Elderly man suffers serious injuries during private patient transfer

An elderly Victorian man whose wheelchair was not properly secured by a patient transfer driver has suffered a fractured spine, concussion and other serious injuries during a trip to a medical appointment.

Basil Mackinnon, 94, was being transported by National Patient Transport from his Geelong aged care home on December 18, when five minutes into the journey, his wheelchair catapulted backwards as the vehicle took off at traffic lights. His head struck a metal grate and became jammed between the grate and his wheelchair.

Mr Mackinnon’s son Andrew was accompanying him to the routine eye appointment and saw the events unfold in his peripheral vision. He said he ordered the driver to pull over so he could assist his father who was in a lot of pain and bleeding from his head.

Andrew said after sitting his father up, he watched as the driver examined the wheelchair straps before calling emergency services and his employer regarding what he should do next.

The driver transported Mr Mackinnon to emergency at Geelong’s University Hospital, telling Andrew to keep a firm hold of his father in case he fell backwards again.

“When we got to the hospital the doctors and nurses couldn’t understand how this could have happened if he’d been strapped in properly,” he said.

“They were really worried about him having bleeding on the brain… [and] at one stage, told me that if this had been a frail woman dad’s age, she probably wouldn’t have made it.”

It was soon discovered that his father had sustained several spinal fractures, a gash to his head, concussion and neck and knee injuries. He also suffered multiple soft tissue injures and widespread bruising and remained in hospital for several days.

Slater and Gordon has lodged a Transport Accident Compensation (TAC) claim on his behalf.

Road injuries lawyer Brodie Tiatto, from Slater and Gordon’s Geelong office, said under the TAC’s ‘no-fault’ insurance scheme, anyone injured on the state’s roads was eligible to claim for medical and rehabilitation expenses among other benefits, in addition to lump sum compensation, regardless of the cause of the accident.

“If someone is seriously injured as a result of a transport accident that was caused by the fault of another person, then they may also be entitled to much greater compensation,” he said. “That’s why it’s so important to get legal advice to find out your legal rights and entitlements.”

Andrew said the impact of what happened to his father had been profound, especially psychologically.

“He’s still traumatised by what happened and has become a lot less trusting of others, especially when we have to travel somewhere, which we do regularly. He’s a lot more anxious and gets easily stressed,” he said.

“It shouldn’t have happened. Anybody in the role of a professional carer who is transporting patients in wheelchairs needs to stop, take a breath and take the time to check that they’re properly secured before they take off, because as my father’s experience shows, there can be serious consequences.”