A GOOD Samaritan who was seriously injured and lost his job after he helped an elderly woman stranded in peak-hour traffic has been denied a payout.

Craig Reid lost a $90,000-a-year job as a merchant seaman after he ruptured his Achilles tendon during the selfless act.

The incident left him out of action for more than five months, and thousands of dollars out of pocket.

But VCAT upheld a TAC decision to reject his compensation claim because it could not establish the injury was caused by a moving vehicle.

Mr Reid, 35, said he was travelling with a friend in West Melbourne, when he saw the woman standing by the side of the road in July 2009.

"Her car was in the middle of the road and cars were swerving to get out of her way," he said.



"That's what grabbed my attention, she was in real danger.

"All I thought was there was a risk she may have been hit or her car could have been rammed and that could have slammed into her."

He asked the woman, in her 70s, to sit in the car and steer while he pushed it to safety.

"I pushed against the car but it wouldn't move so I pushed a bit harder and that's when my Achilles snapped," he said.

The pain caused him to collapse and temporarily lose vision. He had surgery and spent several days in hospital.

"It's had a huge impact on my life. I lost my job, lost my income and there's nothing that can be done for me," Mr Reid said.



"I was doing a good thing. I just wanted loss of wages."

Maurice Blackburn Lawyers senior associate Dimi Ioannou lodged an application for review with VCAT after the TAC rejected Mr Reid's original compensation claim because "the accident was not directly caused by the driving of a motor vehicle, tram or train".

VCAT ruled that while Mr Reid was to be "commended ... he had not established that his injury was directly caused by the driving of a motor vehicle".

Mr Reid said despite his disappointment he'd do it all over again.



"I don't regret a thing. I'd certainly stop again, it's just who I am," he said.

