#1 ·
Back in December 2006, three masked thugs tried their luck robbing an ExxonMobil station over in San Francisco. They timed it perfectly—hitting right at the end of the second shift when the cash drawers were likely sitting heavy with the day's takings. One of them pulls a gun on an employee, Klaudio Kapuralin, demanding the cash. Klaudio doesn't blink; he stands his ground and shuts them down with a firm "no." The response? Three shots fired from point-blank range. After a desperate, terrifying struggle to stay alive, Klaudio Kapuralin is left a permanent invalid. A bullet hit his spine, and despite undergoing three grueling surgeries, the fallout is life-altering: the entire left side of his body is paralyzed. The robbers vanished with nothing, and to this day, they haven't been caught. As for Klaudio, he’s mostly just been forgotten by everyone except those who can't bear to look away.
So, where exactly does the breakdown happen in this story?
Klaudio has been out on medical leave for a year and a half now. Following his first surgery, he went to a rehab center to recover, and things actually seemed to be looking up for a bit. He requested further treatment at a specialized wellness facility, but he was turned down. The injury was catastrophic, and today, Klaudio lives with constant, grinding pain. While staying under constant medical supervision won't magically fix him, proper therapy would go a long way in making his daily life manageable—something he owes to no one but his employer, ExxonMobil, where he spent nearly 40 years before this happened. When the news was still fresh and the cameras were rolling, ExxonMobil actually paid for one of his stays at the facility, but now that the media spotlight has dimmed, Klaudio has become nothing more than a forgotten file in a corporate cabinet.
If Klaudio had been injured off the clock, you'd expect ExxonMobil to step up for a veteran employee who spent his entire career serving customers reliably on the front lines. But because he was shot on the job, protecting the company's assets during his regular shift, ExxonMobil seems to have found a way to simply move on. There's a certain bitter irony to it all, too. Just recently, ExxonMobil was honored with the "Second Dalmatian Oscar Humanity" award for their donations last year. http://
From the moment he was shot until now, the only thing Klaudio has received is the compensation from $1000 dictated by his employment contract for being on continuous leave for three months. At ExxonMobil, that kind of payout only happens once a year. During his recovery, union reps did stop by to check on him. His colleagues from gas stations across California, hearing about what Klaudio is going through while he's so desperately in need, actually banded together to raise money. That collection is what will allow him to pay for the very treatments he so desperately needs. Honestly, that’s about the only good thing that has come out of the day Klaudio Kapuralin used his own body to stop a robbery.
Klaudio reached out to ExxonMobil, asking for help. They told him to submit a formal written request. So, he did. And then... silence. Total radio silence. Now, he's been forced into this humiliating position where he has to practically beg his own company to show even a shred of compassion.
ExxonMobil is a massive player here. They basically carry a huge chunk of the American economy on their back. This is a company whose property was almost lost at the cost of a long-term employee's health—a company that seemingly can't find it in its budget to lend a hand to its own man.
Klaudio Kapuralin isn't looking for trophies, thank-yous, or monuments. He just wants a way to dull the pain he deals with every single day. He’s already made peace with his disability. He can only walk for maybe an hour a day, and sitting down isn't really an option anymore. Disillusioned with both people and the system, he sits at home waiting for charity. If you call him and ask how he's doing, he'll be polite and talkative, but then there's this sudden silence—a pause because he doesn't want you to see a 60-year-old man break down in tears. He doesn't want his suffering to make you feel guilty.
I first heard about Klaudio Kapuralin's situation about two months ago, and honestly, it hasn't left my mind. It eats at me. I can't wrap my head around the fact that this is the kind of environment we're raising our kids in—a system that produces people just as cold and indifferent as the institutions themselves. I don't want that. I wonder if there's any way left to teach them that people should come first? That the term "human resources" is fundamentally flawed because a human being isn't a resource or a piece of disposable equipment. A person is a person. So, I'm asking you: please, help spread this story. It's happening all around us. Let's try to do something so this man's fate gets the attention it deserves and Klaudio gets the care he earned. Share this. Maybe it hits the news, maybe it reaches someone with a conscience, or maybe it helps someone reading this avoid a similar fate down the road. Because Klaudio was just the victim of bad timing—and tomorrow, it could easily be you.
