By BRIDGET SCOTT
A MOTHER of two from Tooradin who lost her husband in a workplace accident last year has urged the community to donate to a fund-raiser page set up to help her cover funeral costs.
Isabel Klanja lost her 30-year-old husband Michael on 23 June last year when he was working on a building site in Brighton.
Isabel alleges that shortly after the accident she spoke to members from WorkSafe who agreed the organisation would cover up to $15,000 worth of funeral costs.
However, following the service, Isabel said the organisation reneged on the offer and told her they would not contribute any money to help cover costs. “They went back on their word,” she said.
The mother-of-two now faces an enormous bill and said the funeral parlour are hassling her to pay the outstanding money owed.
“I don’t even want to answer my phone anymore,” Isabel said.
The Tooradin mum urged everyone to get on board a fund-raiser page set up by close friend Stacey Faletoese which has been created to help cover outstanding funeral costs. The amount raised now stands at nearly $9000.
Isabel would also like to repay her father-in-law who made up the extra costs of the funeral.
“There is no limit in terms of the donation,” Stacey said.
“It’s just an added stress which they want to pay off ASAP.”
The two friends said they also wanted to publicise the fact that sub-contractors and some tradesmen aren’t covered by Worksafe.
“There are so many tradies around here,” Isabel said.
“They won’t be covered by WorkSafe.”
A WorkSafe spokesperson said the organisation extended its condolences to the Klanja family, but refused to make any further comment as the matter was currently under investigation.
“Under the Victorian workers compensation scheme, sole traders and contractors who work for themselves are not considered to be employees, and are therefore ineligible for WorkSafe insurance. WorkSafe and relevant unions can offer detailed information on this issue.
“Isabel met her husband when she was 15 years of age and the pair were married for six years.
If you would like to donate to Isabel’s fund, you can do so by visiting www.gofundme.com/oescf4.
