1. (a) A fire protection district shall pay for the care of a full-time, paid firefighter who suffers:

   1. (1) an injury; or

   2. (2) contracts an illness;

      during the performance of the firefighter's duties.

2. (b) The fire protection district shall pay for the following expenses incurred by a firefighter described in subsection (a):

   1. (1) Medical and surgical care.
   2. (2) Medicines and laboratory, curative, and palliative agents and means.
   3. (3) X-ray, diagnostic, and therapeutic service, including service provided during the recovery period.
   4. (4) Hospital and special nursing care if the physician or surgeon in charge considers it necessary for proper recovery.
3. (c) Expenditures required by subsection (a) shall be paid from the fund used by the fire protection district for payment of the costs attributable to providing fire protection services in the fire protection district.

4. (d) A fire protection district that has paid for the care of a firefighter under subsection (a) has a cause of action for reimbursement of the amount paid under subsection (a) against any third party against whom the firefighter has a cause of action for:

   1. (1) an injury sustained because of; or

   2. (2) an illness caused by;

      the third party. The fire protection district's cause of action under this subsection is in addition to, and not instead of, the cause of action of the firefighter against the third party.

As added by P.L.150-2002, SEC.3.