The Scout motto is “Be Prepared.” As a former Scout leader, and an estate planning attorney, I spend much of my time helping others to prepare for life’s unexpected events, like accidents, illness and death, and dealing with their aftermath. I am a vocal advocate for having college students sign health care and financial powers of attorney before going off to college, so that their parents can continue to help them with unexpected life events. I work with seniors to ensure they have similar documents in place in case of future diminished capacity, severe illness or disability. A few years ago, I added one more life situation to my list – the “accident.”
Our family has long been backpacking enthusiasts. In the spring of 2019, my husband and son went backpacking on the Pacific Crest Trail. The trail was icy and unfortunately my husband slipped, tumbling about 175 feet down the side of a mountain. Fortunately he survived, but he suffered significant injuries. I am eternally grateful to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Idyllwild Fire Department, and the Desert Regional Medical Center for their life saving work.
To put it mildly, his fall changed our lives. He was unable to work for months and had several surgeries over the next 18 months. I missed work (and sleep) to provide care, schedule and take him to medical appointments, obtain special equipment, etc. We received shockingly high medical bills for his rescue, emergency treatment and surgeries. Despite all of this, many things went right.
First, before his fall he had signed an Advance Health Care Directive, a HIPAA release and a financial power of attorney. With these documents in hand, I was able to talk with doctors, obtain copies of his medical records (including the CT scans, x-rays, etc.), and pick up his prescriptions (including narcotic pain killers) from a pharmacy while he slept.
Second, we had medical insurance, including supplemental insurance. These things kept our out-of-pocket costs manageable.
Third, workers compensation helped but he also had purchased short term disability insurance through his employer. This coverage replaced a portion of his salary while recovering so he could delay returning to full time work while he healed.
If you are the sole (or a major) income provider in your family, I encourage you to take time to review your own personal situation. At a minimum, you should sign an Advance Health Care Directive and a financial power of attorney allowing someone else to act on your behalf if you ever need the help. If your employer, or a professional association to which you belong, offers disability insurance, I recommend you consider buying it. Unless you have enough money to “self-insure” in case of an accident, this insurance can mean the difference between financial ruin and being free to take the time your body needs to recover. Finally, you need to plan for the possibility that you might not survive your accident. Life insurance could help your family to retain their home or prevent your spouse from having to immediately get a job to make ends meet. In addition, you should have a Will, and a trust (if appropriate) to ensure that if you die, your estate will be distributed to the persons you want to benefit in the manner you consider best for them.
The time to plan is while everything is going well for you. Our story is a happy one – my husband not only survived, he and I are able to hike again in our beloved mountains.
If you do not yet have an estate plan, or think this is a good time to update your existing plan, we would be happy to discuss how we may help you to be prepared for the unexpected.
