Editors' note: WorkCompCentral is reprinting submitted postings about the passing of David DePaolo, as well as those from other sources.

Jon Gelman's lunch with David DePaolo (right)
at Malibu Seafood, May 2016

Jon Gelman: Many years ago I met a wonderful and passionate fellow on the internet, David DePaolo. He just popped up in an email one morning and wrote that we should meet in Florida, of all places. Neither of us was ever in the same place at the same time for a couple of years, and we finally caught up at his favorite California eatery, Malibu Seafood, a five-star seafood shack overlooking the stunning Malibu Beach. The common denominator of writing and workers’ compensation made us instant friends. 

Six weeks ago, I called up David and said, "Its time to have lunch and just catch up." We met of course, at Malibu Seafood. He had been eating there regularly since his law school days at Pepperdine. The place is literally just down the road from the law school, and he said the menu hasn’t changed since.

David was a delightful fellow with all the best attributes: smart, witty, insightful, a wonderful spouse and parent, cutting edge and courageous. He arrived wearing his beautiful multi-color shoes created by a disabled worker whose business he was promoting. We just talked and talked for hours about “life in general,” neither of us realizing how much time was just flying by. We discussed some ideas on how to give more back to the workers’ compensation system and hopefully inspire a new generation of lawyers. Before we left we promised to meet again on the East Coast in September and just chat some more.

He was my inspiration for my continued bicycling in all types of weather and terrain. Although I never came close to his “operational” abilities, he was an inspiration.

David was able to launch a much-needed national workers’ compensation news service, i.e. the stellar WorkCompCentral. His daily insightful blogs constantly sparked my interest, and those of national thought leaders.

David’s heart was in the right place. He advocated for needed change in the workers’ compensation arena. He passionately pursued charitable causes and advanced educational goals, to make the world a better place.

The universe will be a sadder place without David, but I hope that his spirit and inspiration will live on in all of us to continue his passion for making the world a better place.

Jon Gelman is a New Jersey claimants’ attorney and frequent blogger on workers’ compensation topics.

Robert Wilson: David DePaolo was an oversized personality packed into a thin and agile frame. He was passionate and robust, yet reflective and compassionate. He was both funny and deadly serious. He was one of a kind. David’s death is a tragic loss for his family, his company and the industry he served.

David DePaolo, founder, president and CEO of WorkCompCentral, died Sunday while riding his motorcycle in Malibu Hills. He was 56 years old.

I saw David this past Friday, when we presented at the CCWC Conference in Anaheim. He was his usual jovial self, wearing his trademark wild sneakers designed by Dwight Johnson, an injured worker he often championed. I was supposed to have dinner with him Thursday, but a last-minute schedule change prevented me from arriving in time. It is a lost opportunity I now deeply regret. My last communication with David was Saturday morning, when he responded to a Facebook post I made regarding troubles with my Friday flight home. He replied in his usual lighthearted and friendly manner, saying, “Bob — you should have just hung with me, take a trip to Catalina in 41Mike, and gone out Saturday...” 41Mike was his beloved airplane, and I would have been more than happy to oblige. I responded with “Now you tell me. Next time, you're on! Good seeing you — albeit briefly.”

I am sad to know I will never have the opportunity to make good on that offer.

But the loss is much greater than the personal feelings for a competitor I grew to like and respect over the years. David DePaolo lived life to the fullest, and his robust character, brash honesty and unquestioned integrity have forever and indelibly influenced our industry for the better. His loss is a tremendous one for workers’ compensation.

Exemplifying David’s passion toward our industry, one needs look no further than the CompLaude Awards. CompLaude is an annual effort created by DePaolo to recognize top achievers in our industry. It recognizes people from all sectors of comp, including injured workers, people who have achieved beyond the expected results normally seen in the realm of workplace injuries. David felt strongly that the workers’ compensation industry needs to highlight the good things we accomplish, and fight the persistent negative image cast upon us by external forces and bad players within the industry. He was right to insist on that — and David DePaolo was one of the good things workers’ comp needs to celebrate.

