Burned firefighter’s treatment OKed by Fort Worth’s workers comp after backlash
The worker’s compensation company used by the City of Fort Worth will pay for an injured firefighter’s surgeries and medical devices, the firefighter said Friday.
The company’s reversal comes after widespread backlash from government officials and the public. Fort Worth City Council member Charles Lauersdorf ripped into the company on social media Thursday night, saying he was “declaring war” on it.
“Fort Worth doesn’t abandon the people who run toward danger,” Lauersdorf said.
The firefighter, Caleb Halvorson, was severely burned in September when the roof of a house collapsed on top of him.
Halvorson spent 34 days in the intensive care unit at Dallas’ Parkland Hospital, being treated for second- and third-degree burns, a dislocated knee and other injuries. Halvorson, who has been with the Fort Worth Fire Department for three years, has faced multiple surgeries and months of physical therapy.
The city’s worker’s compensation program initially denied coverage of a machine meant to aid in the recovery of Halvorson’s knee, and of laser surgeries to help with burn healing, he said.
Lauersdorf, the city councilman, said Sedgwick, which administers claims for the city, had made it difficult for employees who are hurt on the job through denials, extensive paperwork and “bureaucratic bull---- that leaves injured firefighters and police officers fighting two battles: one on the job and one at home.”
An update from Halvorson was posted on Facebook Sunday.
“With tears and heartfelt gratitude, I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has been showing love and incredible support through this very difficult time in mine and my family’s lives,” Halvorson said. ”Thank you to the people who have offered help to step up to get me the supplies I need for recovery. Thank you for passionately fighting for me and with me.”
State Rep. Jared Patterson and Rep. John McQueeney said in a statement, “If not for the public post on Facebook and subsequent outrage by the public, it is likely that Caleb would not have received the care he needed. Legislators and members of the public will be watching to ensure that [the worker’s comp provider] follows through … with continued care.”
The Texas state firefighters’ union wrote on Facebook, “We’ve worked with Texas legislators to improve the system and denials are far less common now, but cases like that of seriously injured Fort Worth firefighter Caleb Halvorson remain infuriating. We’ll keep working until the system does not ever require community outrage for approval of proper treatment of line-of-duty injuries.”
Statement from Fort Worth city manager
A Sedgwick spokesperson referred the Star-Telegram to the city when reached for comment, and a city human resources spokesperson did not immediately respond to an email on Friday.
On Monday, City Council member Carlos Flores shared the following statement on Facebook from City Manager Jay Chapa. “I do want to share that initial delays related to this situation were tied to the physician initially selected by the injured worker not being part of the City’s network of workers’ compensation providers,” Chapa wrote. “City staff did meet with the physician and invited him to join the network, but he declined. Subsequently, the City and the injured worker selected a workers’ compensation physician to meet his medical care needs and treatment has been ongoing.
“A recent medical intervention was approved and completed earlier this week. Other requests have been approved and currently there are no outstanding requests for approvals at this time.
“Due to HIPAA regulations, there is nothing more that we can share related to this case. Please know the City works consistently to get the best care possible for all of our injured employees, this employee included, while remaining compliant with Texas laws that govern workers’ compensation.
“As we move forward, there are a few changes we will be implementing to ensure that we are providing the highest level of responsiveness to our first responders. We acknowledge the need to mitigate the potential bureaucratic hurtles inherent to a program that is designed as a one size fits all solution at the State level.
“First, we will be communicating with injured workers to better understand if they have had similar experiences and concerns to advise them of their rights and responsibilities under Texas Law and the overall program and to provide any additional support as available. Additionally, we will be adding a position within the Human Resources Workers’ Comp group to serve as a case manager specifically for first responders that have suffered an injury at work that results in lost time. This will be a new position and will require some time to implement, but we will move forward deliberately. In the meantime, complex cases like the one outlined above will be assigned case managers on a case by case basis.”
This story was originally published January 17, 2026 at 7:43 PM.
