Since that fateful day in January, 22-year-old Cadet Joel Cabides has been confined at the ICU of Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick, NSW. He is unable to breathe without a respirator and has been declared paralyzed from the neck down. When finally discharged from the hospital, he is doomed to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
He was reportedly bumped during a “supervised” game of basketball inside the Royal Military College in Duntroon, Canberra. The accident caused irreversible damage to his spine.
Meanwhile, both his parents are here on a temporary visa and are housed in decent living quarters some 500 metres away from the hospital. Temporary accommodations are being provided free by the government.
What lies ahead for Joel? The answer depends on the outcome of negotiations currently going on between his father, Brigadier General Joseph Cabides and a social worker assigned by the Australian government.
So far, there is an offer of a mechanised wheelchair, valued at $30,000. But is that all? The young Cabides was seriously hurt inside the school compound, under the supervision of a military officer. Surely, the responsibility should not end with an offer of a wheelchair. He deserves compensation. He is only 22 years old and has the potential to become a top ranking general, exceeding the star and military decorations of his father. If an Actuary were to determine future earnings, there is no doubt that the amount would reach millions, and should be indexed to inflation.
He also deserves to have the best medical attention which is not available in the Philippines. For that reason alone, the family expects to be allowed to remain in Australia indefinitely.
The Cabides family should not sign any waiver of claim until the matter is finally resolved to their full satisfaction.
Any settlement should not preclude criminal liability of the person(s) responsible for that stupid accident, if it was indeed an accident that caused permanent damage and misery to the life of this young man.
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