Win for injured cyclist

A CYCLIST who was left a paraplegic when he rode into a parked vehicle has been brought to tears after changes to TAC legislation were passed at the eleventh hour on State Parliament’s final sitting day.

Drysdale farmer Rory Wilson will now be eligible for TAC compensation four years after he severed his spinal cord when he struck a parked furniture truck while riding on July 9, 2014.

Days after the life-changing incident, the father-of-two and former teacher suffered two massive strokes and had to learn to read and speak again.

But even though he was injured on the road, a quirk in legislation left Mr Wilson ineligible for TAC cover because his accident did not meet the legal definition of a transport accident.

Legislative amendments to ensure any cyclist injured in this type of crash from the date of Mr Wilson’s accident received cover were introduced to Parliament in June, but with Parliament now not sitting until after the November state election, Mr Wilson and his team were fearful the changes would not get through.

Those fears were allayed late on Thursday when the changes were passed. Mr Wilson said when he first started fighting for change he never believed he would receive retrospective compensation.

“The family, the community as a whole has been so supportive,” Mr Wilson said.

“We were hopeful to have the law changed to be able to look after other people.”

TAC chief executive officer Joe Calafiore said when he first came across Mr Wilson’s plight it was a “black and white case” that he wasn’t eligible for funding.

“We couldn’t cover him … I said at the time, ‘we’ve got to get the law changed,” Mr Calafiore said.

Any cyclists injured in a collision with a parked vehicle since July 9, 2014, are encouraged to seek legal advice.