Protester regrets ACC office stunt
A man charged after he drove his car into the doorway of New Plymouth’s ACC office believes it was a ‘‘dumb thing to do’’.
On December 20, about 9.30am, Paul Smith parked his vehicle in the entranceway of the Molesworth St building, after removing an outside bollard with a set of bolt cutters.
Described as a ‘‘protest’’ against the national insurer, Smith live streamed the incident on Facebook.
At the heart of the matter is Smith’s belief that he qualified for weekly compensation from ACC due to a back injury.
However, the Crown entity says there is no medical evidence to support this claim, and an independent review of the case also ruled in ACC’s favour.
Smith initially hoped the tactic would attract public attention and force a rethink from ACC regarding how it managed his case.
The day before the protest action, Smith was told that further information he had provided to ACC about his medical situation had not changed its mind. He was upset and swore at the male staffer over the phone. It was then that he came up with the idea of the protest.
‘‘I thought, ‘Oh well, I might park in the doorway and cause some disruption’,’’ the 50-year-old said. He knew that by doing so he would either get ‘‘told off’’ or run the risk of being arrested. ‘‘It was probably a bit rash.’’ However, he felt like he was ‘‘backed into a corner and didn’t know what else to do.’’
‘‘I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.’’
Smith said his injury was sustained in January 2012 after he fell out of a tractor at work and hit his back on its steel stairs. It was aggravated later that day when he reached into the fridge.
He gave up work altogether in 2015. He is now in receipt of a supported living benefit.
In response to a privacy waiver signed by Smith asking for information on his case, an ACC spokesman said its medical notes showed the back pain was the result of a diagnosis of osteoporosis.
Cover was sought by Smith for a spinal fracture, which ACC declined on the basis that medical evidence highlighted it had been caused by osteoporosis and not through any trauma.
Smith challenged that decision at the March review hearing but its decision upheld ACC’s position.
In November, Smith sought a further opinion from a spinal surgeon who diagnosed mechanical back pain, noted the old fracture and recommended further pain management treatment.
This report was given to ACC, but Smith was later advised that this did not change its position regarding his claim.
Smith has a right to seek a further review of the decision, and if unsuccessful, can head to the District Court.
Now facing a charge of wilful damage after the December 20 incident, Smith is due to make his first appearance in the New Plymouth District Court tomorrow.
‘‘I thought, ‘Oh well, I might park in the doorway and cause some disruption’ . . . It was probably a bit rash.’’ Paul Smith