Firefighter Who Inspired Brain Injury Coverage Change Dies

Retired Lubbock firefighter Matt Dawson, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2020 and was the inspiration for a bill to expand eligibility for lifetime income benefits, died on Nov. 26 at the age of 34. House Bill 2468, also known as the Matt Dawson Act, was passed by state lawmakers and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott this spring. The bill amended the Texas Labor Code to extend lifetime workers' compensation benefits to first responders who sustain a serious bodily injury that permanently prevents them from performing gainful work.  Before the passage of the legislation, the st...