If you have been injured as a passenger in a motor vehicle accident in Queensland, then you may have a right to claim compensation. Unfortunately car accidents do happen, and those who suffer injuries can extend to passengers as well as drivers. While the cause of an accident might be another car on the road, it could also be the driver of the vehicle you’re travelling in. In either circumstance, being injured as a passenger in a car accident means you may have a right to compensation if the accident was due to the negligence of another person.

Given the nature and serious impact of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (‘PTSD’), the amendments allow an injured worker to make a statutory compensation claim with WorkCover Queensland or the relevant self- insurer (‘the Insurer’) much faster and easier than they were able to before. This streamlined process also means that the injured person can make a claim for the assistance and compensation they need and deserve without having to revisit the incident/s that caused the trauma.

Laws were passed by the Queensland Government in late 2015 that came into force on 15 July 2015, which allow firefighters who are diagnosed with certain cancers to make a compensation claim provided that they have been actively firefighting for a minimum amount of time depending on the cancer. This means that the injured firefighter does not have to prove that the injury was caused by his employment, making the claims process easier and quicker.

Any incident involving a workplace accident follows the same initial process: report the incident to your employer, attend on your doctor, and lodge a claim with WorkCover Queensland. It is important to note that in some cases your employer might be a registered self-insurer, in which case you will submit a claim through your employer directly. If you are unsure, you can either ask your employer, contact WorkCover Queensland before submitting your claim, or contact us for more information.