Metro Atlanta mother says insurance will only cover fraction of son's international ATV accident
A metro Atlanta mother says after her son was involved in a severe ATV accident while vacationing, and now they're anticipating having to cover six figures in medical expenses.
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Metro Atlanta resident Karyn Stewart spoke with Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Ashli Lincoln over Zoom from her son's hospital room in Savannah, Ga.
'I think he may have hit a speed bump…he was catapulted off,' Stewart said.
Shariff Stewart received a severe brain injury while riding an ATV on vacation in Cancun, Mexico.
'He had to have emergency brain surgery,' she said.
Karyn Stewart says her son was hospitalized for a month before being airlifted to Savannah.
'We have no idea how expensive that will be,' she told Lincoln.
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However, Karyn Stewart says while her son is on the road to recovery, they're also growing concerned about the international hospital costs.
'This was a freakiest kind of accident, it's not something anybody would have thought about, or prepared for,' Karyn Stewart said.
Channel 2 consumer advisor Clark Howard says if you're going abroad for a significant amount of time, travel medical insurance may be essential.
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Howard says some insurance providers don't cover costs abroad and carry sky-high deductibles.
He says in most cases, travel medical insurance will cover emergency evacuation (medevac) to a hospital and other medical expenses.
It doesn't cover wellness exams, prescriptions, vision and dental services.
Cost can range from $4 to more than $100.
There are a number of companies that provide travel medical insurance. Clark recommends that travelers go to InsureMyTrip.com to compare prices and plans. The policies even come with reviews.
Stewart has created a GoFundMe to help with expenses. Click here if you would like to donate.
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Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
Americans tourists warned of increased threat in summer vacation hotspot
With summer travel approaching, officials are issuing a security alert to Americans who are using dating apps in certain areas of Mexico, warning travelers to use caution due to a rise in kidnappings linked to the apps. On Monday, the U.S. Embassy and consulates in Mexico shared a security alert after confirming "several reports of U.S. citizens being kidnapped by individuals the victims met on dating apps in recent months." "You've got to be careful, buyer beware. You've got to assume that something bad could happen to you in this process," Bobby McDonald, a retired supervisory Secret Service agent and a lecturer in criminal justice at the University of New Haven, shared with Fox News Digital about dating app dangers. "If you choose to use it, be on extra-high alert. Be extra careful of where you're meeting this person or persons. Make sure that it's in a public area. Make sure it's an area where you're going to have cell phone service. Make sure that you're just watching out for yourself, situational awareness. Be careful and let people know where you are," McDonald urged. McDonald added that these dating apps are the latest ruse criminals are using. "Apps are the next level of places where criminals are going to be able to act on their nefarious activities. And you've just got to watch out," McDonald said. "Again, there's not a whole lot we can do with respect to those apps or getting rid of them off the kids' phones or people's phones. People have just got to understand where they are, what they're doing and be ready to react to a bad situation and figure out how to get themselves out of it on the front end," he continued. The alert was issued for Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Nayarit areas. The embassy said that "victims and their family members in the United States have at times been extorted for large sums of money to secure their release." "Please be aware that this type of violence is not limited to one geographic area," the embassy said. The embassy added that travelers should use caution when meeting strangers, encouraging meetings in public places and avoiding isolated locations, "such as residences or hotel rooms, where crimes are most likely to occur." McDonald said that nothing about this alert surprised him. "This is just kind of the next iteration of what we need to worry about when we're traveling, whether it's with our families, with our students going on spring break, all of those type of things. There just always seems to be a next level of something that we have to watch out about," McDonald said. Embassy officials did not specifically name which dating apps were involved in the alert. McDonald recommended that anyone traveling out of the country or even to a new place in the United States "do a little bit of research before you travel" and know what "the surrounding area of where you're staying is like." "You need make sure that you are cautious of your surroundings. You need to have the phone number of the U.S. Embassy or consulate on your person. You need to