Bourne car crash victims call for overhaul of government PIP process after their application was rejected

A family is calling for an overhaul of the government’s ‘broken’ benefits system after struggling to access help following a car crash.

Mother and daughter Faye and Sky Hartley-Brown were both seriously injured in an accident outside Bourne Rugby Club 18 months ago.

They both suffered brain injuries and each spent nearly a month in hospital.

While 14-year-old Sky qualifies for a Disability Living Allowance, her mum has twice been denied a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) despite them suffering similar injuries and facing similar challenges in their day-to-day living.

The family has lodged an appeal and will take their case to a tribunal if they are unsuccessful.

Recalling the accident, husband and father Drew Brown, 35, said: “It was the worst day of my life. I had to stand at the side of the road and watch them being cut out of the car, listening to them crying in pain.

“The worst bit was seeing them put my daughter into the ambulance. She was crying but then it suddenly went silent. They brought her out and started putting screens up around her and after 10 minutes told me they were putting her into a coma.

“It was the longest journey following them to Nottingham and there were moments in the hospital when they might not have made it.”

The mum and daughter, who live in Bourne, were both discharged in time for Christmas but Drew became their full-time carer, having been signed off from his own job for medical reasons before the accident on November 22, 2022.

His wife has since returned to her part-time job as a teaching assistant and his daughter is back in school, but adjustments have been made for both of them as they continue to struggle with extreme fatigue. Faye, 36, has lost sensation on one side of her body and cannot walk more than 60 metres without needing a break. She also lost her driving licence and is waiting to find out if the DVLA will reinstate it.

Despite these challenges, her latest PIP application was refused. The decision was made based on answers provided in the application form and one video assessment which the family believes only gave a snapshot of their life and not the full picture. They also believe some medical records were overlooked.

The application process assesses whether someone can manage everyday tasks including preparing food, managing medication, dressing, communicating, socialising, managing toilet needs, planning and carrying out a journey and moving more than 200 metres unaided.

The family’s application for daily living support scored two points and for mobility support they scored zero. A score of eight or more is needed to qualify for financial help in either area.

Drew said: “Being accepted for PIP would allow my wife to reduce her working hours so she’s not pushing herself too hard. There’s minimal scope for improvement in her condition so she has to live with what she calls her ‘new normal’. It would also allow us to buy a modified car if she gets her driving licence back which would give her more independence.

“We feel let down by the assessment process. The system seems to be so broken and I don’t want anyone in a similar situation to go through the trauma we have experienced.

“There are so many people who deserve to get PIP but they just give up on it. It seems with a hidden disability they just look at you and think you’re fine.”

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