Better news for paintball victim

"Why do I get punished for one of their employees' inability to do their job? I've never dealt with ACC and I'm quite put off by the whole 'us and them' approach they seem to have." - Paintball victim Chris Getty

Things have taken several turns for the better during recent days for Kaitaia man Chris Getty, who fears he may lose the sight in his right eye as the result of being struck with a paintball pellet at close range while he was supposedly in a safe zone (Paintball mishap may cost an eye, June 19).

Mr Getty said on Thursday a new lens for his injured eye was being made in Germany, a process likely to take three weeks.

He was scheduled for surgery on August 1 and doctors had told him it would not be possible to accurately assess the damage to his eye until the lens, which had become detached, had been removed, but there was hope a new lens could be attached.

He had also made some progress with ACC following the publication of his story. He said, from the same day as publication, he had a new case manager in Whangarei.

The new manager was somewhat perplexed as to why it had taken so long for him to be informed of certain details.

"That should have happened in the second week in May but I now have a much more helpful person dealing with me," Mr Getty said.

He was deeply unimpressed with ACC's performance, however, saying on Thursday he had only that day been informed of rights that should have been explained to him almost six weeks earlier.

That had cost him payments for prescriptions and he now knew he would have to declare the week's holiday pay he had received from his employer when he could not return to work.

"Why do I get punished for one of their employees' inability to do their job? I've never dealt with ACC and I'm quite put off by the whole 'us and them' approach they seem to have," he said.

"It seems I will be screwed over for my holiday pay, thanks to a faceless idiot who gets paid not to tell you of your rights and obligations."

He was still waiting for a meeting with ACC that was supposed to have taken place weeks earlier to sort out "all these issues".