A few days ago, Andrew Martin a truck driver on a freeway in Melbourne’s west escaped injury when rocks were thrown at his truck by a group of teenagers on an overpass.
Readers may recall that a similar incident in New South Wales in 1998 caused the death of truck driver, Mark Evans whose windscreen was pierced by a rock which then struck him in the chest killing him almost instantly.
If a motorist was injured or killed in a similar incident in NSW today, recent changes made by the Government to the motor accident compensation scheme would ensure the injured motorist or their family would be entitled to claim benefits. For the person killed, the family would be entitled to claim the reasonable cost of the funeral from the CTP (Green Slip) insurer of the vehicle being driven at the time of the accident. For the injured motorist, they would be entitled to claim from the CTP (Green Slip) insurer, benefits for lost income and payment of treatment and care expenses. Because the motorist was not at fault in causing the accident (the person at fault who caused the accident is the one who threw the rock) the injured motorist would be entitled to claim benefits for at least the first 26 weeks after the accident and, depending on the severity of the injuries could claim income loss benefits for up to five years and treatment and care expenses for life.
If you or anyone you know is injured has been injured in a car accident, you may be entitled to compensation. For more information, and to arrange a free, no-obligation assessment of your claim, please call Stacks Goudkamp on 1800 251 800, or alternatively make an online enquiry.
Written by Tom Goudkamp.
Tom Goudkamp is Managing Director of Stacks Goudkamp. He has over 40 years of experience of successfully bringing compensation claims for people injured in motor vehicle accidents.
