Road traffic injury

This is wiki version of Road traffic injury. I had no time to do proper editing and formatting. It is only start of it, as some things changed and I need to focus on other matters first.

When I got injured (I was hit by a car hile cycling) I was desperately looking for information what to do. Unfortunately could not fine any useful guide. So, now after having lots of terrible experience I am writting one. I need to pack 9 years of experience, so it will take a while. Please come back later or contact me if you do not find information.

   You are welcome to check my main personal site <a href="https://stonis.info">stonis.info</a> for other things I wrote about. I am restoring my site, so most of information is not back yet.
   

Content

   The goal of this site is to help other injured people to get better faster and easier than I did. I went through terrible joirny that could been much easier and it is still ongoing.
   Current information can be gropued into two main groups:

resource

there wre many resouces that can be useful. Finding them might be quite a chalange. So, I list what I found to be useful and what not.

my experience

there is a huge difference between how things were ment to work and what is actualy happening. I faced a straight disregard of law, lying and actions that can be explained by corruption (however, I do not think I have resources to prove it) by QBE and their solicitors.

   Current information can be gropued into two main groups:

other people experience

in time I also plan to add other peoples expierence especialy to be able to select good solicitors and avoid bad ones.

tool to guid through the process

as I was excelent software developer before the injury I can not stop thinking how much I would have benefit from the proper tools. So, as soon as I recover enough to be able to code I will start working on it. It is a huge investment, but it can help a lot of people and make proces very easy. Will I be able to make money of it, that is completely different story.

Everything I write on this site is based on my own experience. I am not a lawyer and I can not give legal advice, nor I intent too. However, after I got injured I was desperately looking for someone who could share their experience and I could not find it. So, now I am sharing mine hoping that it will help someone.

   After I got injured I had many questions:

• I was cycling and I got hit by a car, what do I next?
• After the injury I had amnesia and did not remember what happened when I was brought to ED. I was feeling terrible cold in waiting room, so I got my self discharged. However, now at home I am in terrible pain and remembered what has happened. What shall I do?

You got injured what do you do next?

   The same things apply if someoe you know got injured and you want to help them. Actualy it is very important to provide help to injured people and for many more reasons than you might first realize. In short, what I have learned and I wish I have done:

1. Collect contacts of witnesses
2. Call police
3. Call ambulance
4. Look for help/support
5. Follow up with doctors
6. Inform inshurance
7. Follow up with police
8. Fill in personal injury form
9. Find solicitors

Trauma

   The one thing that I was not aware and was not told about is an impact of <a href="trauma.html">trauma</a>. There is physical impact that is vry easy to notice, however, there is also psychological impact. Together they may make all proces exceptionaly difficult to deal with. This happened to me. The amount of support you receive may significantly impact how trauma will affect you in the long run. While some people including medical professionals become more aware of trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in most cases you still can not expect that people will know what it is. I will dedicate way more space speaking about the impact of <a href="trauma.html">trauma</a>. However, in short just keep in mind that PTSD is very debilitating ilness and it can make it physicaly impossible to deal with insurance (and especialy such nasty as QBE).
   

Understanding your situation

   I found this resource recently. I think I have checked it some time ago, but due to my porblems with memory I do not remember it properly. Anyway, I do recomend having a look at <a href="https://legalanswers.sl.nsw.gov.au/legal-information/accidents-compensation-and-insurance">NSW State Library about copensation and insurance</a>.
   It also provides link to another resource about <a href="https://financialrights.org.au/motor-vehicle-accident-problem-solver/">Financial Rights Centre</a>.

Finding a good solicitor

   After getting injured you may need to deal with two institutions:

• police
• insurance company

   Depending on yur situaton you may need help with both of them. There mght be same one or you may need two that specializes in these areas. There is some help that you can find while dealing with plicie. However, there is basicaly monopoly by personal injury lawyers. I have very bad experience working with them. I met only very few who left good impressoin. Chosing right solicitor will not only significanlty effect outcome, but also how difficult fight will be. I am left with the feeling that it is exceptionaly corrupt system. I write about my terrible experience in <a href="legal_fees.html">exaggerated legal fees</a>. I am trying to colect more information about reliable lawyers, so far have a litle, but if you are interested in references drop me an email.

Problems

   There were some major problems that unfortunately noone talks or writes about. However, it will be the main problem you will face when dealing with road traffic trauma/injury claims. This is just a short list of main problems. However, even this is enough to help you to get into understanding that there will be unexpected ostacles, that should not be there and you would not expect them in other areas.

Corruption

   It seems corruption is the major factor that determens success of your claim. Insurance companies like QBE are in this game and use it as their main tool to reduce compensations you may receive. I just simply have no other explanation for the the tribunual decision I got for my claim.

Personal Injury Lawyers are in the same game

   Personal Injury Lawyers are close circle of lawyers who work for injured people, insurance companies and the government organization supervising them. Most of them like the system and refuse to take any steps that can compramise the existing system. So, if you try to get to court you may find it being mission impossible. I have been fighting for it for 8 years and I finaly give up. My physical health started deteriating rapidly and it become very likley that I will not be able to continue fight just because I may not be alive. So, now I am taking some time off, till I know that my health is at the level that I can continue.

Scam

   The actions by my previsous lawyers, firm called Law Partners, can be explained only as them runing a scam, where injured person is a victim.

Exagerrated costs

   Some solicitors push you to settle just to make sure that there is no questioning of their legal fees. While they have legal fees growsly exaggerated.

Negligence

   Among all this there is huge level of negligence. Solicitors will not take even simply actions that they should be doing and makes huge impact to your claim. Damaging it futher. However, it plays well into coruption and scaming.

Incompetence

   I like the rule: do not look for evil intent if you can explain something by plain stupidity. I try to apply this rule to actions of my solicitors. However, very often even very stretched power of stupidity can not explain their actions and the problems mentioned above come as only possible explanaition.
   
   

Legal fees

   One of the problems I faced is <a href="legal_fees.html">exaggerated legal fees</a>. 
   
   

About this site

Style

   For many years I maintained my site using <a href="https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki">MediaWiki</a>. I think it is great for this purpose, even if I am not fan of PHP. Right now I am writing only using simple HTML. The goal is to get information out as soon as possible and I will work on style when I have time for it.

Very fast loading time is one of the benefits of simple site, that I hope every visitor of this site enjoys.

Diary

   I was discouraged from putting my <a href="diary.html">diary</a> online. There were many benefits for doing journaling. One of the disadvantages is that I may not be able to write about the things that involve other people. The decision is based on the same question: would it help me if I read someone else diary when I got injured? There is a good chance it would. So, you are welcome to read my <a href="diary.html">diary</a>.

To Do

1. Check <a href="https://www.headtohealth.gov.au/finding-help/getting-started">Heat To Health</a> - I heard very good things about them.
2. Write about limitations on services they can provide put on community legal centres by NSW government.

Indexing in search engines

   Previously I had enough technical content for my site to apear in all search engines. However, due to down times and loss of content it is no longer registered. I will register my site on search engines at some point of time, but now I am uploading a lot of content and it takes priority.

Speling and gramar

   Another itme when time comes. I know it is bad, but content has higher priority. However, if you do notice some errors, please let me know.

Contact

   The best way to contact me is by email at <a href="mailto:road.traffic.injury@gmail.com">road.traffic.injury@gmail.com</a>.