A young woman who was just 12 years old when she witnessed the Bourke Street car attack is battling the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) for compensation after developing severe post-traumatic stress disorder.
According to the Herald Sun, Mahli Skordos and her mother were in Melbourne’s CBD during the 2017 rampage, when James Gargasoulas drove through crowds of shoppers, killing six people and injuring dozens more.
Mahli was only metres from the incident, an experience her lawyers say has shaped her entire adolescence and early adult life.
Now 21, she lives with chronic PTSD, depression and anxiety.
Court documents reveal the impact has been so severe that she was forced to abandon her studies at Deakin University, where she had enrolled with dreams of becoming a teacher.
Today, she manages only part-time work at a local café, earning less than $400 a week.
Her legal team estimates she will never be able to sustain a full-time professional career, with her future loss of earnings calculated at nearly $670,000.
But the TAC has rejected her claim, arguing her mental health conditions were “pre-existing and unrelated” to the tragedy. It has refused to explain the reasoning, citing privacy and the ongoing court case.
Angela Sdrinis Legal, who represent Skordos, said the refusal added to the trauma.
“Our client was just twelve years old when she witnessed the massacre and narrowly avoided being struck by Gargasoulas’ car,” a spokesperson said.
“She went from enjoying her summer holidays to experiencing an event that has left a lifelong impact.”
The TAC has previously come under fire for taking a tough stance against more complex and costly claims from Bourke Street bystanders.
Of the 145 claims made, 110 were for psychological injuries. While $19 million in compensation has been paid, it is unclear how many claims were denied.
Gargasoulas is serving life in prison with a minimum of 46 years.
Neos Kosmos reached out to Angela Sdrinis Legal but has yet to receive a response.
