A sad story about not having SOAT.
(Names are hidden for privacy respect reasons)
RC and his three Canadian friends came into Perú riding their great Suzukis DR 650 and were heading to the Cordillera Blanca area riding along the beautiful road between Casma and Huaraz.
All was going good, nice and smoothly until suddenly from a curve on the road another motorbike appeared at high speed, the driver lost control of his bike and smashed against RC’s motobike.
The result was terrible.
RC and the other guy ended seriously injured laying on the road.
The local people near the accident and RC’s friends helped them, first transported to the nearest medical post, but due the severe injuries they were transferred to the local hospital in Casma.
RC got his left shoulder and scapula broken, the other guy got his jaw broken, skull fractured, severe head trauma and multiple wounds and blows. For this guy the medical forecast is reserved.
At the moment of the accident RC’s bike didn’t have SOAT and the other guy’s bike neither (the SOAT of his motorbike was expired two years ago).
The other is a young 17 years old guy without driver license, a poor farm worker (campesino)
No SOAT, both have to pay for the medical bills.
RC didn’t have any problems with his personal health insurance from Canada, the next day he was transported in a private car to the best private clinic in Lima 400km away and got the best medical treatment possible.
The young guy stayed in the little public hospital in Casma and his family was struggling about the unexpected situation not having money to pay the treatment. Tomography was urgent required but no money to pay for it. RC’s friends helped the family with some money for this.
If at least one of the motorbikes would have had valid and active SOAT for both all the emergency medical care and after emergency treatment would have been covered, but it didn’t happen with no SOAT.
RC only had Mercosur insurance because he was told (cheated) by the Colombian seller woman that the Mercosur is the same as SOAT in Peru. This story proved that it is not the same. Mercosur didn’t work at all.
So, the story ends as it is. Two days after staying in the private clinic in Lima RC flew back to Canada for surgery and recovery and all good. His motorbike was transported to Lima and is in storage with the forks broken in two parts and serious other damages that will be repaired to resume the trip in few months ahead.
The young guy was left abandoned on his bad luck laying severely injured on a bed in a little public hospital of a small town in northern Peru with no medical treatment and no money to pay for that.
SOAT is good in Peru.
SOAT is mandatory for all vehicles running on Peruan roads.
SOAT is inexpensive.
SOAT protects the whole society when a vehicle accident happens.
SOAT is not replaced by Mercosur and/or any other insurance.
Please on behalf of the Peruan community get SOAT
May God be with all the ones driving a vehicle in Perú
