Hot peppers sent him to the ER. Two years later, a ‘ghost bill’ arrived.

Maxwell Kruzic said he was in such “crippling” stomach pain Oct. 5, 2023, that he had to pull off the road twice as he drove himself to the emergency room at Mercy Regional Medical Center in Durango, Colorado. “It was the worst pain of my life,” he said. Kruzic was seen immediately because hospital staff members were pretty sure he had appendicitis. They inserted an IV, called a surgeon and sent him off for a scan to confirm the diagnosis.Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most import