make sure that you've made extra copies of your passport," McDonald said. "Not only leaving a copy at home, but having an extra copy with you." McDonald added that travelers also need to make sure they are communicating with people back home and letting them know where they're going and what they're doing while on vacation on these trips. "Just give people some information so that if, God forbid, something does happen to you, or you find yourself in a bad situation, there's somebody on the outside or back home that may be able to provide you some assistance," McDonald said. What makes these situations even more troublesome is that McDonald said that there may be no access to Wi-Fi where travelers are vacationing, especially after being abducted. "Depending upon your phone plan, there may not be any Wi-Fi in the area that you're taken to off of one of these areas or the resorts. So again, you want to try to minimize your ability to have something happen to you," McDonald reiterated. While McDonald does not discourage traveling to areas outside the country, he said to just be mindful of your surroundings and over communicate with loved ones. "Again, enjoy the area. Enjoy what's out there. Many places can be safe as long as you're keeping yourself in a safe area and watching what you're doing, providing information to loved ones and friends, and just making sure that you're enjoying yourself without putting yourself in harm's way," he said. McDonald said what he has seen in his experience is kidnappings evolving into extortion. "A lot of the issues are also moving towards extortion, taking pictures of you or having you on the phone, calling your parents or grandparents, asking them to wire money. There's a lot of different scams out there that you can easily find yourself involved with if you're not situationally aware of where you are and what's around," he explained. The U.S. Consulate General said it is reminding U.S. citizens that in the State Department's travel advisory for Mexico, Jalisco is classified as "Level 3," which means "reconsider travel" due to crime and kidnapping. The agency added that while Jalisco is classified as a higher threat, Nayarit is classified as "Level 2," meaning, "exercise increased caution" due to crime. Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom are other countries that also currently have Level 2 advisories from the State Department. The State Department said it reviews travel advisories on a regular basis and would update alerts "any time conditions change substantially." "The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas," a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "We take seriously our commitment to provide U.S. citizens with clear and reliable information about every destination in the world so they can make informed travel decisions. We make this information available to U.S. citizens so they can be aware of their surroundings and take necessary precautions." Level 1 and 2 advisories are reviewed every 12 months, while Levels 3 and 4 are reviewed at least every six months, the department added. The department also said that the security alert issued by the embassy is a reminder for "U.S. citizens to use caution when using dating apps." McDonald said that while he feels travelers don't need to put too much emphasis on the warning levels and the semantics, doing research prior to traveling and reading what the State Department is saying about the area is crucial in decision-making. "If you're a little bit concerned, and you've done your research on the area, and you're checking out what the State Department is saying, and they say 'exercise increased caution,' that would say to me, 'Hey, maybe you want to postpone your trip to that area,'" McDonald said. "That means that that area is on the radar, things are happening there or the potential for more things to happen there are out there." McDonald added that there are many safe places for travelers to escape to, and it's just a matter of being prepared. "We need to be able to choose wisely when we're picking our vacation times, and when there are advisories out there like this, we need to be cognizant of the fact that you don't want to step yourself into an area that might be having increased trouble at the moment," McDonald said. "It's situational awareness, knowledge of your area, a little bit of homework on the front end, and you can hopefully have a very safe and enjoyable vacation." Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Summer vacation: Savannah airport's nonstop destinations, cheap flights
