Did you know that in the late 1990s, when Tom Cruise was scheduled to come to Queensland to make his movie Mission Impossible II, this influenced personal injury law in Queensland & in particular, motor accident claims? Well it actually did.
In the new noughties, legislators were working on Queensland’s new Motor Accident Insurance Scheme for those injured on our roads. The Scheme is known by most of us as Compulsory Third Party Insurance, or CTP Insurance. CTP Insurance is compulsory for all motor vehicles driven in Queensland, and Australia. This insurance provides those who are injured on our roads, due to the fault of another, with compensation for the injuries they sustain, as well as for any resultant loss and damage they suffer because of your injuries.
The legislators were concerned that Cruise, who was at the time earning around $20million a movie, might be injured in a motor vehicle accident whilst visiting Queensland, and if he was unable to continue his acting career because of his injuries, would have an enormous motor accident claim that could send the Motor Accident Scheme in Queensland into meltdown.
Claiming for Loss of Income in Motor Accident Claims
You see, in the majority of motor accident injury claims, the largest element of a claim is for lost income. Say for example, you’re a truck driver earning $1,000 a week, who can no longer work due to your injuries. Your injuries result in you being unable to drive your truck or find other employment. In such case, you would claim $1,000 loss of income per week from the date of your accident until retirement. Additionally, you would claim for any increases in income you’d have had in the future, but for your accident injuries.
So, the possibility of Cruise claiming multi-millions in loss per annum, was a real concern for Queensland’s Motor Accident Scheme. Hence they introduced legislation to reduce this risk. What the legislators did is introduce a provision in the Motor Accident Insurance Act 1994, capping the amount an accident victim can claim per week for loss of income in a motor accident claim.
Capping Loss of Income Claims in Motor Vehicle Accident Claims in Queensland
Because of this legislation, when pursuing a motor vehicle accident claim in Queensland, your claim for lost income is capped. Your weekly loss is limited to 3 times the average gross weekly wage for a full time adult in Queensland. At the present time, a full time adult in Queensland on average earns around $1,500 according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. So the cap in Queensland for claiming loss of income in a motor accident claim is around $4,500 per week.
For most of us, we can only dream of earning $4,500 per week in wages. For Cruise & other Hollywood celebrities visiting our shores however, this would be a significant reduction in income.
This capping on economic loss claims in motor vehicle accident claims, was later, with the commencement of the Civil Liability Act 2003, extended to include all personal injury claims in Queensland, save for work injury claims where there is still no capping applied.
No Win No Fee Personal Injury Lawyers are Brisbane & Gold Coast Motor Accident Claim Experts
No Win No Fee Personal Injury Lawyers specialise in personal injury law and are experts in motor vehicle accident claims. In fact, the Principal of No Win No Fee Personal Injury Lawyers has previously acted on behalf of major CTP insurers in Queensland. She also worked for and trained in motor accident injury claims with the largest Queensland motor accident insurer.
If you’ve had a motor vehicle accident or suffered injury in some other manner, and would like to find out if you have a claim, you can FREE call us on 1300 388 383, Chat with us online or send us your enquiry via one of our FREE Instant Case Appraisal forms on our website. You can also organise a FREE consultation by giving us a call or clicking on the button at the top of this webpage.
All enquiries are FREE of any charge, totally confidential and there is no obligation. We also have a Senior Lawyer taking all your enquiries and consultations. So contact us today. We are available 24/7 and it will cost you nothing but a few minutes of your time. It could mean the world of difference to you.
Tom Cruise influenced motor accident personal injury claims in Queensland!