Late on a Friday night, my son was hundreds of miles away in Durango, Colorado, and was hit by a car while riding his bike. The local emergency response showed up promptly. While still on the street, he managed to call a friend of his who had our phone numbers. She called us and told us that he had been in an accident and what hospital he was being taken to. I called PinnacleCare’s 24/7 Advocate Hotline.

The PinnacleCare Advocate immediately contacted their on-call doctor. My son had a complication of mononucleosis, which caused an enlarged spleen that was at risk for rupturing and subsequently causing life-threatening internal bleeding. The PinnacleCare doctor knowing this immediately called the emergency doctor in Colorado and informed him of my son’s worrisome and complicated medical history.

After hearing that news, the emergency doctor re-examined my son and performed a FAST exam (Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma). This exam is an ultrasound test that rapidly (2-3 minutes) screens the abdomen for trauma and internal bleeding. Fortunately, the test was negative! My son ended up having a broken leg. He was admitted to the hospital.

The PinnacleCare on-call doctor promptly called us back with the details from the emergency room. He informed us that our son would likely have surgery in the morning and answered all our questions about his options. Our son underwent successful surgery the next day. His primary PinnacleCare Advocate kept in close contact with us and our son in the days following his surgery. She arranged for physical therapy with a wonderful therapist that got him moving again right away.

The PinnacleCare Advocate and doctors were able to help us prevent a potentially life-threatening situation for my son. I am so grateful to have PinnacleCare there for my family.