Harris trucking co Madison Heights VA

After working for JB Hunt I went back to my original employer in Lynchburg, VA. At 3 months I signed my Short Term Disability forms and 401K and Life Insurence - 3 days latter I went down with Viral Spinal Meningitis. About 3 weeks prior to this, the A/C in my truck went down, hot weather and they refused to put me up in a Motel but kept me out till the end of the week - A/C was recharged. About this time my legs started feeling funny. A/C went down the following week again and kept going down after being fixed - line had split to rear A/C unit. Was admitted to Hospital - temp of 105, blood pressure of 210/156 - wife was informed would probably not make it thru night if they could'nt control the temp and BP. Was on life support for a few days and kept drugged for pain control with the blinding headaches. Released after about 5 days and off work for about 2 weeks. My truck was in the shop - they finaly had decided it had a leak - in pieces - given an old junk truck to go to Baltimore - hottest day of the year and it had a defective A/C unit - compressor had seized - they offered motel only when I was on the DC Beltway heading back - past any point to get into a motel. Was admitted back into hospital and spent the next 9 months trying to recover. I come to find out that I was terminated when I was on Life Support - admitted hospital on Friday - sacked on the Saturday. Attempted a few times to return to work - with a Dr's letter requesting I be kept local - sent up into MA - time off, returned - sent everywhere. Jim Higgly - Operations Manager - threw a Dr's note back into my face - the company motto is "Family of Friends".
I was put on some powerful drugs in my time off and attempted to return to work after a safe time but they ignored the consequences of allowing a time to recover by sticking with local work. With my legs, it was a warning that something was wrong which I was ignorant to. I went thru light sensitivity, hearing loss, confusion, memory loss, depression and picked up every bug that was going around as my immune system had been compromised - normal recovery. Come December 05 I was finaly in a position to return to work - had been terminated on numerous occaisons and on my record now and not put down as medical - but they had not informed once except in Sept 05 by letter. Made application to return - never heard anything from them - Jim Doss and Jed Duggan had decided they knew more than a Doctor - was never given the coutesy of a notification. Went for unemployment - Jim Doss makes it clear to the interviewing officer that I was a Foreign National - Australian - that my green card had expired - passport showed it had'nt - was in lay period between temp and issue of permenent residency card - was denied being able to comment in the 3 way interview on the phone by the rep of VA Employment - was granted the unemployment - Jim Doss appeals the decision - still waiting to see if that's going thru. Received 2 weeks before gaining employment. Again it's racism which they are'nt getting away with. Harris trucking has an extremely high turn over of drivers for a "Family of Friends"!

 

Went down sick July 13th 05. Still have the headaches and someone who never had them before, it's a killer. Still sensitive to light and heat - dragged every bit of strength from me and it takes a long time to recover fully, if I ever will.

 

:smt070 Arrived back from a run with my present employer, LandAir of Greeneville TN, at about 20:30 on 5/20. Checked the mail this morning before mowing the lawn and to dismay, horror and absolute anger, Harris Trucking had gone ahead with an appeal with the Virginia Employment Commission which was held without my knowledge on 5/18 and the paltry sum I received in unemployment - to this date - $392 - 2 weeks worth was overturned - have 30 days to appeal which is going to happen.
Now the crunch - they are alledging I refused to do local work from Nov 7th 05 - was working up till Nov 4th 05 when I had to stop again, There is more to this but I will leave it go till I speak with a Solicitor. Harris is a company that fires a person when they are in ICU on life support from a sickness probably derived from their cheapness - Viral Spinal Meningitis!
They are also a company that, I think this is a classic, expected me to drive from Columbus OH via Deleware OH to Charleston WV and then to Lynchburg VA with a defective truck - the steering column release - Volvo - snapped (cable) in the upright position - in other words, the steering wheel was horizontal and level with my chest. I refused to do it!

Viral Meningitis is a horrid disease, not as bad as Bacterial Meningitis in the fatalities but worse in that the effects can linger for years and as a virus cannot be treated bar one which is what caused my sickness and is carried by just about everyone but few people show it and I'm not one that has displayed it ever - Simplex One or cold sore. The germ passed thru the membrane into the spinal fluid and encephalitis can occur which it did in my case. The way it effects people varies but I'm still light sensitive, hearing is affected, short term memory problems, ever present tiredness but I'm able to do my job all be it for how long it's hard to say. It starts as a headache, flu like symptons and in less than 24 hrs can have you in a body bag.
Drivers beware - it can be picked up from the exchange of money, not washing hands correctly, touching anything, stress. It's on that rare occaison you become a statistic as I did in going full course. Take care - you may not be as lucky as I was to survive - we are in a high risk group so please look at this - eMedicine - Viral Meningitis : Article by Amir Vokshoor, MD eMedicine - Viral Meningitis : Article by Amir Vokshoor, MD An even more comprehensive site where you can read about what survivors have to say and the families of those who did'nt. Eventualy my story will be posted there - 11 more days and it will be a year since I was hit with it and still have problems: MFA: Meningitis Foundation of America MFA: Meningitis Foundation of America.

 

I'm sorry that it happened - time is here that this practice is stopped once and for all.
Harris are stupid in that they have forgotten they threw the Dr's note back in my face and that it's on the records that it was written and I still have the note - that the Dr wanted me to be on local runs - at the least they have committed perjury - God willing, I will close them down and have everything that company and its owner and office staff involved possess!

 

UpDate
An appeal has been lodged with the Virginia Employment Commission and will be held in Richmond on a date to be set. Maybe this time they will notify me of it - their failure to notify by letter, phone or any other media was lodged in the appeal and that I have Doctors Certificates/Notes covering the time in question - can only wait now - then revenge can be sweet!