If you or your loved one has been injured in an accident, there are challenging and complex issues to navigate. Physical and mental injuries can upturn your life, impacting your relationships and work. You may never have thought you’d need a lawyer but have now been unexpectedly injured.
In this first of a three-part series, we help you to protect what matters in planning for the unexpected, and if the unexpected does happen.
Plan for the unexpected – practical support
We know you can't live your life planning for an unexpected event that may never happen. But we also know that personal injury at work, on the road or in public can turn your life upside down in an instant. There are a few practical things you can do now to make things a little easier, following road trauma or other injury.
And if the unexpected does happen and you or your loved one are injured, we can help you navigate the compensation process, which can help with arranging and funding practical support.
Here’s a checklist of practical support you may need to help you heal and recover:
Domestic care, such as cleaning, laundry, groceries and meal preparation
Transportation to and from medical and rehabilitation appointments
Personal care such as bathing, dressing and medication reminders
Financial and insurance planning
It’s no doubt that the largest stress when going through an unexpected emergency is how you will survive financially if you were out of work for a period of time. With this in mind, reviewing your finances, insurance policies and superannuation, can help you visualise what financial support you may have access to in the event of an emergency. Here are some items you can review:
Review your life insurance and superannuation policies so you are aware of what you are and aren’t covered for. If you aren’t covered for injury or total permanent disablement (TPD), now is the time to speak to your insurer/financial advisor to discuss your options.
It’s also important that you have a nominated beneficiary which can be more than one person. This will ensure that if your injuries are fatal, your super is paid to the dependent/s that you have nominated. Find out more here.
Review what automatic payments you already have for recurring bills and set up any that might be missing.
Keep a record of contact details for financial institutions and service providers (such as for your mortgage and electricity) so you can readily contact them if you need to discuss hardship payment plans or temporary suspension of services.
What to do if you have physical injuries
Physical injuries from road trauma, a workplace accident, exposure to toxic substances at work, medical negligence or an injury from an accident in a public place, can significantly impact your personal and working life. Your injuries may be complex and impact your ability to leave your home unaided, relate to your family and friends or return to work.
When you’ve been injured suddenly and unexpectedly, it’s important to act to protect what matters.
Medical help for physical injuries
It’s important to seek appropriate medical help for any injury from an accident as quickly as possible, no matter how it was caused. Your injury may be treated at the scene of your accident by a paramedic, or you may be transported to hospital in an ambulance.
If your injuries don’t require immediate treatment or you later develop an injury, it’s most likely that your GP will be the first person you see for medical help.
Your local GP can assess your injuries and determine whether you need, for example:
A referral to a medical specialist for further treatment
Pathology, an x-ray or other form or medical investigation regarding your injury
Physical therapy or rehabilitation
Legal help for your compensation claim
Before your injury in an accident, you may never have thought you’d need a lawyer. But when you or your loved one has been injured, an experienced lawyer can help you to protect what matters. Getting help to navigate the legal process to make a compensation claim can mean that you or your loved one can focus on recovery, rehabilitation and healing.
Shine Lawyers can help with compensation claims for injuries sustained:
In a work-related accident
In a motor vehicle accident, including as a pedestrian or witness
Due to medical negligence
In a public place
Through exposure to toxic substances at work
What to do if you have psychological injuries
Any road trauma, workplace or other accident can have a significant impact on your mental health. This is so even if you’ve not experienced physical injury from an accident.
Our lawyers have been trained in a trauma-informed approach to gently guide you through the legal process. Our dedicated Lead Counsellor works to reduce the chance of repeated traumatisation from the legal process for our clients.
If you or your loved one’s mental health has been impacted by an accident or incident, Shine Lawyers can help. You may have experienced, for example:
Potential post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after an accident
What other steps can you take
In addition to seeking legal advice for your mental health injury, it’s important to support your rehabilitation and recovery in other ways. These can include:
Professional mental health support such as through your GP’s referral to a psychiatrist or psychologist
Emotional and mental health support groups
Speaking with trusted family, friends or colleagues
Contact Shine Lawyers
You may never have thought you’d need a lawyer. But if the unexpected has happened and you need to protect what matters, get in touch with Shine Lawyers today.
To read the next part of our Protect What Matters series see here.
