Crash victim booted from hospital, opts for pot
Ron Ledford, an American who survived the plane crash this week at Schiphol airport helped crash victims out of the plane and walked to the nearest hospital. As you may have read, it took the emergency services some 40 minutes to get to the crash for whatever reason.
When the emergency services finally arrived, the man decided to walk to the Lucas Andreas hospital to have himself checked out. He was asked to pay 250 euro for the visit, and since he didn’t have it on him, he claims to have gone to a coffeeshop to ‘self-medicate’.
The hospital is looking into this incident and says it will issue a statement. I should bloodly hope so. Amsterdam’s local TV station AT5 met Ron Ledford at a shop downtown where he was being fitted with a free new outfit, thanks to a shop owner who met him and obviously cared about his story (unlike the hospital). He was then brought for more help to the police.
(Link: at5.nl, Photo by flickr.com user Radio Nederland Wereldomroep, some rights reserved.)
On a vacation in the Netherlands in 1993, I had a bicycle accident in Haarlem in 1993. My girlfriend hurt her arm. We had cycled from Amsterdam to Volendam, Enkhuizen, then taken the bicycles on the train to Den Helder and cycled south along the cost to Haarlem.
To a person – from the neighbors who asked us to come sit in their home, and the ambulance that took us to the hospital, and the police who collected our bicycles and the doctor at the hospital, we could not have felt better cared for as guests in the Netherlands.
The police chief picked us up as we walked from the hospital to the police station to get our bikes and he asked us about out plan. We said we would take the bikes to Amsterdam on the train. Instead, to my amazement, one of his officers offered to drive us there. We had a wonderful conversation on the drive about America and the Netherlands, retirement, how health care is financed, and what programs were available to help immigrants become members of society. His father had fled Germany in the 30s and the Dutch had helped him make a home. The officer did the same for new immigrants.
So if in this case, the hospital did not do its best work realize that at other times, the Netherlands shines like a beacon in a dark world.
I was the one in this article. My name is Ron Ledford and I am still fighting to get the help I need! My neck is messed up, and Boeing thinks I am lying about it! I have 2 Separate MRI’s done two years apart showing the same injuries as after the crash. Multiple doctors saying that this was caused by the plane crash. And they still won’t allow me to seek medical attention unless I sue them and win!
Good to hear from you Ron, and sad that it is with such bad news. I hope you finally get the care you deserve. Don’t hesitate to enter our article into your dossier if you feel that might help.
Mr Ledford,
We have tried to contact you but we did not succeed.
The Public Health Service (GGD Kennemerland) would like to contact you once again. We will check whether you have any remaining questions three years after.
We have tried to contact you, but we did not succeed.
Will you please sent us an e-mail with some information to call or mail you? epi@ggdkennemerland.nl
Public Health Service (GGD) Kennemerland