Winning a Workers’ Comp Stare Down

A truck driver received a minor abrasion to the cornea of his right eye when drilling mud splashed under his goggles. An optometrist treated him and released him to restricted duty for two days. The driver continued to complain of pain. He received treatment and medical releases to return to full duty from several doctors, but the driver failed to return to work for more than one month. A neuro-ophthalmologist concluded that the driver was malingering and described him as "a total fake." The employer subsequently terminated him for absenteeism.