NIISQ CEO Neil Singleton on Motor vehicle accidents and brain injury

In the media and wider community, we often hear mention of the road toll, and the tragic circumstances resulting in too many deaths occurring on our roads. However, what is not discussed as often is the people who are seriously injured in motor vehicle accidents, and what life might look like for them post-accident.

The National Injury Insurance Scheme, Queensland (we call it NIISQ), was formed in 2016 to work directly with and provide support to people seriously injured in motor vehicle accidents in Queensland, on or after 1 July 2016. It provides eligible people who sustain a serious personal injury in a motor vehicle accident in Queensland with necessary and reasonable treatment, care and support needs, irrespective of fault, in some cases for their lifetime.

In the five years since its inception, NIISQ has grown to currently work with almost 370 participants. That’s almost 370 people whose lives, futures and goals have changed irrevocably as a result of a motor vehicle accident. They may have been the driver, a passenger, pedestrian or even a motorbike or bicycle rider. And we know firsthand that each participant has a different story to tell, with different injuries and rehabilitation. Because every injury is different.

More than 76% of NIISQ’s participants have suffered a traumatic brain injury, which can make their rehabilitation lengthy, frustrating and exhausting. Some participants with brain injuries also have additional serious injuries that may further impact on their mobility and way of life. These injuries are life-changing for an individual and their family. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to meeting a participant’s needs and these needs change over time.

We join with and support organisations such as Synapse during Brain Injury Awareness Week to advocate for this group of people as they work so hard to re-join their communities and undertake rehabilitation.

Although we strive to make lives better for participants, tailoring their treatment, care and support and taking into consideration their unique and personal circumstances, the most ideal outcome is to avoid the motor vehicle accident entirely and to stay safe on the road.

Neil Singleton
Chief Executive Officer
NIISQ Agency