Facing Massive Medical Bills, Delivery Man Carjacked In Manhattan In March Now Battling For Workers' Comp
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A bread delivery man who was carjacked while on the job is facing thousands of dollars in hospital bills, but the bakery is claiming he is not entitled to workers' compensation.
Sayed Ibrahim is still struggling after multiple surgeries on his leg and hand. They were crushed in a crash back in March.
While delivering bread to restaurants in Manhattan for Gian Piero Bakery, Ibrahim left the van idling with his teenage son inside.
Police said a man jumped in the van, punched the son in the head, and drove off. When Ibrahim tried to stop the suspect by grabbing onto a door handle, the vehicle backed up, breaking the man's leg and hand before crashing into a building.
Ibrahim now has screws, plates and wires in those areas and is facing massive hospital bills.
"I had only one bill came to my house. The hand for $53,000," wife Rasha Youssef said.
That's just for Ibrahim's hand surgery.
CBS2's Cindy Hsu interviewed the owner of the bakery, Michael DellaPolla, the day of the accident.
"My driver, I feel sorry for him because he has been with me for a long time and now he's hurt in the hospital," DellaPolla said.
But when Ibrahim tried to get workers' compensation to pay the bills, DellaPolla denied the driver worked for him.
The owner would not go on camera Thursday, but told Hsu he does not employ Ibrahim and claims a whole different company delivers his bread.
Hsu asked why the delivery van had his company name on it. DellaPolla said that was a mistake and that he had sold the van to another company.
Ibrahim's lawyer, Richard Harris, said his client was paid in cash and claims DellaPolla is taking advantage of the family.
"To be eligible for workers' compensation, the requirement is that you're an employee and that you were injured while working," Harris said.
Harris said DellaPolla offered the family $5,000 to settle. When they refused, he offered $10,000, but Harris said the family faces more than $100,000 in medical bills and they'll head to trial next month.
Police said the suspect captured in the March carjacking will go to court in July.
