Sharon's Story - Taking on Worker's Comp

It should have been a routine Workers’ Comp case. Instead, it turned into a 10 month ordeal, which only ended well because HAS intervened.

It all started when a step gave way and 57-year old Sharon broke her foot at one of her company’s construction sites. Since she was with her boss at the time, there was no doubt it was an “on-the-job” injury, and she had her company’s full support to submit the claim.

The initial response from Workers’ Comp was encouraging. They provided Sharon with a list of physicians to choose from and assured her boss she would get whatever she needed. As instructed, Sharon made an appointment to see Dr Murphy, one of the doctors on the list, who confirmed that her foot was badly broken and would need surgery. However, when he submitted the surgery request to Workers’ Comp for approval, it was denied. Instead, Sharon was told she would need to wait an additional 8 weeks to see if her foot would heal on its own.

The CAT scan Sharon had 8 weeks later showed no healing. Dr. Murphy again submitted a surgery request and again was denied. When he asked why, he was told “We believe it is healing,” even though the CAT scan and his own examination showed otherwise.

In constant pain and unable to put any weight on her foot, Sharon was beginning to believe she was going to spend the rest of her life permanently disabled. And that may be what would have happened, if her brother in Portland hadn’t told her to call HAS.

HAS’s research quickly uncovered that Florida, the state Sharon lived in, is notorious for problems with Workers’ Comp—so she would need to hire an attorney to handle her case. HAS helped Sharon find a local attorney with Workers’ Comp experience, and then worked with him and Sharon to build her case.

Throughout the next 5 months of mediation and depositions and requests for surgery being submitted and denied, HAS never stopped providing Sharon with the advocacy and emotional support she needed to prevail. And prevail she finally did, having the surgery and making a full recovery.

“I owe so much to HAS,” Sharon explains. “I had literally reached the point where I didn’t know where to go or what to do, and neither did my doctors. HAS found me a lawyer I could trust who agreed to take my case without an upfront fee. And they worked with me for all those months, helping me to keep on going and not settle for less than I was entitled to. It’s because of HAS that my foot is healed and I can walk today.

“I also want to thank all the people whose donations support HAS. I know I was paying a reduced rate for HAS’s help, and that it wouldn’t have been possible without their donations to cover the difference. Obviously, I’m going to be an HAS donor for life. But please know how very grateful I am for the help you gave me.”