the Cost of Ambulance Rides

I was bike riding with my family when I hit a pothole and crashed to the ground, causing a sudden pain near my shoulder and some definite swelling in that area. Because we did not have a way to get to the hospital, we called for an ambulance and they arrived in a few minutes and drove me about 4.5 miles to the emergency room. The cost of $174 was a flat fee that the ambulance company charges for all transports of less than 10 miles.

I was really hurting so I was glad that the ambulance got there pretty quickly. There were two EMTs on board and they did a basic examination to make sure that there was no life-threatening aspect to the injury. After that, I had to lay down on the gurney for transport because that is their requirement. The trip to the hospital was easy and they did not speed or use their emergency lights because my injury was not considered to be an emergency. When we got there, they wheeled me into the emergency room and I got off and waited in the waiting area to see a doctor. The bill for the ambulance service did not arrive for about 40 days and because the price is set, I consider it to be fair and the service they provided was done well.

The only way to avoid using an ambulance is to not get hurt, but if you do need to use the service, just let them do their job and get you to the emergency room so that you can deal with your injury. Don't argue about not wanting to lay down, that will only waste time.