A man who survived a one-punch assault which left him with ongoing seizures and brain damage has questioned why victims of crime should have to foot the bill for ambulance transport.
Danny Hodgson was punched without warning by a 17-year-old boy at a Perth train station in September 2021.
He fell backwards and sustained a severe traumatic brain injury that saw him spend almost 100 days in a state intensive care unit — including his 26th birthday.
The avid soccer player then entered a long rehabilitation process where he had to learn to eat, drink, sit up and walk and talk again.
He suffered repeated complications and was left with a permanent disability.
Bill arrives from day of attack
Mr Hodgson on Thursday shared a notice he received from debt collectors demanding payment for transport to Royal Perth Hospital by ambulance on the day he was attacked.
He said he was unable to work and had been left permanently disabled by the attack, so was not sure where the money would come from.
"Once again it feels like my family and I are being kicked while we are down," Mr Hodgson said in a statement.
"This demand for payment hasn’t just created financial pressure – it is taken an emotional toll too.
"Everything has been ripped away from us with one cowardly attack and yet the system still wants more and there is nothing we can do about it.
"Where is the justice?"
Mr Hodgson said he was not eligible for disability payments. He moved to Australia from the United Kingdom as a teenager.
Compensation process in Western Australia
In Western Australia, victims of crime can apply for compensation from the state government to cover a variety of circumstances, including medical expenses.
In a statement, a Department of Justice spokesman said victims of crime can apply for up to $75,000, regardless of their nationality or citizenship.
"Payments for injury and loss under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme include ambulance bills which can be paid directly to the service provider or reimbursed to a victim who has paid the account where the maximum has not already been paid to the victim," the statement said.
"The Commissioner for Victims of Crime is commencing discussions with St John Ambulance with regards to improving services for victims of crime."
Victims have three years from the date of the offence to apply, and interim payments can be sought before the application is finalised.
Thursday afternoon, the West Australian government said Mr Hodgson would not have to pay the ambulance bill.
"The Health Minister's Office contacted St John WA upon becoming aware of the collection notice issued to Danny Hodgson," a government spokesperson said.
"Mr Hodgson does not need to pay this invoice."
Opposition leader Mia Davies said the system needed to change.
"The opposition is on record saying that no victim of domestic violence should receive a bill … and I would extend that to someone like Danny," Ms Davies said.
"We need a system that is empathetic and understands that some people through no fault of their own, end up with some quite significant bills and are then unable to function as a result of those injuries."
