THE FAMILIES OF VICTIMS WITH BRAIN INJURIES NEED HELP ALSO

Australians pay for Compulsory Third Party (CTP) Insurance with their car registration. Under current guidelines, only the person who suffers bodily harm in an accident is compensated. A victim's family -- whose lives are also turned upside down in the split second after a loved one is seriously injured -- receive nothing.

Tell the State Parliament, families who find themselves caring for a loved one traumatically injured in a serious car crash, must be compensated too!

In February 2012, my husband, G, suffered catastrophic injuries to his face and spine in an accident. He underwent some 20 operations and endured thousands of hours of rehabilitation. G has frontal lobe brain damage, post-traumatic stress, depression and many physical deficits that have left him permanently unable to work. He has difficulty talking and eating, and is wary of socialising out of his comfort zone.

Before, G was highly respected at work, constantly worked overtime, and was known for his ability to lift morale in a work place. If he was not at work or doing jobs at home. he was socialising with family and friends. Now, G is living in a nightmare that he cannot wake up from.

I love my husband and am doing everything to care for him full-time. My life, and that of our two daughters, has been forever changed. Before G's accident, my daughters (who were teenagers at the time) were able to work and contribute to our family income and to renovations on our house. After G was seriously injured, I was officially diagnosed with Parkinson’s and had to have Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery within 9 months so I could move and talk.

Caring for G as well as my own ailments raised the stress level in our family. The girls had to stop working to help. We had to sell our house and relocate to a place that was best suited for G's 3-plus hours of daily rehabilitation exercises. During this difficult time my girls also became ill and required medical treatment.

G was hurt on his way to work and has received workers' compensation. This has kept us going till now but it is not enough. With the permanent loss of G's salary, and the additional medical expenses for myself and the girls, our families’ health and living cost has quadrupled.

We have to take loans from family and friends; these will never be enough to cover all G's needs, let alone those of the rest of our family. We love and support G and need CTP insurance compensation to continue to care for him. Tell the State Parliament, the families of victims of brain injuries need CTP insurance compensation too!

Even if this petition doesn't get to help us, it might help the next family of a victim of a catastrophic accident. It could be you.

Thank you,

Sandra T.