Family in 'living nightmare' after mum struck by SUV while on holiday in the US

Key Points

Jane Rubens, 73, is in an induced coma in a hospital in St Louis, Missouri, after being struck by SUV on holiday
She suffered a serious brain injury, broken ribs and a fractured collarbone
Her family said insurer AXA initially wanted to end her medical cover unless she flew home on Tuesday
AXA has since apologised for distress caused to Jane and her family during the claims process
Jane’s daughter Catriona says the pressure put on them was ‘unacceptable’ during the ‘worst time of their lives’

An Edinburgh family say they are in a “living nightmare” after their mum was hit by an SUV truck while visiting relatives in the US.

Jane Rubens, 73, is in an induced coma in a hospital in St Louis, Missouri.

She suffered a serious brain injury, broken ribs and a fractured collarbone when she was struck by the vehicle on November 1.

Her family said insurance company Axa initially wanted to fly her home today which would end medical insurance payments in the US, but the family felt it was too soon.

Jane’s daughter Catriona has since been told her mum will no longer be forced to fly on that day, but said the pressure put on them was “unacceptable” during the “worst time of their lives”.

AXA has apologised for the distress caused to Jane and her family, saying it will remain in contact over the coming days to support them.

Jane’s daughter Catriona told STV News: “Unfortunately, she is not very responsive. We won’t know what a full prognosis is for about six months but we know it is severe. It’s been a horrendous time.

“She had really good medical coverage through her travel insurance. She had a policy that provided coverage of up to £15m in medical costs out here, which is obviously of reassurance to us.”

Jane’s family flew over to be by her bedside, but said they were faced with an impossible decision by AXA – fly her home now or the cover would end.

Catriona said: “We’ve spoken to various sources and all of them wouldn’t expect my mum to fly at an early stage of her injury. They said it’s in her best interests to wait three to six months once a piece of skull has been reattached.

“The ICU doctor phoned the insurer and tried to tell them that.

“She would probably have to fly from St Louis to New York, to Dublin to Edinburgh. They are all really long haul flights after recent brain surgery.

“We also spoke to one of the neurosurgeons, who said my mum has an EVD (external ventricular drainage) device that monitors pressure in the brain. He said he wouldn’t consider flying my mum until four to six weeks from the EVD being removed, which only happened last week.

“We’ve had these opinions that it isn’t in her neurological best interests for repatriation to happen quickly.”

Catriona said the experience has taken a huge toll on her family.

She added: “It was absolutely horrendous. Apart from the day I found out about the accident, it’s been the most traumatic day.

“My brother and I have been put under so much pressure. We explained to AXA we have been feeling very vulnerable.

“We’ve been sleeping at the hospital, we’re exhausted and we were being asked to make a decision to put her on a plane – when we had a neurological opinion it would not be in her best interests to do that.

“We were in total disbelief and really shocked.

“It felt like we were being given an ultimatum and being backed into a corner where we had no choice.

“I honestly wouldn’t wish what happened to us to anyone. We want to do what we can to maximise her recovery.”

Jane remains in an induced coma Catriona Rubens

Jane has undergone multiple surgeries at hospital in Missouri STV News

Catriona said she and her brother felt they “had no choice” but to write to AXA agreeing to the repatriation but asked that it be stated it was “contrary to medical advice”.

She then decided to share her family’s experience on social media.

“It’s not something I did lightly,” she told STV News.

“I don’t want to post photos of my mum when she’s at her most vulnerable. Even if this wasn’t happening with AXA, this would still be the worst time of our lives and it’s not something we want to spend time fighting about.

“The head of service delivery called me and she did give me an apology. She said they are not going to put Jane on a flight today (Tuesday) but they’re going to speak to treating clinicians in the UK and that we’ll be able to be more involved. She said they are reviewing the call with the call handler.

“What I understand is they are taking steps to put it right but I don’t know if that would have happened if I hadn’t gone to social media.

“The pressure my brother and I have been put under is totally unacceptable.”

An AXA Partners spokesperson said: “We are sorry for the distress Ms Rubens and her family have experienced when making a claim and we sympathise with their situation.

“We have spoken with Ms Rubens’ family and will remain in contact with them over the coming days to support them. Our medical team and Ms Rubens’ treating doctors will agree the best course of action going forward.

“We are considering all available options and the welfare of Ms Rubens and her family remains our priority.”