CABL Forum - Re: ANY LINEMEN DEALT WITH DISABILITY,I'D LIKE HEA

Sorry to hear of your husbands problem,I was injured six years ago on the job.I was hanging strand in the mtns,we had got the truck stuck just barely on top of the red clay,the lockers in its rear didn't help,We took a piece of strand ran it dowm the road 300ft. to the next pole,tied it off and hooked the cable jack and the grip to the front of the truck,my grunt would jack it tight and I would dump the clutch and gain a little ground,then it seemed like it wouldn't move any farther,I didn't want to call a wrecker,and I was already mad,so I had my grunt change places with me knowing I was stronger.Mr.Badass,me I get on the jack and jacked it so tight it pinched the strand into,the strand goes one way and me with the grip I had on the jack and the truck went the other.I thought I had pulled a muscle,worked three more days in pain.Got home Friday night at about 1am I woke up feeling like someone had stabbed me in the spine between the shoulders with a knife.I had WC and no health ins..Owner of my co.as a subcontractor.I go to the doctor who sends me for an MRI,they find c-5 hernated,c-6 ruptured to the front of my spine.My doctor sends me to a surgeon he examines me and studies my MRI and decides that I need an anterior disectomy.This was on a tuesday,I was scheduled,for the next day to meet with the surgeon and the insurance claims adjuster,so it seemed everything was go ahead.I went to the hospital when we finished at the surgeon's and had my blood work done and filled out the paperwork to be operated on on Friday.The hospital admissions said please call us back tomorrow and make sure everything is going to go through with your insurance.I said ok ,thinking to myself this was an odd thing for them to say,but everything seemed ok with the insurance.I call the hospital the next day they tell me the operation has been cancled the insurance has denied the claim.I could have died.I called my insurance co. and they said yes it was true.This is when Hell began,this was March 7th,from march to July I suffered on pain killers in pain.Between March and July I lost the use of my right arm,I couldn't even sign my name.We lost the house,bucket truck,a car,another truck and a boat,everything in my name.We had to go on food stamps.Finally medicade picked it up after we had lost everything.On July 29th I was operated on .Medicade paid out almost 30 grand for the operation.In the mean time I got a laywer to take the case on contingency.He sued my WC.In Sept.they setteled out of court.I took a settlement for much less than what I would had I ever had to go through it again I was tired of welfare and wanted to go back to work.In settling in this way the insurance co.did not have to repay the state for the money it spent.I found out this was a common practice for WC companys.I was out of work for 47weeks.It was the greatest hell my family has ever had to endure.I wouldn't wish it on anyone.The best advice I can give you is to find a (GOOD) laywer that will take it on a contingcy,that means he gets part of your settlement,wether it is ins,WC or social security.You must seek the best attorney you can find and make sure these are their fields of expertise.I apologise that you had to read everything I wrote to get the information you needed in the last sentence,but I wanted you to realize I've been there.I wish you the best of luck,and tell the hubby if he is like me he can keep one statement in his mind,it was best said by the Terminator "I'll be BACK!!" Tell him believe in this and work through his pain.Recovery hurts like hell,no matter how bad rehab hurts tell him if he wants to come back he has to take the pain.If he allows it to get the best of him he will be a cripple forever.You just gotta keep on keepin on.I feel you pain.May God watch over your Family!! "WHITFIELD"

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Re: ANY LINEMEN DEALT WITH DISABILITY,I'D LIKE HEA