A Safe Vehicle for Dennis and Aunt Elfriede

Message from Tareen Dermatology:

Dennis has been a long-time patient at Tareen Dermatology for several years now. He is a kind, 67-year-old, genuine person and has been through a lot in the last year. We have created this Go Fund Me page to help support him after a horrible accident he endured which resulted in medical complications and financial stress. Please join us in supporting this wonderful gentleman.

 

Here is Dennis’s Story:

On a sunny Thursday morning, I was driving to a senior softball game on 35E in St. Paul, MN when a white car took a left hand turn onto the highway from the Cayuga exit and hit the car in front of me. The car in front of me flipped. To avoid hitting the woman in the overturned car, I hit my breaks and turned the wheel, ramming into the median. I ricocheted off the wall and ended up 3/4 of a mile away from the initial accident.

 

The emergency responders wrapped a gash on my right shin as I sat on the back bumper of my totaled vehicle. As I was being tended to, dazed, and confused, a tow truck came and took my vehicle. I ended up going to urgent care and had a series of scans. I needed cortisone injections in my shoulder and hip to help calm the soreness and inflammation. Thankfully, I came out with no major injuries- except for a scar on my shin as a permanent reminder of the accident.

 

I found out I had no recourse because the driver of the white car was uninsured. Furthermore, because I did not hit either of the two cars in the initial accident, the state patrol informed me it was considered a separate accident. I only had comprehensive coverage on my 2002 4-wheel-drive Chevy Trailblazer, which doesn’t cover damage from collisions.

 

I also found out the tow truck company charged me $235 for storage. They said if I did not pay the $235, they would wait 6 months and take me to court for $4,000. I ended up giving them the title card for the $235.

 

I had just replaced all four tires, new breaks, and water pump to make sure I can safely drive my 92-year-old Aunt Elfriede every Wednesday to lunch and to her TOPS support group meetings. We have had our weekly lunches since 2007, when she could no longer drive. The price of a four-wheel-drive SUV, with heated seats for my aunt, has doubled. I can’t replace this vehicle. I am currently borrowing a friend’s car every Wednesday to continue to take my aunt to her meetings and out to lunch. Unfortunately, this is a rear-wheel-drive sedan, so it isn’t a safe option to transport her in through a snowy Minnesota winter.

 

Nothing about this accident has been easy on me physically or mentally. I can still see the woman’s face in the overturned car prior to me breaking and turning.

 

My dermatologist, Dr. Tareen, is setting this account up for me. I am unfamiliar with GoFundMe, as I am 67 years old and computer illiterate. If this is a real thing, this is God’s blessing to me. God bless and thank you if this is real. - Dennis