Olympic Gold Medalist Amy Van Dyken-Rouen Paralyzed After an ATV Accident
Amy Van Dyken-Rouen, an Olympic gold medalist in swimming, recently broke her back during an ATV accident while at an Arizona golf club on June 6. According to ESPN, after nine days spent in the intensive care unit, Van Dyken-Rouen was moved to a regular hospital room. She has been amazingly upbeat during this difficult time and plans to undergo intensive rehabilitation at a Denver-area hospital. Read More.
Van Dyken-Rouen retired from the Olympics after winning two gold medals in Sydney in 2000 but that hasn’t dampened her spirits or her strength when faced with this new challenge. ESPN reported that she took to Twitter after her accident, stating, “I just heard a rumor that I’m not paralyzed anymore. Sorry 2 say, it is NOT true. Please don’t listen to misinformation. Sorry some1 said that.”
“Van Dyken-Rouen was injured when the ATV she was driving near Show Low, Arizona, hit a curb and launched her over a drop-off. She told emergency workers she was unable to wiggle her toes or feel anything touching her legs before being airlifted to a Scottsdale hospital. Van Dyken-Rouen’s family said she severed her spinal cord at the T11 vertebrae and that a broken fragment came within millimeters of rupturing her aorta,” (Amy Van Dyken-Rouen’s condition still uncertain: ESPN, June 13, 2014).
“I am so impressed that Van Dyken-Rouen has been so upbeat throughout this whole ordeal,” comments Frank N. Darras, America’s top disability insurance lawyer to the pros.“The agony of knowing you may never be able to walk again could be debilitating but Van Dyken-Rouen is remaining optimistic during this whole process. Who knows what the future might bring with the medical field advancing every year. One thing we can never be too cautious about is the need for disability insurance. Disabling injuries like Van Dyken-Rouen’s are always unexpected, which is why a disability insurance policy is so extremely important.”
As those with a disability insurance policy already know, the benefits from the policy will cover a good portion of the policyholder’s income while they are recuperating from an accident. Those benefits can be used to cover anything from groceries and gas to rent and utilities. Some injuries can take months or even years to heal from, meaning the injured party will be unable to work and support their family.
“Since we can’t see the future, we always need to be prepared for any eventuality, including severe injuries. Disability insurance is just one way to secure your finances in case you or a spouse can no longer work after an accident. Amy Van Dyken-Rouen has a long recovery period ahead of her but hopefully she benefits from new advancements and technology and has a remarkable recovery,” says Darras.