Alleyn Campbell, the 12-year-old son of Maury and Collett Campbell was among those injured in the Oklahoma State University homecoming parade crash and hospitalized at Stillwater Medical Center. Alleyn has a dent in his head that will likely be permanent, and suffered a leg injury that will require rehabilitation and constant monitoring as he grows.

STILLWATER, Okla. — An Oklahoma hospital sent letters this week guaranteed to give people another reason to be thankful. The hospital has announced it won’t be sending bills to victims of the Oct. 24 Oklahoma State University homecoming parade crash for treatment they received at SMC immediately following the tragedy.

Stillwater Medical Center (SMC) officials said the goal was to relieve the stress and financial burdens those bills might have caused.

“We know this has been a very difficult time for our patients and our community,” Stillwater Medical Center CEO Jerry Moeller said in a hospital release. “We wanted to do our best to ease the minds of the victims from the tragic event.”

A breakdown of the hospital’s gesture equates to approximately $204,896 worth of expenses written off related to 38 patients who were facing an average emergency room charge of $3,031 following last month’s crash. 

Patients won’t be billed or held liable for out-of-pocket expenses incurred in the emergency room, or during their hospital stays if they were admitted to SMC.

Their private insurers won’t be billed for those services either, Moeller said via email. The hospital will file automobile claims and accept liability funds as payment in full.

Collett Campbell, whose 12-year-old son Alleyn Campbell was injured in the crash and hospitalized at SMC, hadn’t received the hospital’s letter Wednesday afternoon so she was both shocked and pleased to hear the news.

“Depending on the details, for us this is huge,” she said. 

Campbell said the family’s health insurance carries a $6,000 deductible to make it affordable for a family of five. She and her husband were talking earlier in the week about what they needed to do and who would be responsible for covering Alleyn’s medical expenses.

His treatment required several specialists and he hasn’t begun physical rehabilitation yet, so those bills are still question marks. 

Doctors have told them Alleyn will require close monitoring and regular x-rays as he grows because a growth plate in his leg was damaged. It could affect how the injured leg grows and keeps up with his  other leg, particularly as he experiences growth spurts.

Campbell said her auto insurance carrier has already received $16,000 in bills the driver, Adacia Chambers’, insurance company declined to pay.

The hospital will work with patients who need follow-up care and services like rehabilitation, either filing health insurance or through the hospital’s financial assistance program.

“We have a very generous financial assistance policy for those patients requiring further treatment as a result of the accident,” Moeller said. “We will do all we can to make the process as smooth and stress free as possible.” 

Campbell was still absorbing the news and pondering the implications for her family and the families of other patients, especially those who were admitted and had surgeries.

“This is huge for us,” she said. 

Charles writes for The Stillwater (Oklahoma) News Press.