Summer vacation is starting soon for many Savannah-area families. Want to get out of town? Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport offers several nonstop destinations if you want a quick and easy flight. Some of them are pretty cheap, if you plan it right. Here's what is available and which days you should target in order to save a buck: Akron/Canton, OH Appleton, WI Atlanta Baltimore Boston Charlotte, NC Chicago Cincinatti Cleveland Columbus, OH Dallas Denver Detroit Fort Lauderdale/Miami Grand Rapids, MI Hartford, CT Houston Indianapolis Louisville, KY Miami Minneapolis/St. Paul Nashville, TN New Haven, CT New Orleans New York City Newark, NJ Philadelphia Pittsburgh Providence, RI Punta Gorda/Fort Myers, FL St. Louis St. Pete/Tampa, FL Washington, D.C. Westchester, NY Akron/Canton, OH: June 15, June 27, July 14, or Aug. 4. Appleton, WI: Generally any Saturday. Boston: Most Sundays and Thursdays. Chicago (Midway International Airport): Fridays between June 6 and July 11, with June 13 and 27 being $78. Cincinatti: Most Mondays starting June 9 and a handful of Saturdays. Columbus: Multiple options on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with $84 on June 17, July 22, July 24, Aug. 3 and 7. Grand Rapids, MI: Saturdays between May 24 and June 21. Indianapolis: June 28 and July 5. Louisville, KY: Most Mondays and Fridays in June, July, and the first week of August. New Haven, CT: June 5 as well as Thursdays in a couple Sundays in July. Providence, RI: June 4 and July 2 for about $98. St. Louis (MidAmerica St. Louis Airport): June 14 for $79, July 5 for $81, and July 12 for $92. Washington, D.C. (Dulles International Airport): Thursdays between $78 and $85, also June 8, July 13, and July 20. Atlanta: Most Mondays and Sunday, down to about $171 starting July 21. Baltimore: Most Tuesdays and Wednesdays, around $173. Chicago (O'Hare International Airport): Mondays starting June 15 and Fridays starting July 4 offer tickets for around $157. Grand Rapids, MI: Saturdays between June 28 and July 26, all under $130. Hartford, CT: Wednesdays, with the cheapest on June 4 for $118. Indianapolis: Saturdays in June and July. Nashville, TN: Most Tuesdays and Wednesdays starting June 10 with tickets costing around $175. New Haven, CT: Sundays and Thursdays from June 8 through 29. New York City (John F. Kennedy International Airport): Most Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with $187 on June 4 and $193 on June 10-11. New York City (LaGuardia Airport): Tuesdays and Wednesdays for $179. Newark, NJ: May 30-31 and June 2-4 for $187. Philadelphia: Most weekdays, down to $149 on most Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Pittsburgh: Mondays as well as some Fridays and Saturdays. Providence, RI: Wednesdays, down to $107 on June 11 as well as July 9 and 16. St. Louis (MidAmerica St. Louis Airport): Sundays Washington, D.C. (Dulles International Airport): Sundays and Thursdays Westchester, NY: Wednesdays starting June 18 down to less than $170 starting July 16. Miguel Legoas is a Deep South Connect Team Reporter for Gannett/USA Today. Find him on X and Instagram @miguelegoas and email at mlegoas@ This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Travel tips for summer vacation 2025: Cheap nonstop flights in Savannah
CNN
18 hours ago
- CNN
‘I always felt like I didn't have enough': Why this American woman moved from California to Mexico 20 years ago
As a single mother of three 'living paycheck to paycheck' in California, Janet Blaser had become resigned to constantly worrying about paying her bills and always 'feeling less than.' However, she began reevaluating her life after a series of events led her to take a 'random vacation' to Mazatlán, Mexico in April 2005. 'I really wanted an adventure,' Janet tells CNN Travel. Less than a year later, she relocated from Santa Cruz, California, to the vibrant city, situated along Mexico's west coast. 'It's home now,' she adds. So what led Janet, originally from Long Island, New York, to pack up her life and move hundreds of miles away? 'My mom was ill and dying,' she says. 'And she really, really encouraged me to follow my dreams.' Janet goes on to explain that her mother was 'full of regrets' about 'things she hadn't done' as she neared the end of her life, and this 'stuck' in her head. Around the same time, Janet, who had worked as a reporter for years, was at a crossroads professionally and felt as though she needed to 'think outside the box.' 'I was 50,' she says. 'So I wasn't the candidate that people wanted.' Her children were all grown up by this point, and she was frustrated that she didn't own her own home after living in California for half of her life, and felt as though she'd never be able to achieve this. 'The prices were unbelievable,' she adds, admitting that she 'kind of felt invisible, or a little useless.' Keen for a change of scenery, Janet decided to travel to Mazatlán, a city she'd never visited previously, after reading about it online. 'I was in California, where there were so many Mexican Americans,' she says, explaining that she'd visited the country once previously, but had mainly vacationed in the Caribbean over the years. 'And I thought, 'Let me go to Mexico and see what it's like.' So I got to Mazatlán, and it sounds so corny, but it just touched my heart.' Janet goes on to explain that after spending several days of sunbathing, she took a walk to the Centro Historico and 'fell head over heels in love' with the area. 'Even now, I'm embarrassed to say that, because it seems so dorky,' she adds, explaining that 'felt like home' while walking through the town's cobblestone streets and taking in its old buildings. 'But I think when you're in the right place, you feel it. You sense it.' Although she'd never considered moving to Mexico before then, after 10 days in Mazatlán, Janet decided that it was exactly where she needed to be. 