Texas tourist left paralyzed by wave on Mexico beach then faced ‘medical extortion’ at local hospital, partner claims
A Texas tourist was left paralyzed in Mexico when a wave broke his neck during a dream vacation — and his boyfriend is accusing a local hospital of “medical extortion” for demanding thousands of dollars up front for lifesaving care.
Jared Hill and his partner, Justin Raiford, were vacationing in the resort city in February when a wave slammed him into the sand and fractured three vertebrae in his neck, KHOU reported.
“He was instantly paralyzed and drowning in the water, and I saw it happening and had to go run over and pull him out of the water,” Raiford told the outlet.
He ran to Hill’s side and said a manager at their resort told him an ambulance was on the way, but that after waiting for an hour he called for help himself.
A whopping three hours after the freak accident, Hill finally made it to a hospital in excruciating pain.
“They saw the CT scan and said, ‘We can’t take him. He’ll die if we try to take him,’” Raiford told KHOU.
Two days and three hospitals later, Hill underwent his first surgery in Mexico and was told he had to pay more than $20,000 out of pocket, according to the outlet.
Raiford told Inside Edition Digital that no one would even take his partner out of the ambulance without a financial agreement in place.
“Some doctor came out and said, ‘We won’t take him out of the ambulance unless you pay us $5,000,’” he told the outlet.
Raiford called it “medical extortion,” NewsNation Now reported.
“You’re in a hospital with people that you think are there [to] help people and save lives, and it wasn’t happening,” he told “NewsNation Prime” about the accident, which occurred near Tulum.
Hill has since been transferred to Texas, where he is continuing to receive care.
“I realize I’m more fortunate than some other people because … I could come up with the ransom money,” Raiford told the outlet.
“Well, what would it be like for someone else? Would their loved one just die?” he said.
But a NewsNation national security contributor said the practice was not uncommon.
“This isn’t extortion. This isn’t bribery. This is how Mexico does business,” Tracy Walder said, adding that Mexico’s national healthcare system provides free medical care for its citizens and residents in government-run hospitals.
“However, there are private hospitals. The way that they do business is they do ask for payment up front,” she told NewsNation, adding that it’s “incorrect” to expect another country’s health system to run the same as in the US.
Walder said that when planning an overseas trip, people can use the SOS app, which lets users directly contact emergency services wherever they may be.
A GoFundMe page for Hill has rasied over $65,000 as of Tuesday morning.
“On Valentine’s Day Jared received a life-saving,12-hour operation to fuse his spine and stabilize his condition,” a post on the fundraiser said.
“Thanks to the tenacity of doctors, friends, and family, and after 7 days of intensive care, Jared was successfully medically evacuated from Mexico to the US. He is currently at Houston Hermann Memorial in the neuro ICU, receiving the best care possible as he prepares for another surgery once his body is stable enough,” according to the post.
Raiford added a message of his own on the site.
“Jared is so incredibly strong. Everyone is amazed with his progress and the small wins we are getting each day,” he wrote.
“Miracles do happen and all of us should remember that and hold that in our hearts when we think of Jared, send him prayers, and positive energy,” Raiford added.
