By Police1 Staff
WICHITA FALLS, Texas — The family of a Texas officer who was severely injured on duty said the LEO has been unable to receive proper medical care.
Nearly ten months ago, Wichita Falls Officer Tim Putney, 33, was severely injured after being repeatedly kicked by a suspect, KFDX reports. Putney suffered permanent nerve damage and said he can no longer feel his right leg and walks with a limp.
“Every day, I’m watching my husband get worse and worse far more often, it’s taken a toll on all of us and we need to get him fixed,” Putney’s wife, Chelsea, said.
Chelsea said the officer needs surgery, but the city’s workers compensation contractors have been denying him, according to the Times Record News. Chelsea said the they didn’t realize Wichita Falls is self-insured and “would not take care of him when needed.”
The dispute that seems to be holding up the approval for the surgery turns on the extent of the injuries he suffered, she said. Chelsea added that the city contracts with private companies to handle workers compensation claims.
The family has been seeking care through a third party company hired by the city, but Officer Putney said the process hasn’t been easy.
“In ten days, it will be ten months that we’ve been going through this process,” Putney said “We’ve seen not just one doctor, we’ve seen numerous doctors that all say the same thing.”
The family believes the city should pitch in more and be more involved in the workers comp process. On Tuesday, the family attended a City Council meeting to voice their concerns on how officers and other first responders fare after an in-duty injury.
“So many of my friends who are firefighters and police officers, they know personally people who have gone through this,” Chelsea said. “They feel like enough’s enough.”
The department has Officer Putney working light duty, but the officer said he is subjected to falls due to not being able to feel anything in his right leg.
City officials declined to comment on the incident. Mayor Stephen Santellana said the city will discuss the workers comp process in a future meeting.
“I think the whole city - including our city manager all of the council, HR, officers, the chief of police, we all want Officer Putney - the best care that he can get to get him back on the streets,” Santellana said. “Sometimes we are working through a system that doesn’t allow that.”
Chelsea said that the family has retained an attorney and that “at the end of the day, my husband has to have his surgery.”