A Chapel Hill teacher whose workers' compensation claim was denied after a heart attack at work says he is relieved now that the claim has been approved. The reversal came after an ABC11 Troubleshooter investigation into his case.
Keith Cooper said the outcome means he will be repaid for what he has already spent. "The good news is I'm going to get reimbursed for the cost that I paid so far, and I shouldn't be incurring any other costs," he said.
Cooper was teaching at Chapel Hill High School in November 2025 when he learned a fire had broken out in a boys' bathroom. He ran for a fire extinguisher and put out the flames. Soon afterward, he felt tightness in his chest. "So a quick puff of the fire extinguisher, fire was out, came back out, had a felt tightness in my chest," Cooper said. An ambulance took him from the school to a hospital, where doctors determined he had suffered a heart attack.
His workers' compensation claim was first approved, but that decision was later reversed. The denial stated there was "no injury by accident in the courses/scope of employment." The reversal left Cooper responsible for thousands of dollars in medical bills, so he hired attorney Michael Bertics and appealed.
Bertics argued the case fits the purpose of the system. "This is the sort of exact kind of heart attack that's supposed to be covered by workers' comp," he said. He said he gave the third-party claims administrator, Sedgwick, Cooper's medical records, including a letter from a cardiologist. The doctor wrote that the heart attack was precipitated by acute stress tied to the fire and likely would not have happened without the extraordinary stress of that day. The letter also said the attack caused permanent damage and that Cooper will need lifelong medical therapy under a cardiologist's supervision.
Even with that documentation, the claim stayed denied and was set for a hearing. As the date approached, Cooper contacted ABC11 Troubleshooter Diane Wilson to draw attention to his situation. He said he also wanted to send a broader message. "I would like to be reimbursed, but I would also like for the message to get sent that if a teacher does something that they think is in the best interest of keeping students safe in an emergency situation, that they should feel like they're going to have somebody standing behind them when they do that."
ABC11's story aired September 29. Bertics said he got a call on October 1 telling him the claim was being approved. "The only thing that happened, you know, between taking the position that the claim was going to be denied and needed to go to trial, and then them changing their mind on October 1st is the news story," he said. Both men believe the coverage helped bring about the change. Cooper said he was grateful for the community support he received.
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools said it cannot comment on what it called a confidential personnel matter. In a statement, the district said the State Board of Education provides workers' compensation coverage for public school employees by law. It said the district helps employees access that coverage but does not decide which injuries or conditions are covered, and that it will keep supporting employees in accessing available benefits.
ABC11 also contacted Sedgwick, the third-party claims administrator for North Carolina state employee workers' compensation claims, but did not receive a response.
