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Wal-Mart: Brain-damaged former employee can keep money
Walmart told Shank's family that she would not have to pay for her medical expenses. Shank, A former Wal-Mart employee suffered severe brain damage in a traffic accident. Eight years ago, Debbie Shank was stocking shelves for the retail giant and signed up for Wal-Mart's health and benefits plan. After a tractor-trailer slammed into her minivan, the 52-year-old mother of three lost much of her short-term memory and was confined to a wheelchair. She now lives in a nursing home. Shank also lost her 18-year-old son, Jeremy, who was killed shortly after arriving in Iraq. When Debbie Shank asks family members how her son is doing and they remind her that he's dead, she cries as if she heard the news for the first time. Wal-Mart's health care plan lets the retail giant recoup the cost of its expenses if an employee collects damages in a lawsuit. Wal-Mart helped Shank and her husband, Jim, win $1 million after suing the trucking company involved in the wreck. After legal fees, the couple received $417,000. Wal-Mart sued the Shanks to recoup $470,000 it paid for her medical care. However, a court ruled that the company could only get about $275,000, the amount that was left in a trust fund for her care.
Opinion
This is very sad that Walmart first helps this lady get money because of her minivan and because now she is ina wheel chair in a nursing home and now they wnat her to pay them 470,000, more than what she actually got. It seems that alot of bad things are happening to this woman,. First her car, then her and now her son. I think that her husband is going through alot of things and the only way that he will be able to be strong by going through all of this is if he has faith and has spiritual support from people that are close to God. I hope that everything works out good for this couple.