'I still needed to work,' Janet points out. 'And had the idea of publishing a magazine in English for the many Americans and Canadians living in and visiting Mazatlán… 'So that was my big aha moment.' Once she'd returned to Santa Cruz, Janet started 'fanatically' researching Mazatlán to determine whether it would be possible for her to move to the city and run a business there. Six months later, she returned for a month to get a real feel for the place before making a final decision. 'I wanted to see, could I actually live here and be comfortable,' she explains. 'I think that especially when you're in another country, where there's so many things that are different and unknown. 'To have kind of these little creature comforts to settle you is important. At least it is for me.' After determining that 'everything seemed to be workable,' Janet returned to the US and set about the process of winding down her life there. 'All my kids were really supportive,' she adds. In January 2006, Janet set off on a four-day road trip to Mazatlán, packing her belongings into her 'little car,' and leaving behind everything she knew. However, she admits that she quickly began to question her decision. 'I was caught up in the excitement of it,' Janet explains. 'And then once I started driving, I probably cried the whole four days. 'I cried and cried and cried. I was like, 'What am I doing?' And I kept calling them. And they'd be like, 'No, this is your dream. Go do your dream.'' Although she admits that she considered turning back at one point and struggled to read the Spanish road signs, Janet kept going. By the time she arrived in Mazatlán, everything 'felt familiar.' She moved into a rented property and set about integrating herself into the local community. 'It was really easy to meet people,' she says. 'So I felt really welcomed and like I could do this.' Janet, who had previously taken Spanish classes at a local high school, instantly took to life in Mazatlán, loving how friendly the people were and the fact that there was a 'close community of foreigners.' 'I was just so excited about being here,' she says. 'I had a little bit of savings. I had work online, and it was an adventure.' She loved the tropical climate, along with the 'live-and-let-live mindset' and found that she was continuously 'buoyed' by the excitement of her new adventure. 'Even if I'd get depressed or sad, I missed my kids, and couldn't call anybody,' she says. 'Then I go out the door and it's mango season. And they're literally falling on the sidewalk from a giant tree… I started surfing. There were just so many opportunities to have fun. 'I didn't have those in the States. I don't know why.' The lower living costs also helped immensely — Janet says that her rent was usually under $250 a month in her first few years in the country, while her cell phone and utility bills were also considerably less than she'd been paying in the US. 'That made a huge difference, obviously, in my stress level,' she says. 'I've never paid more than $35 a month for electricity, even with air conditioning running a lot during the summer.' However, while her life was more abundant, Janet stresses that she struggled at times and often felt lonely. 'It was not all easy,' she concedes, noting that getting Wi-Fi connected at home wasn't as simple as it is now, and her cell phone initially didn't work in Mexico, so she was unable to communicate with her family regularly for a while. Janet also discovered that her Spanish wasn't as good as she'd previously thought, and not being able to speak the language confidently meant that it was harder for her to form strong bonds. 'You can't joke with people, because you can't speak the language enough to make a joke,' she says, adding that her Spanish has since improved enough for her to be able to crack jokes comfortably. 'I find that's often a way to kind of break the ice and feel comfortable, to be kind of funny.' Although Janet loved the way of life in Mazatlán, she says that it took her 'about two-three years' to feel really acclimated. She initially found some of the cultural differences, such as the clothing styles, particularly for women, difficult to get used to. 'There's full makeup and stiletto heels in the grocery store at eight in the morning,' she says, stressing that this might not be the case in the rest of the country. 'And coming from hippie Santa Cruz, that was really weird for me.' Dating in Mexico also proved to be 'a whole different thing' for her, as the relationship dynamics were not what she was used to. 'The relationships with their families, that was expected to be part of the relationship with the boyfriend,' she says. 'So that was challenging to say the least.' Janet says she's learned to stop worrying about time so much and no longer panics if she's running late, as 'it's just not a big deal' there. 'The joke is, 'mañana' doesn't mean tomorrow. It's just a suggestion,' she says. Within two years of arriving, Janet had published the first issue of her magazine, aimed at foreigners living in the area, and went on to found the city's first organic farmer's market. Perhaps most importantly, she felt much happier and more valued. 'I don't want to say I've been depressed in Santa Cruz,' she says. 