Comments on: The titanium leg

By: badbrains

badbrains — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:28:39 +0000

This makes me sick. I look after Charlotte Cleverly-Bisman, a quadruple amputee meningicoccal survivour, who is 5 years old and has no arms or legs. The government will not pay for her to get proper legs, she has only just got her first set of prosthetics a few months ago, they are very unwieldy and uncomfortable and hurt her after a short time. If the government can pay for a mass murderer to get a new leg which he lost from his own doing, killing people in the process, surely they can pay for a little girl who hasn’t hurt anyone and will probably grow up to be a contributing member of society. She needs legs that will cost around $50,000 and her family do the best they can in fundraising but are still so far away from their total cost. This is ridiculous, a mass murderer should be jailed for life, and not be given a gift like that when others are struggling that deserve it a lot more.

By: kiwicraig

kiwicraig — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:23:05 +0000

I’d be interested to see any info/stories on what types of prosthesis others who lose legs in actual accidents (e.g. motor vehicle accidents etc) get, in comparison to what Burton has received. Is a $10k titanium leg standard for everyone who loses a lower limb?

By: John Ansell

John Ansell — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:25:24 +0000

That’s very distressing aardvark.

Perhaps you should contact Mark Sainsbury. The contrast between your wife and Burton would make a powerful story, and could well speed her payment.

By: Murray

Murray — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:02:06 +0000

I have a solution that costs 5 cents.

By: Steve

Steve — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:39:02 +0000

aardvark@3.24,
I too am one of those thrown on the scrap heap. Neck surgery that was covered by ACC has created another problem which should have had surgery at the same time. Now I can not work, am without compensation and have to wait for the public hospital service.
Pansy Wong and Nick Smith are a waste of time. Pansy made pathetic excuses and Nick Smith did not bother to reply.
Meanwhile ACC is busy suckholeing to social misfits. That maggot Burton is just the tip of the iceberg. Challenge ACC and all they do is stonewall you. Your case manager is not there to help, they are the rotweiller to isolate you from the decision makers.
Bet of luck

By: aardvark

aardvark — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:24:51 +0000

As my wife’s condition continues to deteriorate at an ever-increasing pace and ACC have adopted the attitude that in order to make a claim for medical misadventure, *we* have to provide conclusive proof (ie: we have to pay all the costs in advance and rely on the public health system).

So, we wait and wait and wait for an MRI scan. She has now lost much of the power of speech and for most of the day has difficulty moving.

When she found that that prick Burton has received $10K for a leg he neither needs nor deserves — while she suffers the incredible torture of slowly losing touch with reality and control of her body due to the as-yet undiagnosed neurological problem she faces after what should have been relatively straight-forward surgery to repair broken bones in her arms — she was incredibly angry. And so was I.

My wife has given freely of her time and energy to help the community, she’s been a highly respected relief teacher who has helped countless kids. She’s never harmed a fly and is loved by all who know her.

She gets told to wait (and suffer) while Burton gets a fricken titanium leg?

I’m writing to the associate Minister for ACC (Pansy Wong) who has effectively ignored our pleas and asking her to explain why it is that someone with no regard for the lives of others and who has probably never paid a bean in ACC levies gets such preferential treatment.

Why is my wife (and countless others) forced to endure horrific pain and suffering at the hands of the ACC’s new “deny everything” attitude to cost-cutting, while murderous bastards get primo-treatment?

Can anyone explain that to me or my wife?

By: Ross Miller

Ross Miller — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:58:04 +0000

ACC is beset with funding problems. The Burton case is just the tip of the iceburg.

Isn’t it time to revisit the ‘no fault’ bedrock that underpins a system that the country patently cannot afford?

By: kevin_mcm

kevin_mcm — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:21:07 +0000

I thought ACC waas for accidents – surely he got shot deliberately?

By: Mrs Makepeace

Mrs Makepeace — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:52:22 +0000

Yup a simple peg leg would be cheaper. How about a Jaipur Foot and Knee combo for a cool $50 all up

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1934027_1934003_1933963,00.html

By: swan

swan — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:02:20 +0000

How can doctors be the final arbiters? A finite amount of money is available to be spent after all

By: jcuknz

jcuknz — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:22:04 +0000

Surely a simple ‘peg-leg’ like Captain Hook had would be cheaper? But I guess that is out as well becuase he could clobber a guard or other prisoner with that too. It is a pity the country doesn’t have a ‘Devils’ Island’ to send such characters to.

By: jackp

jackp — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:18:10 +0000

I was thinking the same, rightofattila. What did those kids get other than having theirs lives shattered and changed forever? What is the pc brigade doing for them? Can anyone answer that?

By: rightofattila

rightofattila — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:12:57 +0000

$10,000 for burton’s leg plus the cost of her majesties hilton for the rest of his miserable existence. I just want to know how much Karl Kuchenbecher’s kids got????

By: Andrew W

Andrew W — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:26:51 +0000

Wow, I’ve never handed out so much good Karma before!

By: burt

burt — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:54:13 +0000

I think it’s fair that people who suffer injuries committing crimes are not served as well by the social systems we have in NZ. But I don’t think that should include denying them reasonable quality prosthetic limbs when they will improve quality of life. Burton on the other hand, I like to think he got the sporty titanium one because he is a big unit and the cost of replacing lesser quality limbs makes it economical to go large. Otherwise, it is a disgrace that he gets such a high quality prosthetic – Why ?

By: Patrick Starr

Patrick Starr — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:09:42 +0000

what a waste -He can only use it for an hour a day anyway- I hope they take it off him for the other 23hrs?

By: DRHILL

DRHILL — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:56:10 +0000

Why am I thinking about Robocop 2 when I read this story???

By: Brian Marshall

Brian Marshall — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:02:35 +0000

Crutches are too good for him Spider_pig. For less than a dollar, the problem of him (and the piece of S*%t he tried to kill just recently) could be removed for good.

By: wreck1080

wreck1080 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 06:34:31 +0000

The medical system is financially constrained. Already elderly are dying because the system can’t be bothered treating those who have little time left anyway.

So, lets start deciding on those who are fitting for procedures. We could start with removing free treatment from those with more than 50 criminal convictions – thats just a start, it can be fine tuned over time.

I don’t care what the human rights goons have to say. As far as I am concerned, a human should lose certain rights once they have more than 10 convictions. After all, victim rights count too.

By: Steve

Steve — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 06:02:37 +0000

The Government is not to blame. The PC misfits who are employed by ACC are to blame. They will spent $8 to try and save $0.99c and then give a hand out to arseholes like Burton.