Poor Marg. She Becomes A Poster Person For Travel Insurance.
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When I think back over the last two decades, our group of skiing fanatics have been largely injury free. We are a large group of friends comprised of both Australian and British skiers. But there was Morzine.
Today our first day skiing, we vacate our Appartment Telepherique in Morzine, France. Our accommodation here in 2013 is a luxury condo with huge post card views over snow covered mountains. Our group of six skiers alight from the Telepherique Tramway. The day is a glorious blue with wisps of low thin cloud dispersed amongst the pines. As the sun rises this mist burns away as we exit the Tramway. The snow is firm pack with a centimetre or two of fresh on top.
Suddenly our day goes pear shaped within 100 metres of the tramway on a gentle slope.
Yes, there was an accident and when I say words like hip and femur, it sounds like it could be serious. It is. Our skiing friend Marg in fact has had a slight altercation with some hard packed powder. Not more than a couple of minutes from the door of the Tramway exit. She has rearranged the bones in her upper leg or hip or thereabouts. And this on her very first day skiing of our trip here in Morzine, Avoriaz, Portes du Soleil, France. In fact, her very first run right off the Tramway.
We have hired a rental car and are now underway to a hospital on the shore of Lake Geneva (which in fact is called Lake Leman) in a town called Thonon. We have decided that our very good skiing friend Marg,who has been at the mercy of the staff for a couple of days now at Hopitaux Du Lemans, Thonon Les Bains, France, needs some cheer and mirth in the hopitaux as they call it.
No more skiing for the entire trip for poor Marg. An otherwise for us, normal ski trip, covering three countries, France, Italy, and Switzerland. Skiing for a touch over 30 days at Morzine, Les Gets, Avoriaz, Champery, Courmayer, Monte Bianco, Valle Blanche, La Thuile, La Rosiere, Champoluc, Alagna, Gressoney La Trinite, Frachey and Gressoney Saint Jean. Skiing all without Marg.
Insurance is expensive when traveling, that’s for sure. But one day that policy and your insurance representative will be among your best friends. Poor Marg required attention by five ski rescue persons and a helicopter, no less. Experts all, they very carefully bundled her up, administered some drugs and whisked her away to said hospital. Never has a girl had so much male attention. She later reflected on enjoying this and some of the best drugs for her rehabilitation.
We joke about this in her private room and generally try to cheer her up. Also there is considerable discussion as to the right angle or such of the pins and what pins are where and, well a girl can never have too much jewelry, but in this case it is medical grade stainless steel. “It’s just such a shame you can’t show it off and jiggle it around,” says Marg.
The result of all this activity, unfortunately, has demanded her complete repatriation back to Oz and her vigorous removal from Morzine by that new best friend: the Insurance Company!
But seriously we are sad to see her go, and a large portion of our day is now vacant without Marg. She is now a guest of said insurance company and a very exclusive guest she is. Having an invoice that now includes a lift by helicopter and a First Class flight all the way back to Australia for her and her new best friend, her nurse. Sometimes insurance companies are your friend indeed.
Do we have any idea what the final bill was…what her insurance covered and didn’t cover? And how much her policy for the trip cost?