CorVel Apologizes to Fort Worth Officer's Family

The City of Fort Worth says the city's contracted insurance company will apologize to an officer's family while the city investigates cases handled by CorVel to see if changes are needed.

Sergeant Shane Drake, a Fort Worth police officer, is no longer in the Intensive Care Unit at Teas Health Harris Methodist Hospital after he was shot in the line of duty a week ago. City officials say Drake is expected to be released in the coming days. But the controversy surrounding his shooting has many upset about the way the workman's comp company handled his case and now the city will audit all the cases CorVel has handled for the City of Fort Worth.

Even after a closed door meeting Thursday with CorVel representatives, Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price believes CorVel handled Sergeant Drake's case poorly.

"It was just inappropriate behavior from their case worker in our opinion," said Price.

Drake's wife claims a case manager asked her questions about her husband's condition very early on while the situation was still uncertain.

Fort Worth Officer John Bell's family went through the same thing with a CorVel rep when he was shot in the line of duty two years ago.

"You're getting tunnel vision, all you're seeing is flame coming out of the weapon," said Bell explaining what he remembers from the January 29, 2013 incident that nearly took his life.

He too says his wife was asked questions from a CorVel rep too early while Bell was being treated in the hospital.

"I don't think it's necessary for them to be there at that particular moment asking questions to family members," said Bell.

For now, CorVel will send an apology to Sergeant Drake's family for their actions.

"We ask that they [CorVel] produce a formal written apology to the Drake family and to the police department as a whole," said Price.

The audit should be complete within the next four weeks. The city will determine what changes are needed and that could include changing their workman's comp provider.

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