For John Maher, his wife Ange and their four daughters, Sunday 4 April 1993 seemed like just any other day. John was on his way to a local cricket function. But he would never reach his destination.

John was involved in a horrific car accident. Emma, the driver of the other car, was killed instantly and John suffered serious head and neck injuries that would leave him in pain and with short-term memory loss for the rest of his life. 

Not just emotionally but financially too, John’s family now faced an uphill battle. Previously, John was a senior manager and earned more than $100,000 a year. He and his wife had a substantial mortgage, other loans and children at university and private school.

Due to his condition John found himself unemployable and stopped working.

Fortunately, 10 years prior to the accident, John had taken out Income Protection insurance. Over the period of his cover he’d paid around $9,800 in insurance premiums.

Income Protection insurance has proven to be the Maher family’s financial lifeline. Over the last 14 years, John has received more than $1.1 million and he will likely continue to claim his monthly benefit until age 65. His projected Income Protection insurance benefit approximately $1.8 million.

As John says, “Insurance was my greatest ever investment. I remember thinking at the time that nothing was likely going to happen to me – but you never know what lies around the corner.”