TN, Memphis: After 34 years of service and 10 months in hospital, city and comp insurer throwing this sanitation workers life away

*NOTE: The city of Memphis may be the Workman's Compensation insurance carrier, I am assuming that they are 2 separate entities.

FAST FACTS:

• Memphis sanitation worker Carl Johnson hurt last year when garbage truck backs over him
• Johnson spends 10 months in hospital and faces more operations and rehab
• Johnson says city alerted him it plans to drop Johnson from payroll and cut off medical benefits

Life sucks, you bust your ass to feed the family, you do it year after year, obviously your a good worker, you made it for 34 years without getting terminated. You are a good employee and in this era when ill informed people talk about unions being a thing of the past they highlight how 'good' employers have become.

For Carl Johnson, who was the breadwinner for his family and taking care of his disabled mother, he didn't deserve what happened. They call them accidents for a reason, Carl was behind a truck driven by a rookie driver, who mistakingly ran it in reverse and according to Carl, "The truck hit me here and crushed my pelvis and stuff."

Carl Johnson was severely injured, so severe in fact that he would spend the next 10 months of his life in a hospital.

It seems that the Johnson family left the matter in the hands of the insurance company and the City of Memphis, BIG MISTAKE, because when Carl returned home on April 1st., he got a letter from the insurance company explaining as Carl puts it "They said you will be dropped from workman's comp and receive your last paycheck May 10th.", to make matters even worse Memphis city has a policy that states no employee can be off a city job longer than 12 consecutive months due to disability from a job related illness.

So now Carl is now without Workman's Comp, without his jobs medical benefits and without income. This man broke his ass for his city, didn't get legal council because he left it to fate that the right thing would be done and is disabled! What is going on in Memphis? Why is Carl in this predicament? Why is any tax paying American worker ever screwed into a situation like this? According to the city, Mr.Johnson can apply for Long Term Disability and Social Security, which Carl says ($1,300) wouldn't even put a dent in his medical bills.

Lisa, Carl's sister, in speaking of others who have wound up in similar situations in Memphis, states "I feel like they should have and could have done more for them, just as he did for them.". The Johnson family has now hired legal council for help and to hopefully help others, by having Carl's case serve as an example of changes needed.

I hope it helps, no worker should ever be in the bind that Carl is in, it makes you feel as if the insurance company wished he died. What a savage race we are, the corporate greed is immeasurable and the city bureaucracy is appalling. The same way the Johnson family is being screwed is the same way it can happen to any one of us.

Source for information: Injured City Sanitation Worker Says City Throwing Him to the Curb News 3 (5/13/08)