DPD Officer's Injury From Ambush Ruled "Accidental"
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DALLAS (CBS11) - Was the ambush shooting of 13 police officers in Downtown Dallas earlier this month an accident?
That's how it's classified on a medical form of one of the injured officers who says he was offended after his first visit to a workers compensation doctor.
The officer does not want to be identified.
He was shot in the shoulder during the shooting rampage in downtown on July 7 that left five officers dead and eight wounded.
His attorney says he visited a Concentra Medical Center on Stemmons Freeway four days later where a doctor labeled the cause of his injury as an accidental discharge of a firearm.
Even though the officer says he was still in severe pain and dealing with the psychological trauma of what he experienced, the doctor set a return to work date of July 15 which the officer's attorney had to get the department to waive.
"The doctor was very dismissive, didn't want to take the fact that the officer that was shot very seriously. It's quite a concern because this was just days after the ambush and he was trying to get treated he still has a bullet in his shoulder," said Pete Schulte, the officer's attorney.
The doctor who filled out the forms had the marketing staff at Concentra send CBS11 a statement saying:
"Should any concerns arise, we discuss them with our patients in a manner that is both respectful and private," said Megan Muncy, Assistant Center Operations Director.
But they told CBS11 they could not answer our questions because of patient privacy laws.
The officer's attorney says his client is concerned that by classifying his injuries as accidental, it could complicate his benefits and future treatment that will include surgery.
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