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Best Practice Injury Compensation Processes Following Intentional Vehicular Assaults and Other Large Scale Transport Incidents: A Delphi Review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 October 2021

Tracey Varker Open the ORCID record for Tracey Varker [Opens in a new window] ,
Kari McGregor ,
David J. Pedder ,
Ros Lethbridge ,
Genevieve Grant ,
Holly Knight ,
Kimberley A. Jones ,
Jurriaan Jacobs  and
Meaghan O’Donnell
Tracey Varker*
Affiliation:
Phoenix Australia - Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Kari McGregor
Affiliation:
Phoenix Australia - Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
David J. Pedder
Affiliation:
Phoenix Australia - Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Ros Lethbridge
Affiliation:
Phoenix Australia - Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genevieve Grant
Affiliation:
Australian Centre for Justice Innovation, Faculty of Law, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
Holly Knight
Affiliation:
Phoenix Australia - Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Kimberley A. Jones
Affiliation:
Phoenix Australia - Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Jurriaan Jacobs
Affiliation:
ARQ Centre of Expertise for the Impact of Disasters and Crises, Diemen, Netherlands
Meaghan O’Donnell
Affiliation:
Phoenix Australia - Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
*
Corresponding author: Tracey Varker, Email: tvarker@unimelb.edu.au.
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Abstract

Objective:

Intentional vehicular assaults on civilians have become more frequent worldwide, with some resulting in mass casualties, injuries, and traumatized witnesses. Health care costs associated with these vehicular assaults usually fall to compensation agencies. There is, however, little guidance around how compensation agencies should respond to mental and physical injury claims arising from large-scale transport incidents.

Methods:

A Delphi review methodology was used to establish expert consensus recommendations on the major components of “no fault” injury claim processes for mental and physical injury.

Results:

Thirty-three international experts participated in a 3-round online survey to rate their agreement on key statements generated from the literature. Consensus was achieved for 45 of 60 (75%) statements, which were synthesized into 36 recommendations falling within the domains of (1) facilitating claims, (2) eligibility rules, (3) payments and benefits for clients, (4) claims management procedures, (5) making and explaining decisions, (6) support and information resources for clients, (7) managing scheme staff and organizational response, (8) clients with special circumstances, and (9) scheme values and integrity.

Conclusions:

The recommendations present an opportunity for agencies to review their existing claims management systems and procedures. They also provide the basis for the development of best practice guidelines, which may be adapted for application to compensation schemes in different contexts worldwide.

Keywords

compensationinjuryintentional vehicular assaultvehicle-ramming attacks
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 17 , 2023 , e43
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

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