To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Aussie Tourist Whacked With £1,325 Medical Bill After Breaking Nail In US

Aussie Tourist Whacked With £1,325 Medical Bill After Breaking Nail In US

Thankfully she had insurance to cover the cost

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

An Aussie tourist was whacked with a AUD $2,500 (£1,325 / US $1,700) medical bill after breaking her nail while on holiday in Hawaii.

Rachael Minaway had only just landed when she accidentally got her finger caught in the glove-box of her rental car.

At first, she ignored the pain and attempted to carry on with her holiday.

Speaking to news.com.au, she said: "We had a late check-in, so we headed straight for the beach, and we were so excited to run out of the car and get into the water."

Rachael Minaway had only just arrived in the US when she broke her nail.
Rachael Minaway

"We were packing away the GPS in the glove-box, and I was being too quick and smashed my fingernail between the dashboard and the glove-box, and it cracked.

"I didn't think it was a big deal at all, it's happened to all of us before."

But when her finger went numb, she realised she should go and see a doctor and used the car's GPS to look for the nearest medical centre.

"We typed in 'medical centre' in the GPS," she explained. "And I guess in Hawaii they call hospitals 'medical centres' because it directed us to the closest emergency room.

"At that point my hand was really hurting, and we thought, 'OK, they'll just tell us what to do.'

"We just wanted to get back to our trip. And I was wasting my friend's time for a fingernail, it was so silly."

Once at the hospital, a doctor checked out the injury and advised Rachael that the best course of action of was to remove the nail, which she agreed to as long as she could have a local anaesthetic to help with the pain.

The nail was removed, and Rachael and her friend were ready to leave following the 30-minute consultation, however, as they went to check out at reception, Rachael was handed a bill for AUD $1,200 (£650 / US $830) which she had to pay on the spot.

Rachael Minaway was whacked with a hefty bill for her 30-minute treatment.
Rachael Minaway

Thankfully, Rachael had taken out insurance before she flew and was able to lodge a claim to get her money back.

But months later, once she was back home in Sydney, she was still receiving bills and invoices - adding up to a whopping AUD $2,500 for the broken nail.

She added: "I remember emailing them after the first one and saying, 'No, sorry, I've already paid for this,' but the invoices were for different things.

"They kept finding new things to bill me for. After a few months I regretted giving them my real address.

"It was pretty upsetting. I was six months pregnant at that point, and I kept thinking, 'Imagine if I didn't have insurance and actually had to pay for all this myself.'"

Luckily for Rachael her insurance covered all the costs. So, make sure you book your holiday insurance before you go away this year, eh?

Featured Image Credit: Rachael Minaway

Topics: US News, Australia, Health