Truck Driver Must Pay $9,800 for Double-Dipping

Tuesday, August 28, 2018 | 0

A Texas truck driver must repay more than $9,800 after he was convicted of working while collecting benefits from Texas Mutual Insurance Co.

Christopher Colligan, of Baytown, claimed he was injured while driving a truck for Macro Oil Co., but an investigation found that he went to work for another trucking firm, Texas Mutual announced Monday. 

A prosecutor in Austin, assigned to handle fraud cases for the Texas Division of Workers' Compensation, presented the case to a grand jury earlier this year. After the indictment, Colligan was found guilty of a misdemeanor, and the court sentenced him to one year of probation, and restitution.

"Texas law requires claimants to contact their workers' comp carrier when they return to work," reads the statement from Texas Mutual. "Left unchecked, double-dipping and other workers' comp fraud can lead to higher premiums for all Texas employers."

Texas Mutual provides coverage to 43% of the workers' compensation market in Texas and represents 70,000 businesses, the company said.