A knee sprain, a cruciate ligament rupture, a head or shoulder injury... Despite all the precautions taken to avoid skiing accidents, up to 140,000 French people are injured on the slopes each winter according to Ski areas in France, forcing some of them to shorten their stay in the mountains.
To enable accident victims to return home in the best conditions, Europ Assistance has been ensuring their repatriation aboard the “Snow Train” since 2001, sometimes renamed the “ski crippled” train.
Since 2014, another specialist in assistance insurance, Mondial Assistance, has also offered this service to its beneficiaries.
The principle ?
Allow policyholders who were injured on the slopes of the Alps to be repatriated to the Paris region by train rather than by ambulance or light medical vehicle.
This year again, Mondial Assistance will run its Snow Train on Fridays February 16 and 23 to Paris Gare de Lyon from Bourg-Saint-Maurice and Albertville.
“
The lower part of a first class TGV car is privatized in order to offer maximum peace of mind to beneficiaries.
Each year, around thirty skiers are repatriated aboard our two Snow Trains, often alongside their families
,” summarizes Cédric Ramaut, medical director at Mondial Assistance - Allianz Partners.
Accompanying nurses
At the Gare de Lyon in Paris, paramedics take care of patients from the moment they get off the train to their homes.
Mondial Assistance
As repatriation is based on a medical decision, not all ski injuries have the “privilege” of taking their place there.
“
Only a doctor can choose the most suitable mode of transport depending on the patient’s pathology.
If he must be bedridden or if he is polytraumatized, another repatriation solution is prescribed
,” underlines Cédric Ramaut.
Furthermore, cases must meet geographic and temporal constraints.
The ski resort where the vacationer is staying must be close to the Bourg-Saint-Maurice and Albertville stations.
In addition, the accident must occur neither too early nor too late in relation to the train's departure date which takes place on a Friday.
On the big day, policyholders are transported to the stations from a hospital in the region or their accommodation.
The paramedics accompany the travelers to their seats, then nurses from Mondial Assistance (one or two per train) specially arrived from Paris take over throughout the five-hour journey.
“
Preparation for the Snow Train begins a week before departure with the establishment of the list of passengers, details of their pathology and their placement on board
,” explains Garance Frelaux, nurse at Mondial Assistance, who will carry out its preparation in a few days. second mission on board.
“
The trip is an opportunity to talk with the policyholders I spoke to on the phone a few days earlier.
This humanizes the relationships, patients are delighted to be able to put a face to a voice.
» At the Gare de Lyon, a ballet of ambulance drivers awaits patients when they get off to take them to their homes.
The end of the trip for skiers who, no doubt, hope to have better luck next winter.
Winter sports: are you covered?
Unless you ski professionally or go off-piste, it is often not necessary to take out specific insurance for your stay in the mountains.
Health costs (consultations, hospitalization, care, etc.) are covered by Health Insurance in France but also in the European Union with the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
For the rest (repatriation, research costs, etc.), it is better to turn to your mutual health insurance, your home insurance or your life accident guarantee.
Furthermore, most bank cards include repatriation insurance provided that your card was used to pay for all or part of your stay.
High-end cards also provide reimbursement for courses and services not used (rentals, courses, etc.) due to the accident.
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