Annika Wängvik, 49, in Alingsås was seriously injured in a traffic accident when she was hit by a man in a stolen car who was being chased by the police.
Two years later, she has received no help from either the police or the insurance company.
A not entirely unusual situation, according to the crime victim emergency service.
A police chase at high speed came to a halt in a roundabout in central Alingsås when the car thief drove straight into Annika’s car. She herself remembers nothing of the accident itself.
Today, two years later, she is brain-tired, has almost constant headaches, blurred vision and injured shoulders. And she doesn’t know if she’ll ever fully recover.
No compensation from the Insurance Company
But she does not receive compensation for loss of income from the insurance company, even though she was partially on sick leave. According to Länsförsäkringar, these injuries are no worse than the whiplash injury she received in a traffic accident in 1995, almost 30 years ago, for which she then received compensation. They believe that her disability has not gotten worse. Therefore, she cannot receive compensation for lost earnings either.
– I am disappointed and a little horrified, says Annika Wängvik.
– I have paid expensive accident insurance like everyone else and then you thought you would be protected.
She believes that she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
– I suffered a trauma but also injuries that affect our quality of life, she says.
Abandoned police investigation
Annika does not get any help from the police either. The investigation into gross negligence in traffic was closed earlier this year. This is something that often happens when the perpetrator is also suspected of a more serious crime. In this case, he was suspected of aiding and abetting murder, for which he was later convicted.
According to the crime victims’ hotline, it is not entirely unusual for victims of crime to find themselves in trouble.
– It is very unfortunate when the main crime comes into focus and the crime victim’s case is never investigated, says Sven-Erik Alhem from Brottsofferjouren. His advice is to contact the police at regular intervals while the case is being investigated, to appeal if the investigation is closed and to contact the Crime Victims Helpline for help.