Injured Workers Claim Gallagher Bassett’s Delays Caused Severe Harm, Including Paralympian
Injured workers, among them former Paralympian Shane Walsh, say Gallagher Bassett postponed essential surgery, worsening their health.
Former Paralympic silver-medallist Shane Walsh injured his back while working for the Northern Territory government and lodged a workers’-compensation claim overseen by Gallagher Bassett. Doctors recommended immediate spinal fusion, but the insurer delayed approval for nearly twelve months, after which Walsh developed cauda equina syndrome, severe sexual dysfunction and bladder problems. Walsh alleges the company tried to attribute his symptoms to his mild cerebral palsy despite expert advice.
Similar complaints come from NT firefighter Andrew Innes, who has dealt with twelve case managers over six years, continual proof-of-illness demands, and a refusal to negotiate a settlement. Shine Lawyers reports more than 150 legal enquiries about Gallagher Bassett in the past five years and points to the firm’s low 66.6 % return-to-work rate in Victoria. The claims manager administers workers’-compensation for thousands of public servants in the NT, NSW and Victoria and holds a $42 million federal contract.
Why it matters
The story shows how claim-management delays can aggravate injuries and undermine confidence in workers’-compensation systems.
In this story
