George Davidson died two hours after participating in a fire department drill in Youngsville, NY. He was 59 when he died of a heart attack on April 25, 2007.
Friends helped his widow apply for benefits available to widows of firefighters who die in the line of duty. She got a federal Bureau of Justice Assistance grant without trouble. The feds recognized that exertion and stress from the training drill caused her husband’s heart attack.
The National Fallen Firefighters foundation determined his death to be in the line of duty.
Davidson’s widow would be entitled to a lump sum of $56,000 and $887 a week for life, and up to $6,700 in funeral expenses. Sullivan county, as the insurer, would have to pay that amount.
But, Sullivan County is attempting to stop the state Workers’ Compensation benefits to which his family claims he is entitled.
“We are extremely disappointed with the cooperation from the County of Sullivan regarding the line-of-duty death of firefighter George R. Davidson III,” a statement from the Youngsville Fire Department read. “It is an absolute disgrace the way the family of a fallen brother is being treated.”
So the widow is now in a claims fight with the county, and today firefighters plan a protest in Monticello Tuesday before the legal hearing at 1:00PM. The protest will be held just behind the Monticello Fire Department.
(YWN Sullivan County News Team 2009 / Times Herald Record / MidHudsonNews)
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2 Responses
this is wrong but it does not surprise me since all counties are crying poverty .
what is interesting however is that Sullivan County is self insured and does not use an outside insurance company to take care of these matters .
Yosse – many governments, including NYC, self-insure. Saves money in the long run.