Bourke St wake widening
More than a month after a horrific incident in Melbourne’s Bourke St Mall, the effects are still being felt.
In late January, a car ploughed through the Melbourne pedestrian mall, killing six people, injuring dozens and psychologically damaging even more.
Authorities are still sorting through the fallout.
The state’s Transport Accident Commission (TAC) is involved, as is WorkSafe (as many people in the mall were there for work purposes or there on a break) and Victims of Crime.
Shine Lawyers is representing a number of the Bourke Street attack victims, and the firm’s general manager Stuart Le Grand says the discussions around compensation and culpability are hugely complex.
“People who are affected by the Bourke Street tragedy will fall within one of two schemes,” he told the ABC.
“That is if someone was at work at the time or they were on a work lunch break, I anticipate that the compensation will be paid by the workers compensation scheme.
“If someone was visiting the city or they had no association with work, their compensation will be paid by the transport accident scheme.
“In a scenario where a husband was at work on his lunch break and he was struck down and killed, then the dependency payments will be paid by WorkSafe.
“In a similar vein, if it didn't have any involvement with work and someone was struck down and killed and they left behind family members who are financially dependent on the deceased, then those benefits would be paid under the TAC scheme.
“It will certainly result in hundreds of thousands of dollars being paid out for individual claims, and that's not to mention the ongoing medical cost that will paid.”
In addition to the statutory schemes, a Bourke Street fund has been set up to pay victims and their families.
Mr Le Grand said most claims are for psychological damage.