Gerda Wachter is fighting the TAC to make her home more wheelchair-accessible. 80783 Picture: DAMJAN JANEVSKI
By LAURA WAKELY
“TAC, yeah that’s a dirty word for me.”
Gerda Wachter was in Essendon four years ago when she was hit by a car.
The driver sped off, leaving Gerda to an eight month stint in hospital, followed by months of rehabilitation and life in a wheelchair.
Everyday tasks have become chores for the 74-year-old, who wants a major renovation carried out in her bathroom to make it more wheelchair-accessible, including removing a wall between her shower and toilet and replacing the flooring.
She also wants support rails at the entrance to her Keilor Park home.
“I need the bathroom exactly how it was in rehab,” Gerda said.
“At the moment I’ve got this swivel chair in the bath, the tiles are falling off and we’ve got lino and it’s lifting up.”
But the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) has refused to pay for the works and Gerda is now locked in a battle with the authority at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
Gerda is worried the TAC isn’t installing safety rails because they think she’s too heavy for them, as she’s put on 25 kilograms since the accident.
“They don’t think of me as a person, I’m just a number,” she said.
A TAC spokesperson told Star the authority had agreed to pay for additional rails, but that other works were “not clinically justified” according to an occupational therapist’s report.
“To date, the TAC has compensated Ms Wachter in the form of payment of medical treatment for injuries she suffered as a result of her accident as well as a significant lump sum payment,” the spokesperson said.
“The TAC wishes Ms Wachter well in her recovery.”
Senior Associate from Maurice Blackburn Lawyers Dimi Ioannou, who is representing Gerda, said the TAC were obliged to pay for home modifications and had even classified Gerda’s status as “serious injury” themselves.
With a possible leg amputation operation looming, Gerda wants the issue fixed quickly.
“This is not a case to be laughed at. It’s serious,” she said.
“I don’t give in and I’m not going to give in.”
