Adding Insult (and Litigation) to Injury

I know that there are two sides to every story, but I can't help but be outraged over this story by Brett Shipp of WFAA TV about a Richardson (Texas) Independent School District employee who was injured on the job and then later fired & sued by the school district.

David O'Reilly is an autistic man who was working for the RISD in 2006 when he was hit by a school district-owned van while on the job. The injury nearly killed O'Reilly and left him with multiple broken bones and lacerations, and later required lung surgery due to fluid build-up caused by the accident.

While the RISD did pay for the emergency treatment, its workers compensation insurance carrier denied requests for necessary follow-up treatment, including surgery to repair a torn muscle in O'Reilly's shoulder. Pretty sorry way to treat an employee you almost killed, eh? It gets worse.

Twelve weeks after the accident, David O'Reilly was fired from his job because he was unable to work due to his still untreated injuries. Then, for their most unbelievable act, the Richardson Independent School District filed suit against O'Reilly to recoup their expenses for his original medical treatment stating that his injuries are "ordinary disease of life" and unrelated to the accident with the van.

To date, the school district has spent over $32,000 of taxpayer money suing David O'Reilly.

Most school districts work extremely hard in the face of tremendous adversity to provide our children with the valuable education that they need to become productive citizens. In Richardson, Texas, part of that education is apparently about how to run away from your responsibilities and take advantage of the disabled.

Way to go RISD!