Kerry “Kiki” Rois
About Kerry
Kerry Rois, a 2012 graduate of Binghamton University, daughter, sister, cousin, friend to many, had finally started building some momentum. She was working two jobs, selling her handmade jewelry in her own Etsy store, taking online classes, and looking forward to establishing herself in the world. After her crash, she now works part time at Target and continues to battle chronic injuries from the crash.
Crash Description
On January 14th, 2015, Kerry was on her way to one of her jobs. A truck driver on the road with her was lost and had decided to pull over in the middle of rush hour traffic. Kerry didn’t see the truck until too late, and her car ended up underneath the back of his trailer with passenger compartment intrusion and severe head and face trauma.
After the Crash
Immediately after the crashKerry was transported to the Intensive Care Unit of a hospital in Buffalo. After recovering from her life threatening physical injuries, she was moved from the ICU to another wing of the hospital in order to address her severe traumatic brain injury. In the months after recovery, she endured grueling, and costly, physical, speech, and occupational therapy. Her costs after the crash and for future lifetime care are estimated at greater than $3,000,000, and the minimum insurance the truck was covered under barely puts a dent in those expenses.
Kerry now works part time at Target without healthcare benefits to cover ongoing physical therapy. She also does volunteer work from home and enjoys being out and about. However, her world is limited because she is unable to drive, and she can’t complete certain tasks at home without supervision. This has led to friction between Kerry and her mom, which wouldn’t exist without the crash. Kerry, despite the physical therapy, suffers from several lasting physical effects from the crash. She has sciatica, which makes doing her job difficult and occasionally shortens her shift. Another devastating consequence of Kerry’s crash is that her hormonal levels are unbalanced, leading to confusing mood swings, and a high probability that she will never be able to have children.
The minimum insurance amount wasn’t nearly enough to cover Kerry’s initial, ongoing, and future care. Kerry’s goal in telling her story is to help prevent the devastating financial burdens placed on families due to insufficient insurance limits.