Andre Smit runs a courier service for attorneys from his home in Randpark, Johannesburg. Andre took out an income protection policy with FMI in December 1999 as a grudge purchase, anticipating never needing to draw on it. Only 5 years later, did Andre come to realize the importance of insuring his income in the event of a short-term disability as a result of an accident or illness.

In May 2004, whilst driving down a common road in Johannesburg, Andre’s motor vehicle was mistakenly pushed off the road, by a lorry, straight into oncoming traffic. It was doubtful whether Andre would survive due to the extent of damage done from his head on collision with a delivery van but Andre pulled through with a bilateral fractured femur, fractured ribs and a fractured left hip. Andre was subsequently admitted for bone graft surgery and left in a wheelchair. He has since had two further operations and learnt to walk from scratch.

“What a relief it was to be able to claim 100% of my salary for 6 months. My wife and Broker were involved in the claims process and constantly commented on the excellent service we were receiving from FMI,” relays Andre. “I have subsequently needed to claim intermittently due to further surgery and am always impressed by FMI’s level of professionalism. I am not the kind of person to write letters to organizations, but I felt compelled to thank the staff at FMI and have written two letters of thanks to their management.”

Andre feels the personal touch and excellent service provided by FMI helped his family cope through this difficult time and now recommends FMI income protection policies at every opportunity.

Case Study A
Case Study C