The RAF uses an assessment to determine if your injury is serious or not. The recommended serious injury assessment method relies heavily on the American Medical Association’s Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, 6th Edition (“AMA Guides”).
How do the AMA guides work for RAF?
The AMA Guides provide a basis for establishing an injured person’s “Whole Person Impairment” (WPI). The WPI is calculated as a percentage of the body. The threshold percentage for determining serious injury at 30%.
This means that a road accident victim must be assessed as having 30% WPI in order to be classified as having suffered a serious injury.
Who does the assessment?
The law states that any certified medical practitioner under the Health Professions Act of 1974 may conduct a serious injury assessment in accordance with the procedure outlined in Regulation 3 of the Road Accident Fund Regulations 2008.
What is classified as non-serious injuries?
- any whiplash type or soft tissue injury to the neck or back;
- any strain, tear, crush or damage to any muscle or soft tissue:
- any mild sprain, strain, tear or damage to any ligament of
- any joint unless there is continuing instability of the joint;
- any lacerations, abrasion, cut, tear, or damage to skin or soft tissue, provided there is no resulting permanent serious disfigurement;
- any complete or partial amputation of the little finger of either hand, or both the right and left hand;
- fracture of any finger of either hand, or both the right and lefthand
- any complete or partial amputation of any one toe of either foot or both the right and left foot unless there is partial or complete amputation of the big toe;
- fracture of any toe of either foot, or both the right and left foot;
- any damage to or loss of a tooth or any number of teeth;
- superficial burns to any part of the body;
- superficial injury to one or both eyes;
- fracture of the nasal bone or damage to the nasal cartilage;
- any bruising or bleeding into the soft tissue as a result of any
- injury listed in items
- any sequelae in the form of pain or discomfort as a result of
- any mild or moderate form of depression, anxiety, chronic
- headaches or post-traumatic stress disorder:
for the full list of non-See the list of injuries that RAF does not regard as serious injuries.
