Pay, or else!

Another 2 days passed. It was now almost 3 weeks since the accident!

I awoke in the morning, and had my wash, and breakfast. Not long after 2 women walked in, and one of them started talking to me in spanish. The other listened and then translated for me.

They wanted me to sign documents saying that i will fully accept all the hospital charges as my own. This will give them a guarantee that they will be getting some money from me at some point.

I obviously refused this as this would immediately open me up to a lawsuit from the hospital for money that i didn't have!

She got really angry with me, and said that she wanted a signature immediately, and was not leaving before she got one!

I told her i needed to speak to my lawyers first. Needless to say, when i phoned them, there was no answer!

She refused to leave, badgering me to sign and intimidating me no end. I had a list of numbers of attorneys form the UK embassy that my brother had given me, and i tried them all to see if i could get an impartial lawyer in the room to try help me, cos i seriously suspected that my lawyers were in bed with someone at some point and thus were holding out on me!

I managed to reach a lawyer who was the UK embassy representative. He came down here, and sat chatting with her (her arm around his shoulder?!). Then he asked me to explain the entire case to him.

After i finished and had answered a lot of questions for him, he told me that it was a good idea to sign the documents that she had, and get myself out of the hospital. This seemed like crazy advice! Then he asked for my UK passport, which i had with me. I gave it to him and he gave it to her and she put it in her briefcase and that was that. My passport was now confiscated too!

He explained that this was a precautionary exercise to ensure that i didn't flee the country with this bill hanging over my head!
Not that i was going anywhere with a broken leg in 3 places and instructions from the doctor to stay in bed!!

But, that was that, I now had no passport and was being told to sign this document!

I refused once again, and she raised her voice in spanish to me for a few more minutes and then they left, with her saying she would be back the following morning for my signature, or else!

I was pretty intimidated by this, naturally, and phoned my friends and asked them if they could please get hold of the lawyers cos this would be getting ugly in the morning!

I was in constant contact with my brother in Ireland at this point, speaking to each other every 2nd day or so. He put sum questions to mates and work colleagues, and told me exactly what i suspected...that these lawyers weren't acting in my best interests to get me out of the hospital!

That night i didnt sleep much, scared of what the morning would bring!