A recent case on statutory benefits under the Motor Accident Injuries Act 2017 has been added to the By Lawyers Motor Accidents From 1 December 2017 (NSW) Guide.

The Act provides that benefits for treatment and loss of income are payable to those injured in motor vehicle accidents, regardless of fault. Where the accident is wholly or mostly caused by the claimant, those benefits cease after 26 weeks.

In AAI Limited v Singh [2019] NSWSC 1300 the Supreme Court considered the potentially complicated question of when the claimant is, or might be deemed to be, at fault and therefore whether statutory benefits should cease after 26 weeks. The court identified an anomaly in the legislation, being an inconsistency between s 5.1 and s 5.6 and opined that ‘Amendment will be necessary if a spate of litigation generated by the obscurities of these provisions is to be avoided’.

The court in this instance determined that the statutory benefits payable to a driver of a single vehicle accident, who was not at fault, should not cease after 26 weeks.

This case has been added to the By Lawyers Commentary under the sections titled No-fault accidents and When do statutory benefits cease, as valuable guidance for subscribers acting for claimants in receipt of statutory benefits.