In the words of a car accident victim

Like many motor vehicle accident victims, Travis Partridge was not only struggling with injuries, but was also battling with insurers and their doctors. 

Travis recounts his car accident, and the challenge of pursuing compensation:

The night I had my accident I got out of the car, and me and the bloke who hit me pushed the car off to the side of the road.

It turns out I actually knew the driver. I asked if he was ok, and he asked if I was ok. I thought I was fine, but it wasn’t until the next day when I tried to get out of bed that I couldn’t move. 

I didn’t get representation straight away. I thought I’d just handle everything myself. Even though I don’t have any experience in the legal field, I have an understanding about what’s right and what’s not. 

The insurer sent their doctors to examine me, and I felt pressured to accept what I felt was a minor offer of compensation.

I was able to stand up for myself, but a mate of mine who was a victim in a serious accident was talked in to it, and certainly didn’t get the compensation that he deserved. 

You really need to go through the legal process and understand what your entitlements are.

Insurance companies are looking after their interests, as harsh as it sounds, but that’s reality.

I had a number of recommendations for Tindall Gask Bentley partner Barney Gask. A mate of mine used Barney to handle his accident claim, and one of my colleagues at work had actually used Barney’s Dad (Richard) when he had an accident, and also knew Barney. Another friend, who is a corporate lawyer, also suggested Barney, so there was no need to see anyone else.

We were able to form a friendship, because Barney’s a good guy, and gave me honest advice and recommendations.

He wasn’t misleading or deceptive, and to be honest I almost expected that, because I hadn’t dealt with lawyers before and there’s a bit of a stigma.

I really didn’t feel that way with Barney or lawyer Christie Harris, I was very impressed with both of them, and they didn’t make mistakes through the process.

There were some sensitivities with my case that Barney was about to talk to me about, and be supportive. 

I’d been seeing psychologists and psychiatrists and these type of people who were trying to tell me what’s wrong with me, but just sitting down with Barney and listening to him share some personal experiences of his own, it gave me a level of confidence and trust.

Having that trust and friendship really helped me. Whether that’s important for everyone, I don’t know. Some people might just want to have a purely professional relationship, but I was able to warm to him quickly and easily. 

It took us a long time to get the result. It was a long process, and we could’ve probably had things advanced a lot further if I had have engaged a lawyer earlier, but I was very happy and satisfied with the result in the end. Maybe we could’ve gone to court and ended up with more or less compensation, but I guess it comes down to weighing up what you think is reasonable.

For help with your accident injury claim in Adelaide or Perth, contact Barney Gask on (08) 8212 1077 for a free initial interview.