Global Rescue Partners with USTSA

By Linda Hobbs

Two years ago, our 18 year old son David was a member of the US Telemark National Team.  He was racing in Germany when he went off a jump at race speed, his skis tips went up and he landed on his back.  He was evacuated from the race hill in a helicopter to a nearby hospital and the diagnosis was 2 compression fractured vertebrae.  His spinal cord was in no danger because the fracture was stable, however when I arrived in Germany to figure out how to get him home the doctor first told me that he should travel in a medically equipped air ambulance because he needed to be lying down.  At that time, we were quoted about $50,000 for such a service.  I am told that today it is closer to $80,000-$100,000.  We had no insurance or membership in an organization that would have provided that service.  Fortunately for us, the doctor agreed that if we flew home in first class, so that David could be laying down, and flew as directly as possible (that’s hard to do when you live in Montana) he would release David from the hospital.  As a result of this experience, I spent the next several months researching organizations that provide evacuation services to see if there was some coverage or membership that USTSA could provide for our racers.  When I contacted Global Rescue, they immediately offered to partner with USTSA to help us provide annual memberships for our team members.  We are now entering our second year with Global Rescue and couldn’t be happier.  While we hope that theirs is a service our racers never need, we feel as an organization  that if one of our racers were to be injured or become ill away from home that Global Rescue will provide the highest quality medical services and transport for our athletes.  As a family that travels with sons that love to climb, downhill mountain bike, ski race and whitewater kayak, our family will always have a Global Rescue membership.  Shouldn’t yours?