In July of 2023, Jagdish Whitten was struck by a car while he was crossing a busy street in San Francisco, California. He was going for a run and waited for the crossing light to change, like any good pedestrian—but he was struck anyway.

He told The Washington Post he was hit hard enough that he did a “little flip” before landing on the street but otherwise felt okay.

Witnesses to the accident offered to call an ambulance, but he declined due to how much a ride would cost. Instead, he asked a friend for a ride to the hospital.

“I knew that ambulances were expensive, and I didn’t think I was going to die,” he said. He was treated for a broken toe and some bruising, but nothing serious. Well, at least until the staff discovered he also had a concussion.

A concussion somehow spelled out a hospital transfer

After his concussion was discovered, hospital staff scheduled a transfer to another hospital six miles away. He needed to be transferred to a trauma center for treatment. To get there, however, he needed to go by ambulance.

Once at the hospital, staff released him almost immediately. They reported that the previous hospital administered “appropriate treatment,” and there was nothing else they could do for him.

One month later, he was issued a jaw-dropping bill for the ambulance ride. His six-mile transfer ride cost him $12,872.99. Broken down, it translates to $11,670.11 for the base ride, $737.16 for the distance, $314.45 for an EKG, and $151.27 for “infection control.”

The hospital never contacted Whitten’s insurance, so he took matters into his own hands.

He still had to pay over $2,000 after insurance for the ambulance

Whitten’s father filed an appeal with Anthem, Whitten’s insurance company, after they initially denied the claim. The company ended up paying $9,966.60 after the appeal was approved. However, that left a balance of $2,906.39. Which, for a six-mile ride, is still incredibly expensive.

He and his family tried to get Anthem to pay the balance, but they declined. The hospital and ambulance company declined, too. Eventually, Whitten gave in and paid the balance himself.

No wonder people will do just about anything to avoid a ride in an ambulance.