Oklahoma hospital will not charge homecoming crash victims for ER treatment
By Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton
TULSA, Okla. (Reuters) - The Oklahoma hospital that treated about 40 people after a woman driving a vehicle plowed into a crowd at a university homecoming parade last month will not bill the patients for their initial treatment, hospital officials said on Friday.
Stillwater Medical Center will cover some costs through automobile insurance claims and probably take a loss on other billing from the aftermath of the Oct. 24 crash that killed four people at the Oklahoma State University homecoming parade.
“We know this has been a very difficult time for our patients and our community,” CEO Jerry Moeller said in a statement. “We wanted to do our best to ease the minds of the victims from the tragic event.”
According to the Stillwater NewsPress, the hospital will not file claims with private health insurance providers for emergency room (ER) visits and hospital stays associated with the crash.
The hospital will work with individuals whose injuries required follow-up visits or treatment, such as physical therapy, on a one-on-one basis to either file health insurance claims or to apply for financial assistance through its foundation.
A suspect, 25-year-old Adacia Chambers, is scheduled to be back in court on Dec. 10 to face charges including second-degree murder.
(Reporting by Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton; Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Andrew Hay)
