An Oregon cyclist claims he was charged nearly $2,000 to be taken to a local hospital in the same ambulance that hit him.
William Hoesch, 71, claims in a new lawsuit that in October 2022, he was bicycling through the small Columbia County town of Rainier, in the same direction as a Columbia Fire & Rescue ambulance, when it attempted to turn right onto another ambulance. street and bumped into him, the Oregonian reports.
He is said to have broken his nose and suffered abrasions and other injuries because his bicycle was crushed under the ambulance tire.
Hoesch was then picked up by ambulance and taken to a local hospital, but was later billed $1,862 for the ride, his attorney Travis Mayor argues.
That’s on top of the $47,000 in medical bills he’s already incurred, and another $50,000 in expected medical bills, according to the $997,000 lawsuit filed Oct. 24.
William Hoesch, 71, claims he was charged nearly $2,000 to be taken to a local hospital by the same ambulance that struck him in October 2022
Police reports obtained by the Oregonian show that the driver who struck Hoesch and a passenger in the ambulance at the time estimated it was traveling between 2 and 10 mph when they heard a crash, stopped the vehicle and found Hoesch injured.
But Hoesch estimated the vehicle was going 5 to 10 mph and said he didn’t think it would turn in front of him as it was trying to return from a drive to Columbia River Fire & Rescue’s Rainier station.
He is now also seeking $900,000 in damages for pain and suffering, claiming he suffered reduced range of motion, reduced grip strength and other symptoms as a result of the collision.
The lawsuit notes that Hoesch’s uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage is required to cover any damages that Columbia River Fire & Rescue cannot reimburse.
Hoesch claims he was biking through the small Columbia County town of Rainier, heading in the same direction as a Columbia Fire & Rescue ambulance, when it attempted to turn right onto another street and crashed into him.
However, Fire Chief Eric Smythe told DailyMail.com that the department has police and insurance records that he said “paints a different picture” than the one Hoesch describes in his lawsuit.
“We did our due diligence and cared for a patient who was injured,” he claimed.