|
My teeth were paid for by the carnival. No joke.
Shortly after my 5th birthday, I was taken to a small carnival of rides at a Fourth of July celebration. My friend, age 13, and my mother were both with me, and my friend offered to take me on the bumper cars. We got on, and she tried to belt me up. The belt was a loop that fit around one's torso to hold one in the car. We only got the belt as far as my neck before the ride began. The ride operator hadn't bothered to check that everyone was belted properly, and our car ran straight into the barrier. My head jerked forward and I landed teeth-first on the dash. Blood everywhere, all the ride operator does is stop the ride, pick me up, and hand me over to my mother--nothing more. My mom had to rush me to the emergency room as they thought I might have crushed my trachea--I was having trouble breathing. Luckily, my injuries only amounted to two teeth that had to be pulled because they hadn't been knocked out completely, one tooth that had to be removed because it died due to the damage to the neighboring teeth, and a bruised (not crushed) trachea.
The company, Rainier Shows, refused to reimburse my father the copayments for my medical and dental bills. So, naturally, my father went to his attorney, the attorney wrote a very nice letter, and the company ended up having to pay more to settle than they would have if they had just paid for my copayments. The money mostly went for further reconstructive surgery on my mouth to make sure that my teeth grew in straight despite the damage done to my mouth.
I still have a very nice smile. Thank you, Rainier Shows.
__________________
If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau
|