Injuries arising from discrete workplace incidents cannot be aggregated to meet the 'serious injury' threshold under s.135A(19)(a) of the Accident Compensation Act 1985, even where they impair the same body function. The identification of a body function is not limited to the part directly affected by injury, but a body function only indirectly affected by separate injuries to separate body parts is not thereby relevantly impaired. The fact that two injuries may give rise to one cause of action does not justify their aggregation for the serious injury determination.
The full text is available to signed-in members, including the 57 later cases that cite this judgment.
6 of the 57 citing cases carry a classified treatment. How each court treated it is available to signed-in members.