Saskatchewan crash victim denied income supplement by SGI
On Dec. 23, 2012, Saskatchewan resident Sarah Courtney was a passenger in a car that rammed into a telephone pole and then hit a tree. The devastating crash left her in an intensive care unit for weeks and required her to undergo a 13-hour facial reconstruction surgery.
Courtney was 14 at the time. According to her mother she had university-level intelligence. In all likelihood she would have just wrapped up her freshman year if not for the accident. Instead, her life has been completely derailed. In addition to the initial effects of the crash, she has dealt with all sort of trauma, including anxiety, depression, and, more recently, epilepsy.
The horrific impact of everything she has experienced—and continues to experience—led Courtney to believe that she would be more than eligible to receive an income supplement from Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) this year once she turned 18. However, SGI had other thoughts. Last week Courtney received a letter stating that she was deemed capable of doing light work on a typical 40-hour weekly schedule and that her claim would be denied.
To Courtney and her family, the decision represents an egregious oversight of the difficulties facing her from a mental—and to a lesser extent, physical—health standpoint. Thus far, Courtney has in no way demonstrated the aptitude to work regular hours.
"I'm exhausted. I can barely sleep. Just a complete mess," she told CBC.
SGI responded to concerns over its treatment of Courtney's case by stating that had followed due process in her evaluation and noting, "In some cases, including brain injuries, we are required to wait until the injury has reached its maximum recovery. Until that time, SGI would be unable to do a proper assessment."
Unlike most other provinces, Saskatchewan has a compulsory auto insurance program called the Saskatchewan Auto Fund, which is overseen by SGI. Courtney's mother has said that the family is considering hiring a lawyer and going into mediation with SGI.