Douglas Graeb

Review of TuGo

On the afternoon of February 8th this year we were...

On the afternoon of February 8th this year we were playing in the surf at Mazunte in Oaxaca when my partner Joanne was thrown into the sand by a powerful wave and came up with an obviously broken arm. The nearest hospital was in Pochutla, where X-rays showed that she had broken her left humerus in two places, with significant deformity. This small community hospital was not equipped to handle such an injury, and as time wore on through the wee hours of the night, we were becoming increasingly concerned.

It was a huge relief to talk with Rose, the Tugo claims officer in Richmond, at about 3 or 4 AM on the 9th, and learn that she had already been working to get us out of Pochutla. We were flown by air ambulance to an excellent private hospital in Mexico City, where an orthopedic surgeon recommended surgery. It was our wish to return to Vancouver for treatment, however, and Rose leapt into action once again, arranging for our transfer by air ambulance from Mexico City to the Vancouver General Hospital. All of the arrangements worked seamlessly and the medical staff, ambulance crew and flight crew were all very competent, caring and professional. Joanne is under the care of a local orthopedic surgeon who has advised non-operative treatment, and we are happy that she is progressing. The evacuation was at no cost to us, and our medical expenses were fully reimbursed.

It was so comforting to know that Rose had an immediate grasp of our situation and was working on our behalf behind the scenes. At every stage in the process she was readily available on the telephone, and was ahead of the game in terms of facilitating our transport back to Vancouver in the best way possible. The response from Tugo was thoroughly professional and nothing short of outstanding, and we cannot recommend them highly enough.