My inner circle has some really special folks. Everyone in that circle was angered today by the bait and switch by Nationwide (see my
earlier post for the details).
To be clear; these are folks who are privy to the aspects of this story I haven’t told here yet. You think this is all bad now; try cutting yourself out of your own house…that you are trapped in….with your one good hand running a reciprocating saw….18 hours after the power goes out. These are some of the parts of the story I haven’t told publicly yet.
That being said, I think my inner circle knew how much of a blow today was with this insurance company fuckery. I knew I was in the clear, regarding the car, on a Friday….I had to cover my deductible. Knowing that, I paid other bills that I felt I could over the weekend. On Tuesday/Wednesday that situation was completely reversed for me when the insurance company decided “they had made a mistake.”
Thank you Ben Titus. He jumped on the momentum that was already building on social media for a potential
Go Fund Me campaign, and made it happen.
My name is Ben, and I’m fundraising for a good friend and colleague, Brittany Frompovich.
On July 14, Brittany, aka Lady Bass Music in Fredericksburg, VA was hit with a double whammy. In the morning, a fall at home resulted in a fractured wrist that has taken her out of performance commission for the foreseeable future. It also has hampered her ability to teach- she is a multi-instrumentalist specializing in double bass, electric bass, and guitar. Between the physical limitations as well as the numerous doctor’s visits needed to treat the break and get it healed correctly, Brittany faces several months of recovery before all is back to normal. Brittany depends on teaching and performance- it’s literally her day gig.
Worse yet- that evening, while recovering after the doctor’s visit, massive storms rolled through Fredericksburg, turning her neighborhood and many others nearby into war zones with downed trees, power lines, and damage. Among the damaged property was Brittany’s beloved ‘Supervan 2.0’, a meticulously maintained 2008 Dodge Caravan SXT, 4.0. A neighbor’s neglected tree was downed during the storm, doing significant damage to the van and the roof of Brittany’s house. After 2 days of work, the tree was removed and the van was able to make it to the shop under it’s own power. After some back and forth, her insurance company told her that they would be repairing the van, only to take that back and inform her that they were totaling it out. Being an older vehicle, it’s depreciated, so in order to replace the vehicle with something that’s equivalently reliable, it’s going to take MUCH more than the insurance company is willing to pay out.
Anyone that knows Brittany knows that Supervan 2.0 is an integral part of Lady Bass Music. It has carted equipment for her students across the DelMarVA region tirelessly for gigs, clinics, and other learning opportunities. It’s crisscrossed the country on numerous tours supporting different artists, moved friends, family, and neighbors, and been the Swiss Army knife that Brittany lives by.
Brittany also works tirelessly for her students to help them grow and succeed, whether they are hobbyists doing it for fun all the way up to the professional level. Artists locally and nationally look to Brittany hold down the low end as a bassist and singer in their groups. Any help that we can give Brittany to support her getting things back up and running would be most welcome!
Update 1- August 5, 2021by Ben Titus, Organizer
We are absolutely blown away by the response to this- thanks so much to everyone that’s donated so far! This just goes to show how much of an impact Brittany has had on so many folks. Please feel free to continue spreading the word, and I’ll keep you guys updated as we hear more from the insurance folks as well as the medical people with Brittany’s recovery timetable and needs.
Update 2 – August 6, 2021
Just wanted to drop another update – wow, the outpouring of support has been tremendous! A couple of days ago, Brittany went to the body shop and brought the van home. It left some coolant in it’s wake, but it made it home under its own power. Since this GoFundMe has been so successful so far, there is a realistic chance that the van could be rebuilt with minimal insurance involvement – this would mean that the van could avoid having a salvage or rebuilt brand on the title. It’s also a heck of a lot cheaper than trying to replace the van with an equivalent vehicle. With the used car market being the way it is, a direct replacement for this van with the same equipment, engine, and condition, and 150k-ish miles would be at least $7000! Moving to something newer at least doubles this as the price of entry. Research is ongoing right now on the parts list for the van to see if we can come in under the $5100 quote from the body shop.
The unknown right now is the medical aspect. Thankfully, Brittany can’t technically be “totaled” by her insurance, but her performance schedule has obviously been greatly impacted. Add in visits for specialists and PT, and that could start adding up.As a result, I’m going to bump up the goal for this a little bit. Every bit that we can generate expands the options regarding the van, plus makes sure that Brittany can get the rehab needed to be back on stage and in studio ASAP! Thanks again to everyone who’s already donated, as well as to folks considering it!
