for people with disposable income, so
children and poor people should stick
to watching televison.

Just in case anyone is confused and wants
to hate me, two things you should know:

1) I am 3rd generation poor white trash,
borrowed money for my own education,
worked during college, and paid it back.

2) When I was 21, sans health insurance,
got my face split open in a bar fight, had
to have a plastic surgeon stitch it back
together, and yes I made payments
until I paid it all back.

For fuck's sake people, we ask society to
treat us as grown ups who know what it
is we are doing and willing to face ALL of
the consequences, no matter what...

Vince Vaughn said it well in Swingers

Thats probably because you are an American. Americans don't have a culture for traveling outside their own country and don't really have a clue about these things. I would guess that at least 90% of the people I know here in Europe do have an insurance that covers base jumping.

Yes, seems to be one of the difference between the continents: I don't know a single person that does not have an insurance to pay medical bills.

personally, i would much rather have the funds for an emergency saved up, than pay any insurance agencies.
maybe in Europe, the insurance companies don't automatically deny claims, and treat the insured as a con-man rather than a customer, but this is how they operate in amerika

if i were ever injured and owing medical bills, i would pay what i could immediately, and if i still owed a balance, i would pay them off on a monthly basis until balance is cleared.
of course i dislike the idea of insurance.

And thats when you should sue them!
I thought all americans knew how your "system" works.

It's a tad bit more complex, but thats how you do it over there.

well that puts my mind to ease (regarding travel insurance!). Its much easier to cover yourself for a 2 week trip to norway or italy than cover your whole life. It costs 300-500 dollars a month and then the deductibles SUCK. Thats our "civilied and advanced" united states system!

Does the social type health insurance that Europe enjoys cover BASE jumping related injuries or do Europeans have to purchase an elective type insurance to cover special activities such as jumping?

Thanks,

John

I think there might be differences in the different countries, but for Norway everything is covered. This includes rescue by helicopters, medical treatment and physical treatment after. We also have unlimited sick days so I will get the same pay if I am unable to go to work.

When traveling to other countries in Europe the countries have an agreement saying that we get ER treatment in every country for free and then we are sent home and get the treatment decided in that country for recovery.

The big issue might be covering rescue and similar. Norway wont cover heli rescue in other countries (but some countries does it for free, some does not) or any kind of medical treatment outside of Europe. Thats why travel insurance for base jumping is still vital.

Thanks for the info. It was an honest question as I know something about the health coverage but not rescue situations, and especially "higher risk" activities.

I am very envious of Europeans and especially Norwegians. I think that alot of Europeans and especially Norwegians don't realize how lucky they are to have the luxuries they have such as free health care, 6 weeks paid time off (no matter what job), and unlimited sick time (not sure if that applies to just you or all Norwegians). Those types of things are unheard of in the US, and especially coverage for high risk activities.

Thanks again for clarifying,

John

Just for the record, affordable health insurance is out there... Look around. It should be your priority, before doing dangerous things. My plan has a high deductible, I pay up to a few thousand in a year, but after that everything is covered. I pay about $130 a month. I am sure you could get something similar, that would completely cover anything over, say, 7,000-10,000 for much less than 100 per month. I just wanted a plan that covers the major accidents, such as this one.
I hope the guy pays up, sticking the bill on the tax payers of the country he was jumping on is a good way to loose friends and piss off the general population....

Yes, Scandinavian countries enjoy a great
many benefits that we Americans don't but
it is Not free, they willingly pay higher taxes.

The nerdy part of me is always a teacher and
as such I felt it necessary to point out that the
cold weather and beautiful rock formations do
not create better public sector management,
it is the People who understand the value of
education, holiday, and healthier citizens...

I'm not a sales rep & have absolutely no vested interest, but the following info is invaluable to travelling BASE jumpers & Skydivers:

Check out "Bupa IHI" (www.ihi.com) for travel insurance. Reasonably priced & provided that you jump at legal sites then you'll be covered if things go wrong. They'll cover 100% of costs, without deductible (excess).

Also for EU citizens, be sure to get your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) from your local health department. It's free for EU citizens & will cover hospitalization within the EU. Though BUPA IHI will be an excellent complement to EHIC.

I hope that this is helpful?

Not really, http://www.basejumper.com/...rum.cgi?post=2948405.

Doh! I wasn't aware that they changed that (my annual policy doesn't expire until April). Cheers for the heads up..

That is not true in all states. In NY for example, I couldn't get anything for under several hundy / mo. In Texas (many years ago) I couldn't get anyone to cover me, period, because my occupation was a military reservist. Someone who has cancer, in many states, is utterly uninsurable (i.e. you pay for them, by higher healthcare premiums). I see people all the time who are just screwed... so $130/mo is not cheap but consider yourself extremely lucky, sir.

Man, it's annoying when people from Scandanavia make generalizations about Americans regarding travel our stupid health care system.

Also, American insurance is so complicated that it's bewildering to the point of deliberately obfuscating the issue. It's so bad and sad it's almost comedic. I had great health insurance through my parents back in the early 1990s. When I got hurt badly on a jump while on travel to the Northeast, the insurance said they only pay for coverage in the Southeast.

I am with kaiser, in California. I'm in my mid 20s, so I am sure that helps. I did have to fight to get it though, by getting doctors letters regarding past injuries saying that they won't need more attention. Anyways, bummer u couldn't get something, that sure sucks

I'm ok now. Fortunately, a version of Tricare became available for reservists, and it is affordable and comprehensive. That "evil" gub'mint run health insurance... and it definitely kicks the shit out of any civilian plan I've ever had.

Correction:
Medical care in Europe is NOT free. It is paid through taxes by those who can so that everyone can benefit, whether you paid for it or not! And it's great! You don't leave a man behind at war. Why leave them behind at home?

We pay taxes A LOT anyway, so it kinda free :D