Carlos Mejía is made up. In a mock intake on October 31, 2026, Carlos described a fall from a builder's scaffold, a boss who paid for a few weeks and then stopped, and no workers' compensation claim. Below is the record Verantel wrote, unedited, followed by the full interview. Click a number after a fact to see the client's words it comes from.

Carlos Mejía

workers compensation, personal injury, employment

High value

Summary

Firm alignment: High

workers compensation · AZ (Goodyear, Maricopa County)
On August 21, 2026, Carlos fell about 12 feet from a scaffold while roofing for Ray Dominguez / Desert Sun Roofing, breaking the left heel and two ribs. Ray told Carlos not to file workers' comp, paid $500 a week until September 25, then stopped and said Carlos is a contractor. No claim has been filed, and the hospital bill is about $61,000.
personal injury · AZ (Goodyear, Maricopa County)
A plank broke on a scaffold owned by the builder, Brightline Homes, whose supervisor Kurt had told the roofing crew to use it. Carlos fell about 12 feet onto concrete and needed heel surgery with screws.
employment · AZ (Goodyear, Maricopa County)
After about three years of working for Ray on Ray's jobs, hours, and tools for cash pay with no tax forms, Ray now says Carlos is a contractor. About October 19–25, 2026, Ray texted Carlos: "if u go to a lawyer dont come back to work for me."

Carlos Mejía has worked about three years as a roofer for Ray Dominguez of Desert Sun Roofing, paid $220 a day in cash with no tax forms. On Friday, August 21, 2026, at a new house in Goodyear, a plank broke on a scaffold belonging to the builder, Brightline Homes. Brightline's supervisor, Kurt, had told the crew to use it. Carlos fell about 12 feet onto concrete, breaking the left heel and two ribs, and had heel surgery with screws on August 24. At the hospital that day, Ray told Carlos not to file workers' comp because his insurance would go up and said he would take care of Carlos. Ray then paid $500 a week until September 25 and stopped. Ray now says Carlos is a contractor, not an employee, and recently texted: "if u go to a lawyer dont come back to work for me." No workers' comp claim has been filed. Carlos has no health insurance, faces a hospital bill of about $61,000, has skipped physical therapy because of money, and cannot work. Carlos wants help.

Potential concerns

In the second week of September, Carlos signed a paper Ray brought with the cash. It was in English, Carlos did not read all of it, does not remember what it said, and has no copy.,
Ray says Carlos is a contractor, not an employee. Carlos was paid in cash and never received a W-2 or other tax papers.,
No workers' comp claim has been filed, and Carlos never notified any state office.
Carlos was not wearing a harness at the time of the fall.
Carlos skipped the last 2 physical therapy sessions.

