Paralyzed medic wins fight with insurance company, vows to ditch wheelchair by daughter's graduation

ATLANTA - A Woodstock man left paralyzed while assigned to protect diplomats overseas will no longer have to wonder whether his insurance company will pay his bills.

A federal administrative law judge ruled Willie Myers should be given full benefits. That includes making his past and future medical bills the insurance company's responsibility.

The FOX 5 I-Team first reported on Willie Myers' frustrating fight earlier this year, a former medic cut off from benefits he said he needs to one day ditch his wheelchair and move with limited assistance.

Myers belonged to the group of Americans who work as private contractors overseas. They're not part of the military, not eligible for the benefits given to soldiers or Marines who are injured. Instead, the private company is required by federal law to provide them private insurance.

Myers argued his insurance company was intentionally delaying his claim, hoping he would settle for a fraction of what he deserved. Turns out, he's not the only one making that sort of allegation. We found others across the country -- some who testified before Congress -- accusing multiple insurance companies of pulling the same trick, the companies arguing the injury did not really happen in a so-called Zone of Special Danger.

Consider Myers' case. His company had a contract with the U.S. State Department. Myers was a medic, assigned to protect important diplomats like Condeleeza Rice and John Kerry. He often worked in Iraq and Afghanistan.

His injury took place in the Mediterranean, off the coast of Israel. While training for a PT test in 2014, a freak wave sent Myers crashing to the bottom, then hurled his body to the shore. When he regained consciousness two days later in the hospital, he couldn't move his legs or arms. He was a quadriplegic.

He filed for benefits, and for a while his insurance company paid for rehab at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta. But in 2015, the company dropped coverage, arguing that Myers really wasn't injured on the job but while he was off duty. Plus, the attorney for Allied World National Assurance argued it should not have to pay because Israel was not in the required Zone of Special Danger like Iraq or Afghanistan.

"I was injured preparing for a PT test which was a job requirement because if I didn't pass it, I would have been sent home for being unphysically fit," argued Myers. He had to take his employer, International Development Solutions, and the insurance carrier to federal court.

That was in March. When we met Myers, he was spending virtually all of his time confined to a wheelchair in his Woodstock home, missing valuable rehab time because he could not afford it. After our original report aired, the Shadow Warriors Project arranged for Myers to resume his rehab at the Shepherd Center. The charity is made up of other former independent contractors including some of the survivors depicted in the film "13 Hours."

He was able to make progress, carefully lifting his right arm and supporting himself with the aid of a walker and Shepherd therapist.

In late October, the courts ruled, awarding Myers everything he asked for. He said he received roughly $145,000 in backpay, plus $1346 each week indefinitely. And all his past and future medical bills are to be paid by the insurance company.

Judge Monica Markley wrote "Claimant was required to routinely carry equipment and body armor in excess of seventy pounds."

And this: "Given the solitary and physically demanding nature of Claimant's activity, I find that Claimant's injury occurred while he was engaged in exercise to prepare himself for his job duties and the position's physical fitness examinations."

"That was an awesome day," admitted Myers.

And that means at least four hours a day, twice a week, Willie Myers won't be stuck in his den. He'll be at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, planning his next mission: finding a good seat for his daughter's high school graduation May 23, 2017.

"Put it this way," Myers explained. "My goal is not to take a wheelchair to her graduation."