Wounded workers have been crying out for change. They say it takes so long to go to court and fight denied workers' comp coverage, that some injuries are left permanent.
Scott Musson, from Algonac, says he fears that is what is going to happen to him.
He says a 1,200-pound beam fell on him in 2013 as he worked at a crane company.
The company admits he was hurt on the job, but Musson says Accident Fund Group has fought his workers compensation insurance claims. There is a surgery his doctors say needs to be done to treat his injury, but the Accident Fund Group denied coverage.
“I told Workmans' Comp, just fix me. Do my surgery and get me back to work. I don’t want to be like this and wasn’t like this until I got hurt,” said Scott Musson.
The Accident Fund insurance company released a statement on Scott's worker's comp case, saying in part, "AF Group is committed to providing workers’ compensation benefits in a fair and lawful manner and we believe our actions in this instance we're justified and in compliance with the law."
Musson says the accident damaged two of his vertebrae and he suffered tears in his shoulder. He no longer can work due to the non-stop nerve pain. He can’t do the things he used to do.
“Household chores. Normal things. He can’t put a shirt on. It has been a really rough road for all of us,” said his wife Tonya Musson.
His wife has struggled to keep up with work and the responsibilities he used to take care of. They have worried about how they will find money to replace their roof.
Then, while Tonya and Scott went on a much needed trip with friends, Tonya got a concerning call. Someone saw a lot of cars outside of her house. She called her 20-year-old son and told him to clean up after any parties he may have had. She didn’t want her husband to know and worry.
Little did she know, her son hadn’t had a party. Her friends and their friends were giving her home a makeover.
“At first it was just the roof,” said Rob Hubbard, who helped fix the roof with money raised by the community.
As he and others worked people stopped by and were inspired. They found other things that needed to be done.
“Then everyone said, well what if we do this? What if we paint that? What if we rebuild the shed?” said Stephanie Smith, a friend who helped organize the project.
Friends and strangers came together to replace the roofs on the house and garage, power wash the deck, re-landscape, replace outdoor furniture, and fix Scott’s car.
“They brought the community together and didn’t even know it,” said Mark Duvall.
“It is the biggest relief off of me, off of the kids, off of my husband, who I see cry often. He doesn’t know I see it, but I do,” said Tonya.
“Thanks everybody,” said Scott. “We love them very much. It has been very cool,” said Scott.
