I always carry identification with me - usually my driver's license - and I always carry my health insurance card. But there's something I need to fix - I've never carried "please notify in case of emergency" information on a regular basis. I've always carried it when I'm traveling with my bike, but I've never been in the habit of carrying this information when I'm wandering near my home. In this case that was a pretty big omission.
Luckily even though I remember nothing about the day of the crash, I was apparently still lucid enough to give the hospital the name and phone numbers of my family. And I believe my family still would have been notified because - as you'll see as you continue reading - it's likely that the folks at my office would have called them at some point before the end of that first day.
Work was another story. My coworkers started trying to find me in the late morning. Most people had assumed I had something going on and would be in in a bit, but I had a meeting scheduled at 11 - and I wasn't there. And everyone knew that if I wasn't going to be in or was going to be later than usual that I always let folks know. The phone calls started - first with calls to my home and my cell phone to see if I could be found. I wasn't there, and there was no answer at either phone, but they left messages for me just in case.
They tried the Andover police, and were referred to the State Police. Next on the "find Denise" agenda was phone calls to hospitals. Michael called Lawrence General Hospital. I wish I could have seen his face - and heard what I'm sure was a very vocal reaction - when they told him I was no longer there but would not tell him where I was. The HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) privacy regulation is extremely strict about the release of personal health information, but it seems to me that it wouldn't have hurt for them to tell Michael where I had been transferred. After all, if I had actually still been at Lawrence General they would have told him that I was there! And tell me, what does "no longer here" really mean? Released and OK? Transferred? Dead? Isn't the actual truth preferable to their answer?
The next call was placed by Ken, and the next hospital was Mass General. At that point at least they knew where I was. My sister called my office later in the day and spoke to Ken. She filled him in on what had happened, and he was able to pass on that update to everyone in the office. The next morning, Michael got an email with an update from Steve, who had just talked with my mom. When I went on my cross-country trip back in 2002, I made sure that my folks had the phone numbers of some of my friends here. That helped, because they were able to contact them for me.
The lesson: carry both identification and information on who to contact in an emergency. I believe the folks at work would have found me and notified my parents, but that's not a for sure situation. I happen to work for a very small company with unbelieveable people, and I suspect that the "find out what happened to Denise" exercise wouldn't have happened in just any company.
Update on September 26, 2004: I just ordered (and received) a SHOE ID from Road ID so if something like this happens again the emergency personnel will have information on who to contact if I'm not able to supply that information myself. The company was very fast in filling my order - I placed the order on a Thursday, and it was shipped on Tuesday, and received on Saturday, definitely good service. I actually splurged and bought 2 IDs - one that attaches to my shoe, which is what I plan to use while cycling, and one that is worn around my neck for when I go hiking in my sandals. OK, two IDs may have been a splurge, but I think it will be worth it!
Although it isn't stated on the RoadID web site you can actually place information on both sides of the ID. My ID has my name, city/state/country, and emergency contact information (2 phone numbers for a good friend who lives (relatively) close to me, and 1 phone number for family members. On the back I have additional health-related information, like the name of my health insurance company, my primary care physician, my year of birth (apparently emergency personnel want a clue about how old you are), and some general health information. If you want information on both sides of the ID you will have to place your order over the phone since that capability isn't yet supported on the RoadID web site.
Update on April 27, 2008: RoadID now sells an interactive version of the ID, and I have switched to this new option. It's interactive in that there is a web site that is used to store important information, and that web site is made available via a code placed on the id. This allows me to keep my emergency contact and health information up-to-date without replacing the ID each time something changes. I spoke to the folks at RoadID about the reaction of emergency personnel, and they assured me that the interactive ID has been very well received.
