When Injury Ends a First Responder’s Career: What Most Lawyers Overlook—and Why It Matters
When a police officer, firefighter, or corrections officer is injured on the job, the consequences can be devastating—and far more complex than they first appear. In this must-watch video, Goyette, Ruano & Thompson Law Group teams up with personal injury attorney Mark Peacock to break down the true impact of career-ending injuries in the public safety world—and how the legal system can help (or fail) those who dedicate their lives to protecting others.
Unlike most personal injury cases, claims involving public safety employees touch on multiple systems: workers’ compensation, disability retirement through CalPERS, lost overtime income, and more. Understanding how these elements interact is critical to recovering the full extent of damages—and avoiding financial disaster.
What You’ll Learn in This Video:
- Why damages should drive case strategy, even before liability is fully assessed
- How an early disability retirement dramatically increases case value
- The often-ignored impact of lost overtime, benefits, and missed promotions
- How CalPERS liens and workers’ comp subrogation can be used to your advantage
- Why filing a lawsuit immediately increases pressure and speeds up recovery
- How to quantify financial losses accurately using economists and experts
- A real case study of an injured officer who almost lost everything—until the right legal help stepped in
This conversation goes beyond the basics and dives into strategic, real-world insights that every public safety worker, union rep, and injury lawyer needs to know.
This Video Is for You If:
- You’re a first responder who has been injured and may not return to duty
- You’re a family member of someone going through the workers’ comp or retirement process
- You’re a union representative advocating for injured members
- You’re an attorney looking to better serve public safety clients in PI cases
Take Action: Don’t Let the System Decide Your Future for You
Too often, injured public employees rely solely on the workers’ comp system—believing it will cover everything. But as Mark explains in this video, that mindset can cost you your home, your career, and your family’s financial stability.
If you’ve been hurt on the job and are facing disability retirement or long-term loss of work, it’s time to take control of your legal options. The sooner you act, the more we can do to protect what you’ve built—and pursue the full recovery you deserve.
Step 1: Watch the video to understand what’s at stake.
Step 2: Start asking the right questions—what insurance is available? What’s your career worth? Who else may be liable?
Step 3: Talk to a law firm that understands the unique challenges public safety workers face.
At Goyette, Ruano & Thompson Law Group, we’ve been representing California’s public servants for over 30 years. We understand the systems, the politics, and the pressures. Most importantly, we know how to fight—and win—when it matters most.
Don’t settle for the system’s bare minimum. Get the full recovery you’ve earned.