Amateil's Struggle for Dignity at School After Surviving Tragic Crash

Amateil's had a tough run. As a toddler, she was left with lifelong injuries in a car crash that killed her mum. At school, she can't go to the toilet by herself, but isn't getting proper help.

At two years old Amateil and her big brother somehow survived a horror head-on crash that killed her mum. After A Current Affair got involved, Raceview State School says it'll welcome the additional support if it's available. 'She deserves dignity and respect and for her injuries to be taken seriously,' her grandmother Sharon said.

Since the very start of Amateil's life, she's been a fighter. Her grandmother, Sharon, took the kids in, devoting herself to giving them the best life she possibly could. Amateil has been through more than most kids, but always has a smile on her face.

'When the car accident happened in 2019, they told us she would never, ever have use of a bladder and bowel,' Sharon told A Current Affair. She's defied doctors, despite damaging her brain and spinal cord in the crash.

'After constant physio for the last six years, she's able to go to the toilet, she can walk around. She can swim, jump on a trampoline, ride a bike,' Sharon said.

Amateil attends Raceview State School west of Brisbane and loves it there, but the trouble is, that's where she struggles. 'The teachers won't let me go when I need to,' Amateil said. 'They have to call a teacher aide and then I probably would have already gone.'

During class, Amateil's not allowed to go to the toilet with another student, like other kids. She has to wait for not one but two teacher aides to become available to take her and by then, it's often too late. Amateil's also not allowed to go to the oval at lunch without a teacher, which aren't always available, that means she has to go to the special needs hub.

'It makes me lose friends and it makes me sad.' Amateil currently receives help at home from the national injury insurance scheme, and Sharon's come up with a solution to help the school. 'Amateil gets a support worker 7:00 in the morning and 2:30 in the afternoon for two hours each time I've said I would forfeit that so that support worker can go to the school,' Sharon said. 'And the school says they don't have external people come in and keeps telling me no.'

'I was shocked and just really confused by the school's lack of support. You'd think looking at this family, everything that they've been through, you'd want to support them and make sure that Amateil has everything that she needs,' Madeleine Routley from Shine Lawyers said.

Routley was acting on behalf of Amateil and her brother over the 2019 crash. When she found out about the situation at Amateil's school, she took up that fight too. 'It was just so clear that it was wrong, that the funding is available and there is no reason for it to not be put in place,' she said.

Queensland Department of Health statement
Amateil's health and dignity will always be our top consideration and utmost priority. While we have no records of the request for a National Injury Insurance Scheme Queensland support worker, Raceview State School would welcome and accommodate this additional support if it is available. Our teacher aides will always assist Amateil and the school has recently upgraded the accessibility toilet for her use. We will continue to support Amateil's needs by working with her family and a team of specialist workers to ensure she can always use the bathroom.