The press coverage on the Kapuralin situation:
The New York Times
http://tinyurl.com/5r3fg8
The Wall Street Journal
http://tinyurl.com/6nbg4e
The San Francisco Chronicle
http://tinyurl.com/5zluxx
The San Francisco Chronicle
http://tinyurl.com/6qjpak
CNN
http://tinyurl.com/6g53a2
USA Today
http://tinyurl.com/5ws46v
Fox News
http://tinyurl.com/55xxgg
An interview with Klaudio following the incident on the Regional Express
http://tinyurl.com/5u8doq
So, where exactly does the breakdown happen in this story?
Klaudio has been out on medical leave for a year and a half now. Following his first surgery, he went to a rehab center to recover, and things actually seemed to be looking up for a bit. He requested further treatment at a specialized wellness facility, but he was turned down. The injury was catastrophic, and today, Klaudio lives with constant, grinding pain. While staying under constant medical supervision won't magically fix him, proper therapy would go a long way in making his daily life manageable—something he owes to no one but his employer, ExxonMobil, where he spent nearly 40 years before this happened. When the news was still fresh and the cameras were rolling, ExxonMobil actually paid for one of his stays at the facility, but now that the media spotlight has dimmed, Klaudio has become nothing more than a forgotten file in a corporate cabinet.
If Klaudio had been injured off the clock, you'd expect ExxonMobil to step up for a veteran employee who spent his entire career serving customers reliably on the front lines. But because he was shot on the job, protecting the company's assets during his regular shift, ExxonMobil seems to have found a way to simply move on. There's a certain bitter irony to it all, too. Just recently, ExxonMobil was honored with the "Second Dalmatian Oscar Humanity" award for their donations last year. http://
From the moment he was shot until now, the only thing Klaudio has received is the compensation from $1000 dictated by his employment contract for being on continuous leave for three months. At ExxonMobil, that kind of payout only happens once a year. During his recovery, union reps did stop by to check on him. His colleagues from gas stations across California, hearing about what Klaudio is going through while he's so desperately in need, actually banded together to raise money. That collection is what will allow him to pay for the very treatments he so desperately needs. Honestly, that’s about the only good thing that has come out of the day Klaudio Kapuralin used his own body to stop a robbery.
Klaudio reached out to ExxonMobil, asking for help. They told him to submit a formal written request. So, he did. And then... silence. Total radio silence. Now, he's been forced into this humiliating position where he has to practically beg his own company to show even a shred of compassion.
ExxonMobil is a massive player here. They basically carry a huge chunk of the American economy on their back. This is a company whose property was almost lost at the cost of a long-term employee's health—a company that seemingly can't find it in its budget to lend a hand to its own man.
Klaudio Kapuralin isn't looking for trophies, thank-yous, or monuments. He just wants a way to dull the pain he deals with every single day. He’s already made peace with his disability. He can only walk for maybe an hour a day, and sitting down isn't really an option anymore. Disillusioned with both people and the system, he sits at home waiting for charity. If you call him and ask how he's doing, he'll be polite and talkative, but then there's this sudden silence—a pause because he doesn't want you to see a 60-year-old man break down in tears. He doesn't want his suffering to make you feel guilty.
I first heard about Klaudio Kapuralin's situation about two months ago, and honestly, it hasn't left my mind. It eats at me. I can't wrap my head around the fact that this is the kind of environment we're raising our kids in—a system that produces people just as cold and indifferent as the institutions themselves. I don't want that. I wonder if there's any way left to teach them that people should come first? That the term "human resources" is fundamentally flawed because a human being isn't a resource or a piece of disposable equipment. A person is a person. So, I'm asking you: please, help spread this story. It's happening all around us. Let's try to do something so this man's fate gets the attention it deserves and Klaudio gets the care he earned. Share this. Maybe it hits the news, maybe it reaches someone with a conscience, or maybe it helps someone reading this avoid a similar fate down the road. Because Klaudio was just the victim of bad timing—and tomorrow, it could easily be you.
The press coverage on the Kapuralin situation:
The New York Times
http://tinyurl.com/5r3fg8
The Wall Street Journal
http://tinyurl.com/6nbg4e
The San Francisco Chronicle
http://tinyurl.com/5zluxx
The San Francisco Chronicle
http://tinyurl.com/6qjpak
CNN
http://tinyurl.com/6g53a2
USA Today
http://tinyurl.com/5ws46v
Fox News
http://tinyurl.com/55xxgg
An interview with Klaudio following the incident on the Regional Express
http://tinyurl.com/5u8doq