Facts

Carlos has worked for Ray Dominguez, whose company is Desert Sun Roofing, for about 3 years.
Ray paid Carlos $220 a day in cash every Friday. Carlos never received a W-2 or any tax papers.
Ray decided which job Carlos went to and the hours, and supplied the ladders, nail guns, and truck. Carlos has no business of their own and works only for Ray.
Carlos's number of workdays per week for Ray varied with the jobs, and Carlos cannot give a set number.
Before the fall, Carlos also painted houses on weekends for about $300 a month in cash.
The fall happened on Friday, August 21, 2026, at about 10 a.m., at a new house in Goodyear where the crew was roofing the back side.,
The builder is Brightline Homes. The scaffold belonged to Brightline, and Brightline's supervisor, Kurt, told the crew to use it on the back side.,
Carlos saw nothing wrong with the scaffold beforehand, and it looked normal.
While Carlos was walking on the scaffold carrying materials, a plank broke under Carlos, who fell about 12 feet onto concrete.
Carlos was not wearing a harness. Ray never gave the crew harnesses, and nobody on the crew had one.
Asked about alcohol, drugs, or medication that morning, Carlos does not remember taking anything like that and described it as a normal workday.,
Carlos does not know what Kurt said after the fall because Carlos was on the ground in pain.
Luis Ortega, a coworker, and 2 other crew members saw the plank break. Luis took a photo of the broken plank on his phone. Carlos does not remember the other two crew members' full names, but Luis knows them., ,
Luis drove Carlos to Banner Estrella hospital.
Ray came to the hospital on August 21, 2026, the day of the fall. Ray told Carlos not to file workers' comp because Ray's insurance would go up, and said he would take care of Carlos., , , ,
Injuries: a broken left heel and 2 broken ribs.
Carlos had heel surgery on August 24 and screws were put in. Carlos still cannot put any weight on the foot and is in a boot.
Carlos goes to physical therapy twice a week but skipped the last 2 sessions because of money.
Carlos does not remember the surgeon's name. The surgery was at Banner Estrella, and Carlos thinks the surgeon's name is on papers at home.
Carlos had no prior injury to the foot or ribs. In 2022, Carlos hurt their lower back lifting shingles and missed about 2 weeks of work.
After the fall, Ray paid Carlos $500 a week for about 5 weeks. The last payment was on Friday, September 25, and nothing has been paid since.
In the second week of September, when Ray brought the cash, he had Carlos sign a paper written in English and said it was for the money. Carlos did not read all of it, does not remember what it said, signed it while in a lot of pain to get the money, and has no copy.,
When Carlos called Ray to ask about the payments, Ray said Carlos is a contractor, not his employee. Ray no longer answers Carlos's calls.
"Last week" (derived: about October 19–25, 2026, counted from October 31, 2026), Ray texted Carlos: "if u go to a lawyer dont come back to work for me." Carlos still has the text and can check its exact date on the phone., ,
Before the text, Carlos does not remember saying anything to Ray about a lawyer. Carlos had only been calling Ray to ask about the money.
Since the fall, Carlos cannot work at all, cannot stand on the foot, and cannot do the side painting jobs. Carlos receives no unemployment, disability, or other income.
Carlos has no health insurance and nobody is paying the medical bills. The hospital bill is about $61,000, and the therapy amount is unknown.
Nobody has filed a workers' comp claim. Carlos never notified any state office and did not know that was required.
Carlos does not remember anyone from Brightline or any insurance company contacting them.
Carlos has not talked to or hired any other lawyer.
Carlos is asking for help because Carlos cannot work and the bills keep coming.

Action items

Contact coworker Luis Ortega, get his phone photo of the broken plank, and learn the names of the two other crew members who saw the plank break.
Get a copy of Ray's text ("if u go to a lawyer dont come back to work for me") with its exact date. It came after Carlos called Ray about the payments that stopped after September 25, 2026, and was sent about October 19–25, 2026.
Try to get a copy of the paper Carlos signed for Ray in the second week of September 2026.
Collect Banner Estrella records and bills, including the August 24 surgery and the surgeon's name from Carlos's papers at home, plus physical therapy records and bills.
Document the work relationship with Ray and Desert Sun Roofing: any proof of the cash payments, the usual days worked per week, job assignments, and coworkers who can confirm them. Also learn the name of Ray's insurance company.
Get Kurt's full name and his role at Brightline Homes. Find out whether the scaffold and the broken plank still exist and who has them.
Ask whether anyone else besides Ray heard his statements at the hospital on August 21, 2026.
Get records of Carlos's 2022 lower back injury.

Parties

Name	Role	Details
Brightline Homes	adverse	Builder of the Goodyear house; owned the scaffold whose plank broke
Ray Dominguez	employer	Carlos's boss for about 3 years at Desert Sun Roofing; paid cash, now says Carlos is a contractor; sent the text about going to a lawyer
Desert Sun Roofing	employer	Ray Dominguez's roofing company that Carlos worked for
Carlos Mejía	participant	Roofer who fell from a scaffold on August 21, 2026, breaking the left heel and two ribs
Banner Estrella	provider	Hospital where Carlos was treated and had heel surgery on August 24; hospital bill about $61,000
Kurt	witness	Brightline Homes supervisor (full name not given) who told the crew to use Brightline's scaffold
Luis Ortega	witness	Coworker who saw the plank break, photographed the broken plank, and drove Carlos to the hospital
Two unnamed crew members	witness	Desert Sun Roofing crew members who saw the plank break; Luis knows their names

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