Insurance

[RememberSchiff 3727]

I often use the pseudonym "Scout Tommy Jones" when teaching scouts and a friend sent an e-mail titled "Scout Tommy Jones is Real" with the following news attachment. I googled and found out about the medical bills and scout insurance questions and decided to post a reply to this topic.

 

I too would like to learn how scout insurance helps this family.

 

My friend is right, Scout Tommy Jones is real.

 

http://www.chagrinvalleytimes.com/NC/0/2215.html

 

Scouts, rescuers commended after fall from cliff

 

Tom Jones Jr., 17, of Bainbridge is being hailed as a hero for his actions in an incident at the Quarry Rock picnic area in Bentleyville.

 

He and other members of Boy Scout Troop 102 in Bainbridge were walking on a trail July 14 overlooking the Aurora branch of the Chagrin River in the South Chagrin Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks off of Solon Road.

 

Scout Nick Mannochio, 11, was in front of Tom when the narrow and muddy path collapsed. "I grabbed him by his backpack, and the earth gave way," Tom said. That's when both went over the side, falling 40 feet down a cliff.

 

On the ground below, Tom's foot was in one direction, and his leg was in another. "I felt the pain immediately," he said.

 

Nick was also in pain and hyperventilating, according to Dale Olson, Scoutmaster of Troop 102.

 

Mr. Olson had been leading the group and had come to a halt because the trail had ended. He saw them hit the ground below, he said.

 

The Scouts were on a practice hike before going on the Appalachian trail and were walking north. They were on the west bank of the river, opposite the Quarry Rock parking lot.

 

At that point, Mr. Olson's son Matt, 17, also a Scout, repelled down the embankment, and Scout Pat Hanlon climbed down, grabbing a tree branch to steady himself. Scout Jarrad Gold also reached the bottom of the incline.

 

First on the scene, they were able to administer first aid to their fallen comrades.

 

Nick's father, who was on the hike, made it down the hill, as did another father, while Mr. Olson called 911 at about 8:40 p.m.

 

Matt was able to calm Nick. The three Scouts held Tom's hand, talked to him and made him as comfortable as possible.

 

Chagrin Falls Fire Department rescue workers arrived and crossed from the east side of the river. They were called about 8:40 p.m., and the rescue operation took about 45 minutes, according to Assistant Fire Chief Mark Vedder.

 

Tom and Nick were placed in neck braces, strapped in stretchers and placed in baskets. Rescue workers brought them up the 20-foot embankment to the waiting rescue squads.

 

Despite his pain, Mr. Olson said, "Tom was in good spirits."

 

The injured Scouts were taken to Hillcrest Hospital in Mayfield Heights. Nick was examined and released.

 

Tom had a broken tibia and fibula in his right leg. A rod was inserted in the tibia. Now, after four surgeries, he is recovering at his home in Lake Lucerne in Bainbridge. He is using a walker with a boot on the broken leg.

 

Much of the surgery work had to do with assessing muscle damage, his mother, Sue Jones, said. A skin graft was done to close the wound.

 

She said Chagrin Falls Fire Department rescue workers "were wonderful with Tommy."

 

Mrs. Jones said a fund has been set up at Fifth Third Bank in his name and the funds will help with medical bills that the family faces.

 

"The support has been phenomenal," Mrs. Jones said. "We're very blessed with thoughts and prayers. We have received meals and many cards, from the community, the troop and friends."

 

She said her son has a great attitude. He has never complained, and is doing all that the doctors have prescribed, including exercise. He will undergo outpatient surgeries now involving skin grafts, she said.

 

Even with his injuries, Tom said he is planning to start his senior year at Kenston High School later this month.

 

He has been active in the school's drama program and has been in six productions, he said, and is looking forward to the spring play.

 

Tom is just a project away from his Eagle Scout award as well. He was planning to rehab the playground at Kenston Intermediate School, but now he will have to find another project.

 

In reflecting on the incident, Mr. Olson said, "The fire department did an excellent job. You just don't realize how fast things can happen. We were fortunate to be in an area where there was easy access."

 

Chagrin Falls was assisted by the Solon Fire Department and the remaining 13 Scouts and four leaders were guided off the ledge on the west side of the river.

 

One of the problems in the park involves the lack of information on the trails, Mr. Olson said. "You can't tell where you are at in the park," he said.

 

They would not have been on the trail has they known its condition and that it was a dead end, he said.

 

"Tommy was a hero to risk his life to save Nick," Mr. Olson said. And the three Scouts who reached their fallen comrades are to be commended for their actions as well.

 

They used first-aid procedures learned as Scouts, he said. They checked for other injuries, talked to them and kept the victims focused, according to Mr. Olson, who is certified in advance outdoor emergency care.

 

"First aid is something I stress," he said. "It really paid off this time."

 

[Eagle92 110]

Another reason to make First Aid MB required for First Class again.