Fort Worth firefighter receives medical care after public outcry over denial

FORT WORTH, Texas - A Fort Worth firefighter who was hurt in the line of duty is still recovering, but at the same time, he’s fighting to get the care his doctors say he needs.

What we know:

Caleb Halvorson suffered extensive injuries while responding to a house fire in Fort Worth in September. 

He became pinned under a collapsed roof, suffered second and third degree burns all over his body. He also suffered from a dislocated knee and other injuries.

Halvorson was released from the burn unit at Parkland Hospital after several major surgeries. His wife was going back and forth from the burn unit where Halvorson was located to a neonatal intensive care unit. His newborn baby had been born thirteen weeks early.

"I can't walk. I have a newborn at home. I have a wife who's been doing everything for months," Halvorson continued. "I still have to do wound care every day, so she has to shower me and clean my burns. Let alone we have an infant who she has to take care of as well, and she's doing nursing school."

He still has an intense recovery period ahead of him. 

After being released from the burn unit, Caleb thought the hardest part was behind him. Instead, his next battle would come in the form of workers' comp.

He was recently denied a CPM machine his doctor deemed medically necessary. Without the ability to walk and a premature baby, his recovery stalled.

Sedgwick, the company that handles workers' compensation claims for the city, had to reverse its decision the next day after public outcry.

What they're saying:

I broke down a lot because… it's not like I’m asking for anything over the moon," Halvorson said. "This is just like the bare necessity of what I need." 

"Like, all it is, is bending my leg, like, help me, helping me bend my leg so I can get better and start rehab and eventually get back on the job and everything."

Halvorson says the machine wasn’t the only denied treatment. Laser surgery needed to help him get movement back after the severe burns was also denied twice. He tried again and was eventually approved. 

He still has plenty of surgeries he needs, and worries that they’ll be denied. 

What's next:

Halvorson says he’s talking to city council members and senators to see what can be done to help first responders in similar situations, but says it’s a lot to take on while he still recovers.

And while Caleb still has a long way to go on his journey towards recovery, he worries about the next firefighter, one not in the spotlight.

"What about the next guy? What about the other guys that get hurt every single day that this isn't the case for them? Like, they don't have this huge, this huge, like, huge support and use platform to be able to do this, like they're for sure getting denied," Halvorson said.

We reached out to Sedgwick, which referred us to the city of Fort Worth.