Fil-Am Police in Florida Shooting Denied Compensation for PTSD
Don Tagala, ABS-CBN News
After wrapping and carrying dead bodies out of the Pulse Night Club massacre in Orlando, Florida last June, Filipino-American cop Gerry Realin was allegedly denied worker’s compensation to pay for the treatment he needed for suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The 36-year old first responder said the smell of death still haunts him.
“It didn’t look like the beautiful people I’m sure they were. [There was] a lot of blood, and I still see all the red. It was dark. There was just that smell,” he said.
Realin, a member of the Orlando Police hazmat team for ten years now, has been diagnosed with PTSD and hypertension as a result of a four to five hours of work, removing victims’ bodies on the night of the Pulse nightclub shooting.
As the sole provider for his family, Realin said, while he is on paid leave now, he fears that under a Florida state law, the city may not continue to pay for his salary.
Realin’s wife, Jessica, said a loophole lets the Police Department off the hook for workman’s compensation claims under PTSD because the psychological condition is not considered a work-related injury.
Worried about the finances, she launched a GoFundMe page online to raise $15,000 to pay for his medical expenses. On its 11th day, it has raised at least $7,630.
Realin is hoping that with the help of legislators, the law can be amended so that all first responders can receive treatment and compensation for psychological or nervous injury.
(Source: ABS-CBN.com)