'But I've been stressed about having work and being able to pay the bills. 'And what was I going to do? And I was 50. And I didn't have those worries down here.' Janet was able to attain a permanent resident visa, known as an FM 3 at the time, relatively easily. 'The process and requirements have changed significantly since I got mine 19 years ago,' she notes. 'Now the financial requirements are much, much higher than they used to be.' Reflecting on her final years in California, Janet says that she had felt a lot of pressure due to 'the consumerism that's so much a part of American culture' and worried about things like not having a new car. 'In the States, I always felt like I didn't have enough and I wasn't succeeding,' she says. 'And I feel like I succeeded here, I was able to succeed. I started the business. I started the farmers market, which is still going on, and I've given myself a wonderful life.' Janet returns to the US to see her children and grandchildren regularly, but admits that she feels 'nervous' there now. 'My granddaughters have active shooter drills in their elementary school…' she says. 'I don't even know what to say about that.' The US State Department currently advises against traveling to six of Mexico's 32 states, with crime and kidnapping listed as the cause for advisories for several. While she's certainly aware of the crime issues in the country, Janet says that she's always felt safe there, and takes 'normal precautions for a single woman living in a big state.' 'Do I worry about random violence? No, it just doesn't happen here,' she says, adding that she feels that the issues on the 'border towns' are 'not indicative of the rest of the gigantic country that is Mexico.' 'People don't want to have guns. And that's a very different mindset than in the US… 'I don't worry when I go to Walmart that somebody's going to shoot me. I don't worry when I go to a street festival that someone's going to run a car through the people. 'I worry about that stuff when I'm in the US. And what do you do? I don't know how people live there.' However, Janet admits that she misses her family and would love to be able to spend more time in the US. 'In my perfect world, I would have a base in Mazatlán and be able to visit each of my three kids in the US for a month or so each year,' she adds, pointing out that she's also keen to spend more time in Italy after a recent vacation to the European country. 'I don't feel comfortable or at ease going back and forth to the US anymore,' she adds. Janet, who supports herself mainly through her social security benefits, says that she'd advise anyone considering moving to Mexico, to make sure that they have 'all their ducks in a row' before taking the plunge. 'We have this saying here that people often leave their brains at the border,' she says. 'So don't do that… 'Listen to your heart. As airy fairy as that sounds, Listen to your heart and you can create a life.' She published her first book, 'Why We Left: An Anthology of American Women Expats,' in 2019 and is currently working on a series about Americans living in other countries. When questioned about the impact of the growing number of foreigners who've flocked to Mexico in recent years, Janet notes that real estate prices in the country have likely risen as a result. 'Whether we like it or not, we're kind of glorified tourists, and our presence affects the local lifestyle in both positive and negative ways,' she says. Janet sometimes wonders about where she would have likely ended up if she hadn't taken that vacation to Mazatlán two decades ago, and says she has no idea. 'Where would I be? What would I be doing? I can't even imagine,' she says. 'I don't even know. I mean, would I be living with my son and his wife in Santa Cruz?… Would I have found work I could do?' Around four years ago, Janet decided to leave Mazatlán after becoming frustrated by the huge amount of development taking place in the city, moving to an inland mountain area in San Antonio Tlayacapan on the north shore of Lake Chapala, near Ajijic. 'Now there are 25 and 30 story condo towers with 300 condos just lined along the ocean,' she says. 'And I watched that happening, and it broke my heart.' However, less than a year later she realized that she'd made a mistake, and returned 'home.' 'Each time, I followed my heart. What can I say?' she explains. 'And when I moved, after six months, I was like, 'What am I doing here? What was I thinking? Where is the ocean? Where are my friends?'' Now happily back in Mazatlán, Janet currently lives in a studio apartment with a balcony, and an ocean view, paying around $550 a month in rent, including utilities. 'Nowhere is perfect, but Mazatlán has this heart,' she says. 'They call it the 'Corazón' (Spanish for 'heart.') 'And there is a warmth and a sense of community here. That is what originally attracted me to it… There's a heart here and that is still beating, even in the midst of all this development. 'There's still these really nice people. There's still family-owned restaurants and businesses. 'So I just figure I need to focus on that part of it and try not to look up at those big condos. And if I could afford to, I would buy one too.'
