Tasmania quad bike crash victim compensated

A Lancashire woman who suffered brain damage in a quad bike accident in Australia has been awarded about £175,000 in compensation.

Holly Raper, of Chorley, was working on a farm on King Island, Tasmania, when she came off the bike in December 2011.

Her father Chris Raper said the award, the maximum amount allowable under Tasmanian legislation, was for her injury not her medical costs.

He said the accident had "taken Holly's life away".

'Never talk again'
 
Mr Raper said his daughter was travelling in Australia and working on a dairy farm when the accident happened.

He said he believed she was herding cattle for the first time when she fell off the vehicle.

The intention of the award was to compensate her for her injury not pay for her round-the-clock medical costs, Mr Raper said..

He added it may seem a lot of money but said it was not "when you consider it has taken Holly's life away".

"Holly will never walk or talk again probably. She is confined to a bed or wheelchair, fed through a peg in her stomach and breathes through a tracheotomy," Mr Raper said.

"She was a vibrant, intelligent young woman."

Mr Raper said: "Holly needs 24 hour care by two trained people so in effect that is six people a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

"If you add up that you can imagine how much it comes to and that is not counting physiotherapy and occupational therapy."

At a Tasmanian Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Tribunal, Chief Commissioner Stephen Carey said Ms Raper, who was 21 at the time of the accident, had sustained "catastrophic neurological injury".

Farmers David and Jocelyn Bowden were ordered to pay Ms Raper's mother the sum of about 290,000 Australian dollars within seven days.

Ms Raper remained in a coma for a number of months after the crash before being flown back to the UK in March.

Her return to the UK was delayed as the insurance company said her policy did not cover work injuries.

The Tasmanian government's Workers Compensation Scheme eventually paid for her return.

(source: bbc.co.uk)