I was employed at a Wal-Mart in VA. I was injured on Easter morning 2006 at around 5am. I was stocking in grocery and had boxes fall on my neck and back from a pallet that was over stocked. I reported the incident to my manager that night when I came back in for my shift.
My manager in turn knowing I couldn't hardly walk asked if I wanted to work that night and I told her no that I wanted to go the hosp. Before she would let me go I had to fill out all the paperwork.
At the hosp which was 5 minutes from the store the ER dr ordered xrays and brought them into the room to show me that I had to chipped vertabrea's. I returned home and called the store back to let my manager know what was said this being about 1am, she informed me to be back at the store at 6am to go for a drug test.
I returned like I was told to another manager had to go with me to "their" panel dr, when the drs office opened she walked in with me then turned around and left. I was told I needed to be seen by the dr that day, the receptionist called Wal-Mart to get the ok for them to pay the office visit and the HR woman said they would pay for it.
I was seen by a nurse practitioner, not the dr. The nurse practitioner wanted to keep me out of work until she could get comp to pay for an MRI, she called comp and they refused to pay for. She told me that she could only keep me out that night, since I was off the next day I went to see my family dr the day I was suppose to have returned to work.
My dr has had me out of work since April 19th. Upon examination my dr felt as though I had a herniated disk and has been treating me for it since. I was sent medical leave of absence forms from Wal-Mart to have my dr to fill out and did so and returned it only after making a photo copy of it.
I tried 3 attorneys in my local area to go after Wal-Mart since their privately owned insurance company turned me down for comp saying that I didn't get hurt during the scope of my employment duties. I ended up going out of state to find an attorney to help me. I had to go for depositions over 2 hours from home with Wal-Mart's attorney who tried to force me into leaving my family dr to see their panel dr.
During this time I received a letter from our general manager telling me that he had to hear from me by a certain date because my medical leave of absence was about to run out. He had photo copied my forms and had filled in the date of my return where my dr had left it open as indefinite. Wal-Mart ended up terminating me.
Wal-Mart's attorney decided that they would pay for an MRI, this was in Oct and I was injured in April, I was sent for independent medical evaluation with their panel dr, who looked at me and told me plainly that "there is nothing wrong with you. Nothing will show up on your MRI. I guarantee you that. What drugs are you on?"
I went for the MRI the next day my attorney called me and informed me that Wal-Mart's lawyer had called him and he'd spoken with the panel dr and the panel dr told him that "NOTHING" showed up in my MRI. The panel dr also told Wal-Mart attorney that he'd released me to go back to work the day he'd seen me, which he never said nothing about that day.
My husband took me over to the hosp where the MRI was done and I got copies of the report. (NOTHING) wrong bull crap. 2 herniated disks, a tumor on a vertbrea, narrowing of the spinal canal, degenerative disk disease, neuropathy and nerve and muscle damage.
Comp turned my claim down. I am not able to work. I can hardly walk, and have been told to look forward to life in a wheelchair. All thanks to Wal-Mart.
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