1327 days ago

Tetraplegic disputes $30k motel bill

Nicholas Boyack Reporter from Community News

A tetraplegic man is fighting ACC and the Ministry of Social Development over a $30,000 debt, accumulated after he was put up in a motel when there were no suitable homes with wheelchair access.

Both organisations stopped funding the motel even though John Horsfield, 53, had nowhere else to go. He was thrown from a scooter in February 2015, while travelling at 70 kilometres an hour.

”I landed squarely on my back. If I had rolled I would’ve broken my arms and legs,” he said.

Ministry of Social Development regional commissioner Gagau Annandale-Stone said Horsfield didn’t qualify for emergency housing support, because he had significant cash assets, including a large ACC pay-out. “We advised John that we were no longer able to make the emergency grant non-recoverable, and he would need to pay it back,” he said.

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What's On: Mākara Emergency Response Practice

Heather from Newlands

A Community Emergency Hub is a place for the community to gather and coordinate after a disaster. Come along to practice opening the hub in an earthquake scenario.
Mākara Emergency Response Practice
  • Mākara Model School