David was unique among industry bloggers because he wrote with a special human interest; he invited us into his home and shared his family with us, all while gearing the overall message to one applicable in workers’ comp. We became acquainted with his parents, following the lives of both his father and mother, through the aging process and related ailments to their ultimate passing. We celebrated their love and suffered his loss, all because David willingly invited us in and made us feel at home.

David and I spoke occasionally about the odd series of coincidences that seemed to follow us as our online careers proceeded. We both launched information sites for the workers’ comp industry in 1999. We both started successful blogs around the same time. We both dealt with parents with dementia, and lost them in similar timelines. We both, unknown to one another, had special-needs cats, and each blogged about them on the very same day. And we had a great time presenting on bloggers panels all over the country. I will miss him on those — and I’m not the only one.

I can’t help but wonder what our industry will do to remember this man and honor his many contributions. David was a passionate advocate of encouraging young people to join the industry, recognizing that they are needed desperately in our ranks. He interned law students and mentored them in this process. He was adamant that the industry should do more to entice and encourage young people to join the workers’ compensation field.

And he was right in doing so. I suspect that resolve should be part of the foundation for his legacy. Perhaps a David DePaolo Scholarship Fund could be established to encourage young people to study, learn and fill the jobs we have available. Whether it is conducted through Kids’ Chance or some other appropriate organization, it would be a fitting and lasting tribute to a man who gave so much for the industry.

David, I can’t believe you are gone. The two of us have a long and interesting history, and I, like the industry, am better off for having known you in my life. You will be missed, my friend. Please know you shall not be forgotten, and your legacy will survive.

Yes, David DePaolo was something that was most definitely right for workers’ compensation.

Farewell, my friend.

Robert Wilson is owner of Workerscompensation.com, a prolific blogger and a speaker at numerous workers’ compensation conferences.

Samer Abusada: The founder, CEO and president of WorkCompCentral died Sunday in a motorcycle accident in the Santa Monica Mountains near Malibu Hills.

Fresh out of college with little knowledge of the workers' comp system, I found myself applying, interviewing and being employed by David DePaolo at WorkCompCentral. I held numerous jobs throughout high school and college but nothing compared to my endeavor at WCC (WorkCompCentral).

After leaving my interview in the fall of 2007, David DePaolo quick-wittedly said if I ever wore a tie to the office again, he would cut it off. I knew I was going to enjoy my stay — for eight great years to come. This was the beginning of my journey with a CEO who was outspoken, transparent and lived a much more active lifestyle than myself; a hard feat to ascertain.

David DePaolo built an empire — starting from his garage, to the Camarillo office which was rented, to purchasing a newly built building to call his own. If you practiced workers' comp, you knew David DePaolo. He was the face of the industry, and his unbiased news reporting is what made him so controversial and trusted.

When DePaolo walked through the office doors, everyone knew. Didn't matter where you were positioned in the building — you would hear Dave's unmistakable voice and more often than not, followed by his sensational laugh. 

I learned a lot from Dave. He taught me everything I knew about the system and guided me in leading the No. 1 source for education in workers' comp. Dave was all about education and self-improvement. He genuinely wanted everyone to better themselves and learn, each and every day. We were all treated like family by Dave. Our lunch outings consisted of flying in his plane to remote airport destinations where we would fly in, eat and fly out. I was even taught how to fly his plane. His trust was vested in all those who he surrounded himself with. 

Dave was a very accomplished and well-rounded individual. Being a successful defense attorney, Dave had no reason to leave his practice and start a company from the ground up. It was his pursuit to change the system and provide up-to-the-minute factual reporting that helped drive Dave to create a company that is second to none. 

Losing Dave is a tragic loss to everyone he touched — from those working for him, with him or against him. A trying time, to say the least, but I am confident that Dave's legacy will continue, and all his dreams and aspirations will come to fruition. After all, Dave did leave behind a world-class team at WorkCompCentral, and his indomitable spirit.

Samer Abusada is a former director of WorkCompCentral’s education department.