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Dutch student injured in car crash in Western Australia - Janssen + Maluga Legal Review by Client


I am a student from the Netherlands. I had been wanting to study overseas in a country with good education facilities that was outside Europe and I finally decided to study in Adelaide/ South Australia. During my two months of study, I was involved in the Adelaide University Mountain Club and went hiking almost every weekend. However, my studies were cut short because of the accident.

A few friends and I decided to go on a trip to Exmouth. On the way to Exmouth from Coral Bay, I was sitting in the back of the camper, focusing on my papers. I didn’t see the accident coming at all.

At 11 in the morning on 24/09/2017, the camper van rolled at least three times. Every time the camper came into contact with the earth I was slammed back into the hard seat. I sat still and didn’t move until the ambulance arrived. The ambulance put me on a stretcher with a neck brace and took me to Exmouth Hospital. From there I was transported to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth. The X-rays showed an iliac crest fracture in my hip and a compression fracture in my lower spine. I was admitted to bed rest for 7 weeks and was unable to sit upright for four weeks.

During this time, I contacted Janssen + Maluga Legal. Dr Gabriele Maluga and Prof Dr Gerhard Janssen came and visited me in the hospital. They took over the case from there. They contacted my father in the Netherlands and organised the next steps.

Later, I was admitted to Fiona Stanley Hospital, where I underwent several medical tests and examinations before I could fly back to the Netherlands. Because of the accident, it was very difficult to continue my studies but, after a significant amount of time, I started to manage.

Thanks to their extensive work and immense preparation, the matter was settled out of court by my lawyers at Janssen + Maluga Legal. The Transport Accident Commission of Victoria negotiated with Prof Dr Janssen and settled on payments totaling $280,000.00, which was much higher than the amount I initially expected to receive.

I appreciate the close communication from Prof Dr Janssen during this difficult time in my life. Without this settlement I would have endured substantial financial hardship for the extra semester in Adelaide and the years to come.

To this day I still feel pain in my lower back and tailbone. I can’t do many of the everyday things that I used to, but my recovery went well. Although this accident has made a permanent impact on my life, I am thankful for everyone’s efforts at JANSSEN + MALUGA LEGAL, ensuring that I could go on to do my Masters program in the Netherlands without having to stress about the financial burden.

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