Texas man who was left paralyzed after being struck by WAVE on Mexico beach says doctors at hospital demanded RANSOM money in exchange for life-saving surgery

A Texas man claims he and his friend were extorted by a Tulum hospital where his partner underwent surgery after being paralyzed in a surfing accident.

Justin Raiford and his friend Jared Hill were vacationing in the Mexican resort town in February when a wave knocked Hill into the sand and broke three vertebrae in his neck.

Despite having traveler’s insurance, Raiford alleged that hospital staff asked for thousands of dollars before admitting him to the medical facility and performing surgery.

He never felt that a country visited by millions of Americans would turn its back on them.

“Tulum is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and because there is a life-threatening critical situation, you can’t even get help from the government,” Raiford said. “I called the embassy and consulate, they said, ‘Sorry, that’s how it is in Mexico.’

Jared Hill (pictured) had to pay $5,000 to be admitted to a hospital in Tulum and $20,000 by a third medical facility, where he underwent surgery after breaking three vertebrae in his neck

Justin Raiford claims medical facilities in the Mexican resort town of Tulum extorted them by charging thousands of dollars in advance to provide emergency services to his friend, who was paralyzed in a surfing accident in February. Raiford said they had to pay $5,000 for one hospital to admit his partner and more than $20,000 for surgery at another hospital

“To be held for ransom, to undergo life-saving surgery that the neurosurgeon said was necessary or he would die,” he told host Natasha Zouves on NewsNation. “That you’re in a hospital with people who you think are there to help you and save lives, and that didn’t happen.”

To get Hill into the hospital, Raiford had to pay $5,000 before tests showed Hill had internal bleeding, a punctured spinal cord and nerve damage.

Matters got worse when Hill showed Raiford a text message in which the hospital director said, “I’m going to cancel the surgery, get money from him.”

Raiford alleged that an American woman celebrating her honeymoon was told by staff at the same hospital that she would have to pay $50,000 upfront to have her husband undergo dialysis “because his kidneys and heart were failing.”

Ultimately, the 12-hour surgery took place two days later at a third hospital, where Raiford and Hill paid more than $20,000 to cover the cost of the procedure.

“You can’t imagine that in situations like this, every ounce of me was just trying to save his life and get help and to think that in a time of such critical need for medical help could even arrive, and I’m not talking about a personal contribution or insurance or anything like that, it’s literally a ransom.’

To get Hill into hospital, Raiford (pictured with his partner before the ordeal) had to pay $5,000 before tests revealed Hill was bleeding internally, had a punctured spinal cord and nerve damage.

Justin Raiford (right) saw Jared Hill (left) in the water after the wave crashed down, pushed him into the sand and shattered three vertebrae in his neck

Jared Hill, pictured with his care team, was flown to Memorial Hermann Medical Center in Houston nearly a week after his surfing accident in Tulum

Hill was flown back to Houston almost a week after the surgery and admitted to Memorial Hermann Medical Center in Houston, where the couple learned he would need another spine surgery and would likely be hospitalized for several months.

He was treated for blood clots and meningitis but is now recovering.

“The people here have changed his life dramatically and I’m happy to say he’s one of those edge cases where most people don’t have the outcome he has,” Raiford said.

‘He is regaining some mobility and is working with occupational therapists and physiotherapists every day to improve his chances of recovery.’

Although Raiford believes the Tulum hospital profited from Hill’s tragedy, the private medical facility in Tulum did nothing illegal and asked for advance payment, said Tracy Walder, a former CIA and FBI agent.

Eligible residents and citizens receive free health care through the Mexican Social Security Institute.

‘This is not extortion. This is not bribery. This is how Mexico does business,” Walder told NewsNation.

“However, there are private hospitals. The way they do business is they ask for payment up front.”