ULTIMATUM

British Teen Gored and Paralyzed by Bison Loses U.S. Health Insurance, Forced to Fly Home

The girl was tossed 15 feet into the air by the massive animal, with its horn severing her femoral artery and leaving her left leg paralyzed from the knee down.

A British student taking a gap year in the U.S. has lost her health insurance, which was paying for world-class treatments to potentially reverse her paralysis after being gored by a bison in June. Amelia Dean, 19, was tossed 15 feet into the air at a state park by the massive animal, with its horn going straight through her thigh, severing her femoral artery and leaving her left leg paralyzed from the knee down. An avid dancer, Dean and her parents were hoping to get a specialist nerve graft surgery that might save her leg, but her health insurance provider suddenly gave her an ultimatum when they withdrew support: return home to the U.K. in an air ambulance, which would be covered by insurance, or stay in the U.S. for the surgery but rely on GoFundMe donations. “[W]e feel we have little choice but to cancel Mia’s appointments at the Mayo Clinic next week. It’s gutting, but we have to do what is best for Mia’s recovery with so little hard information available,” her parents said after announcing their return to the U.K. The surgery is likely the best chance of saving Dean’s leg, so the family said they may choose to return to the U.S.