ACC battle fails: Judge rules no compensation for injured Whanganui farmer

A High Court judge has declined compensation for an injured farmer. Photo / File

An injured Whanganui farmer has lost an appeal to receive accident compensation and a new all-terrain farm bike (ATV).

Self-employed sheep and beef farmer Paul Stanley Crothers injured his left hand, which resulted in partial amputation of his ring finger, and received other injuries, in an incident in 2010.

Crothers received weekly compensation for a short period until the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) stopped payments on September 8, 2011.

ACC said Crothers had regained capacity for his pre-injury employment and was no longer entitled to weekly compensation.

After several failed attempts by Crothers to appeal the decision, Judge Ongley has ruled the farmer would not receive weekly compensation and was not entitled to an ATV upgrade.

Judge Ongley said Crothers' grip was still affected but, using his existing ATV, he could return to his pre-injury employment.

"There were some changes he would need to make as to his work practices, such as the need to avoid steep terrain in wet weather, but clearly these were not seen as significant."

Judge Ongley said the evidence showed Crothers could carry out his pre-injury work without taking an unreasonable or inappropriate risk of further injury.

"There is nothing to indicate that Mr Crothers' son is doing work that Mr Crothers is incapable of doing because of the accident.