David Potter, a 53-year-old battalion chief with the City of Puyallup Fire Department, died of T-cell lymphocytic leukemia June 1, 2006. Under Washington law, his cancer is presumed to be an occupational disease for firefighters. He needed an $100,000 down payment to receive a life-saving bone-marrow transplant which should have been covered by Puyallup and its insurer, Safety National Casualty.
Instead, the city and Safety National Casualty dragged out David’s claim and tried to prove his 21 years as a firefighter did not cause the leukemia. David and his family were unable to raise the money for the down payment themselves. David never received the treatment and died almost a year after finding out he had the aggressive cancer. His family filed a lawsuit against the City of Puyallup and its insurer for wrongfully denying David’s treatment.
Have you ever been treated badly by your insurance company?
Share this content with others:
