Geelong man Basil Mackinnon, 94, left concussed, bleeding after incident in private patient transport

An elderly Geelong man fractured his spine, and was left bleeding and concussed, after his wheelchair was not properly secured inside a private patient transportation vehicle.

Andrew and Basil Mackinnon. Picture: Alan Barber

An elderly Geelong man fractured his spine and was left bleeding and concussed after his wheelchair was not properly secured inside a private patient transportation vehicle.

Basil Mackinnon was being taken from his aged care home in Charlemont to an optical appointment by private provider National Patient Transport (NPT) in December last year.

Slater and Gordon recently lodged a Transport Accident Commission (TAC) claim on Mr Mackinnon’s behalf.

The 94-year-old was five minutes into the journey when his wheelchair suddenly catapulted backwards as the driver took off at traffic lights.

His head slammed into a metal grate, which is used to lift the wheelchair up into the vehicle.

His son and primary caregiver, Andrew Mackinnon, saw his dad’s wheelchair fly backwards in his peripheral vision.

“It was horrifying,” he said.

“One moment I was chatting with my dad, the next he slammed his head into the metal grate and was screaming in pain.

“He was stuck between the metal gate and the wheelchair … he couldn’t move.

“(My dad) was completely in shock and he was bleeding at the head.”

Andrew then screamed at the driver to pull over as he helped to sit his father up.

The driver rushed Basil to the emergency department, where he spent two days at Geelong hospital.

He suffered several spinal fractures, concussion, and gashes and bruising to his neck, legs and arms.

Basil Mackinnon in hospital after the accident in December last year. Picture: Supplied

“When we got to the hospital, the doctors and nurses couldn’t understand how this could have

happened if he’d been strapped in properly,” Andrew said.

“They were really worried about him having bleeding on the brain … (and) at one stage, told me that if this had been a frail woman (who was) dad’s age, she probably wouldn’t have made it.”

Andrew said his dad was “traumatised” by the incident.

“He has become a lot less trusting of others, especially when we have to travel somewhere, which we do regularly,” he said.

“He’s a lot more anxious and gets easily stressed.”

Andrew and Basil Mackinnon. Picture: Alan Barber

Andrew said the incident was “mind boggling” and should not have happened.

“Anybody who is transporting patients in wheelchairs needs to stop and take the time to check that they’re properly secured before they take off, because as my father’s experience shows, there can be serious consequences,” he said.

Slater and Gordon road injuries lawyer Brodie Tiatto said under the TAC’s “no-fault” insurance scheme, anyone injured on Victorian roads was eligible to claim for medical and rehabilitation expenses among other benefits, in addition to lump sum compensation, regardless of the cause of the accident.

“If someone is seriously injured as a result of a transport accident that was caused by the fault

of another person, then they may also be entitled to much greater compensation,” he said.

An NPT spokesman said the vehicle was immediately taken out of service after the incident and, as a cautionary measure, all straps inside the vehicle were replaced.

“Following our investigation, we have reviewed several processes at NPT, including the implementation of new ratchet straps in our vehicles,” the spokesman said.

“The health and safety of patients is of vital importance to NPT and we sincerely apologise for any distress we have caused to the patient and their family.”

The content summaries were created with the assistance of AI technology, then edited and approved for publication by an editor.

Originally published as Geelong man Basil Mackinnon, 94, left concussed, bleeding after incident in private patient transport