Washington Case Highlights Dangers of Insurance Company Obstacles
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer ran a story this week about a Washington woman whose story, though more dramatic than many, may be representative of a much more common practice in the insurance industry.
Tara Sadler sustained a serious injury in a minor car accident: although the vehicles never made contact, her head snapped back, leading to a compressed spinal cord. Her doctors said she needed surgery immediately, but State Farm, the insurance carrier, said no--they wanted their own doctor to determine whether the surgery was necessary. That might not be unreasonable, but the fact that they scheduled the appointment for more than a month in the future, knowing that Sadler's doctors considered the surgery urgent, certainly was.
In the end, State Farm's doctors decided that the surgery was necessary, and the company made payment, but only after Sadler's condition had deteriorated to the point that she now uses a wheelchair to get around and has lost much of the use of her right arm and leg permanantly.