In April of 2007 Charles Robison, a worker for Texas-based West Star Transportation, suffered a traumatic brain injury after falling headfirst off an unevenly loaded flatbed trailer. At the time of the accident, West Star had “opted-out” of the Texas workers’’ compensation system and forfeited its protection against negligence law suits by its employees.
Mr. Robison filed a lawsuit in January of 2009 against his employer, and a jury found that West Star’s negligence caused Mr. Robison’s injuries. He was awarded $5.3 million dollars in damages.
The judgment included: “$3.7 million for Mr. Robison’s past and future medical care, $1 million for past and future physical pain and mental anguish and $400,000 for Ms. Robison’s past and future loss of consortium, as well as additional payments for Mr. Robison’s loss of earning capacity and physical impairment.”
On January 23, 2015 a three-judge panel in the Texas 7th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upheld the jury’s decision. Employers who want to be allowed to “opt-out” of workers’’ compensation programs need to understand that one of the great benefits to the employer under workers’’ compensation is the protection against civil law suits.
Original post by Sheena Harrison, writer for www.businessinsurance.com
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