Assisting and repatriating an injured tourist from the US to Spain

In 2024, we managed a diverse set of cases of travel assistance from across the world. To manage them, we have had to put all our resources to work to be able to provide a solution to our clients and resolve their problems or vital needs in the best possible way. For us, the key is the wellbeing of our customers and being able to be close and help them in the very complicated moments that can be experienced on a trip.

A holiday gone wrong

In the case at hand, the trip is made by a middle-aged couple who were visiting San Francisco in the US. They wanted to see the city and take a tour of the nearby areas. On one of the days of their stay, they left the hotel to visit the port, with the aim of seeing the seals that had migrated to the area and were very easy to spot. While the couple were resting together in the port, the woman, who we shall refer to as ‘Maria’, fell, dragging her partner along with her. Due to this fall, Maria suffered some serious injuries. They called an ambulance from there, and called upon us as their travel assistance provider, from the same ambulance.

Finding the right hospital

Our operations team then checked which was the best hospital to go to in the area and began monitoring the case from the medical side to track how it evolved and ensure a diagnosis. Eventually, they arrived at the city hospital with which we have an agreement – San Francisco General Hospital.

After a complete examination at the hospital, it was confirmed that the injuries that Maria incurred were both displaced and non-displaced rib fractures; a left pleural effusion with possible haemothorax; as well as compression thoracic fractures. Due to this diagnosis, Maria had to remain in the hospital for over 17 days to receive appropriate care. During this time, she was continuously monitored by both Iris Global’s medical and operations teams. Maria was admitted to the hospital on 29 May and later discharged on 15 June. She was assessed at all times by our team.

Transferred home by commercial airline

Following the discharge, it was decided that she was not fit to fly yet, and that she would have to rest in San Francisco and be transferred to a hotel. When our medical team determined that she was fit to fly, her transfer from San Francisco to Spain – in this case to Valencia – was arranged. The transfer was conducted on a commercial plane flying with a business class ticket, using a wheelchair, with oxygen, a pneumothorax kit and accompanied by a doctor from our team who would travel to San Francisco to make the return trip with Maria. Maria was able to return home to Valencia almost two months after her accident, allowing her to finish recovering at home with her family. It was a complicated process, but we were able to support her at all times and arrange the transfer as soon as possible