Richard Senescall has always been a 'hobbyist' – turning his passion for model cars and aeroplanes into his vocation by working part-time at a hobby shop in retirement.
Perhaps it was this passion for nostalgia and transport that inspired Richard, a retired economist, to start riding an e-scooter on his commute to and from work.
"I thought I'd get modern and relive my youth, so I got an e-scooter to commute to work on, save a bit of fuel," Richard said.
'My feet disappeared from under me'
However, it all went terribly wrong one day in November 2021, when Richard was riding to work, and as he put it, "my feet disappeared from under me" and he came off the e-scooter, slapping hard into the ground.
While he initially thought he'd gotten off unscathed, the reality of his injuries was far from it. Scans and x-rays revealed Richard had a broken back, a broken shoulder and suffered 10 breaks in seven ribs due to the impact of the fall.
Support during recovery
It was while Richard was recovering in hospital for 10 days that he was put in touch with WorkCover Queensland and his customer adviser, Susan.
In Queensland, WorkCover covers workers not only if they are injured at their normal workplace, but also if they're injured while travelling between home and work.
Richard said it was a huge relief to have this support as he recovered, which would end up taking four months, most of it at home, and set his sights on getting back.
"Susan assisted to an amazing extent, just kept me mentally healthy, as well as looked after my income needs, made sure the paperwork kept my income coming, covered my medicals," he said.
Susan also worked with Richard and his employer to help him get back to work once he felt physically and mentally ready to do so.
Staying safe while commuting
"I've been a modeller all my life, so I wanted to get back into the hobby store and get my life back on schedule again. At the earliest possibility, which I think was about the four- or five-month mark, I was back at work," he said.
Richard has some sobering advice for people using e-scooters on their daily commute to work.
"I see a lot of people riding scooters without helmets, and if I had not had a helmet on, I would be dead," Richard said.
"So, wear the safety gear, ride slowly, enjoy the scooter, don't race the scooter. Be observant of the environment, enjoy it and relax on the scooter, it's not a speed machine," he said.
