Helping Clients Get Back on their Feet

Rose (not our client's real name), a young woman of 18, was leaving an inner suburban bar after a quiet drink late last year when she was savagely beaten in an unprovoked attack by an unknown assailant. Rushed to hospital in an ambulance, she was diagnosed with a fractured nose and cheek bone and a cut face. As a result, she was unable to work in the retail shop in which she was employed, which meant a significant loss of wages over the busy Christmas trading period. We acted for Rose (now fortunately recovered) in obtaining an award of Special Financial Assistance, her loss of earnings as a result of the assault and reimbursement for the ambulance trip. An interesting aspect of this case possibly from an accounting point of view, was how we quantified Rose's loss of earnings claim. Although she was employed as a casual, we were able to demonstrate by means of her pay slips and a letter from her employer to confirm, respectively, her normal pattern of work and the expected increased shifts and earning expectations over the busy Christmas retail trading period.