EXCLUSIVE Tradie survives horrific accident - but his workers' comp claim was denied for a ridiculous reason that every Aussie needs to know about

Daily Mail​

23-05-2025

A tradie who fell through a skylight while working has been left struggling to support his family after his worker's compensation claim was rejected over a shocking technicality.
Anthony Bell, 33, was just eight minutes into a patio installation at a home in Two Rocks, north of Perth, on February 3 when he fell 3.5 metres through a skylight that had been painted over and was not visible.
He sustained bleeding on the brain and 19 broken bones and was rushed to hospital in critical condition.
Things got even worse when his worker's compensation claim was denied because, as a contractor, Mr Bell was not legally considered an 'employee.'
Since then, the young family has drained their life savings to challenge the decision in court, while also borrowing money to cover their mortgage and everyday expenses.
All this is happening while the 33-year-old father awaits another surgery he hopes will allow him to return to work one day.
Mr Bell was the only worker on the job when he fell into the suburban home in Two Rocks. His partner Klara Kitchen, 27, was adamant he could have died had the homeowner and his daughter not offered assistance after hearing the fall.
'[We are] super lucky that the client was there. Otherwise it could have been a different story,' she Daily Mail Australia. 'He could have definitely died.'
At first, the homeowner feared Mr Bell was dead when he found the tradesman unconscious and lying in a pool of blood.
Miraculously, he regained consciousness and began apologising for causing damage to the home, before the homeowner told him to stay still and called an ambulance.
Despite being concussed and critically injured, Mr Bell managed to give the homeowner Ms Kitchen's phone number. At the time, she was at home preparing breakfast for their daughter.
'I didn't actually know how bad it was until I saw him in the hospital, because obviously they didn't want to tell me that over the phone,' Ms Kitchen said.
'They just kind of said he'd been in an accident. He'd fallen off the roof,' she recalled.
It wasn't until she arrived at Joondalup Hospital that the reality sank in.
'He was covered in blood because he'd been bleeding out of his right ear, so his whole neck was covered in blood,' she said.
'It was very traumatic to see him like that, for sure.'
It has been a gruelling few months for the 33-year-old father, who was recently forced to take a bone graft from his hip for a shoulder surgery
Doctors soon confirmed Mr Bell had suffered internal bleeding in his brain and made the decision to transfer him to Royal Perth Hospital for specialist care.
'That's when it I think it hit for both of us that it was worse than what we thought it was,' the young mum said.
Eight sleepless nights passed before Ms Kitchen was able to persuade the hospital staff to discharge Mr Bell on the condition she would attend to him closely.
Mr Bell then spent 12 weeks at home waiting for shoulder surgery. By the time doctors operated, his condition had worsened - his shoulder bone had deteriorated so much they had to take a bone graft from his hip and insert several plates.
'He couldn't really move much at all. And obviously it's really hard when you have such a young daughter that doesn't understand and wants to be picked up by dad and everything,' Ms Kitchen said.
'Still, now, he can't pick her up because of the weight limits he has.'
The couple fears Mr Bell may never be able to make a full recovery given the physical nature of his work.
Suffering from ADHD and dyslexia, Mr Bell does not believe he could find a suitable office job.
The young family faces an uncertain future, with mortgage debt, childrearing expenses and prior legal expenses mounting well-beyond their means.
Mr Bell had returned to patio installation last November after working fly-in-fly-out mining jobs, hoping to be closer to his family. Now, he knows that career is gone for good.
Ms Kitchen's said her parents had 'drained their savings' to help the young family stay afloat along with donations from Mr Bell's grandparents and uncle.
Recently, Mr Bell was forced to sell his car and the couple cancelled their daughter's first birthday celebration to meet their bills.
'We have had to miss out on a few things... the ordinary stuff that people would do, like going out on date nights, we obviously don't do any of that stuff anymore.
'It's pretty much just home and work, and that's it really.'
On Tuesday, they launched a GoFundMe page which has since raised just over $4,000 towards a target of $11,000 - a move they were reluctant to make given neither likes to ask for favours.
'We were blown away with how generous people are and how willing they are to help others that are in need, because when we posted it, we didn't expect a lot at all,' Ms Kitchen said.
'Most people didn't realize how bad it really was and how much we were struggling because we just don't show it on the outside. We just want to stay positive and just live our lives.'
To donate, a link to Mr Bell's fundraiser can be found here.