Woman severely injured in 2014 car crash 'trapped in purgatory' as pandemic delays Ontario civil trial
CBC
Seven years after a T-bone collision fractured Krystal Mann's pelvic bone, the Windsor, Ont., resident remains in severe pain after surgery on her tailbone.
Mann, 36, is struggling to put food on the table for her two kids as her civil lawsuit sits idle due to court delays related to COVID-19. She can no longer work because of the chronic pain after the crash Nov. 5, 2014.
She was in the passenger seat of a friend's car, getting a ride home from her job at Toyota in Cambridge, Ont., when a vehicle smashed into her side of the car. It took first responders 45 minutes to get her out because Mann was pinned inside.
Now, she has "severe pain" in her lower back and neck, and her Canada Pension Plan disability benefits only provide roughly a third of what she made while working. Without benefits, Mann has to pay for her therapies out of pocket. To make ends meet, she's had to remortgage her house and borrow money from her mom.
"I kind of feel like I'm trapped in purgatory because of something that was completely out of my control. I feel like I've been forgotten and I've been left behind, like what happened to me doesn't matter, like I no longer possess any type of value."
WATCH | Krystal Mann describes the physical and emotional toll this has taken on her:
Mann was just months away from qualifying for work benefits in the event of a serious car crash. She used up all the available money from her own insurance company designed to act as interim benefits before possible monetary compensation is issued.
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