Now he is furious at the State Government over controversial changes to WorkCover, the workers compensation scheme, which he fears will threaten his payments.

The Shellharbour councillor and former truck driver was seriously injured when metal pipes fell on him as they were unloaded from his truck at the colliery in March.

Four months after the accident, Cr Moran is still unable to walk without help. Swelling and pain means he can’t put a shoe on his left foot, let alone the safety boots he would need to return to work.

His condition is improving, but he is still forced to keep his feet elevated for most of the day.

He has plates and screws in his left wrist, and only recently graduated from a scooter to crutches.

The complex WorkCover reforms, which passed Parliament late last week, placed a cap on benefits for injured workers to help rein in the scheme’s $4 billion deficit.

The reforms included reduced weekly payments after 13 weeks.

For less seriously injured workers, payments for medical expenses will be limited to 12 months after their weekly payments end.

The changes don’t apply to police, firefighters, paramedics or coalminers.

‘‘I can’t tell you what the impact will be on my life, but obviously it will have a significant impact, just as losing 20 per cent of your income would have on anyone,’’ Cr Moran said.

‘‘I’m worried that I won’t be able to do the job I’ve done for most of my life and, in fact, that I won’t be able to do any outside job.

‘‘My claim is that I was injured because of the negligence of another person, who was not an employee of my employer. Why should we bear the burden of costs for someone else’s action?’’

A spokesman for Finance Minister Greg Pearce confirmed the changes would apply to existing claimants, but only after insurers had made decisions about their work capacity.

‘‘[The] changes will not immediately affect workers whose claim is less than six months old,’’ he said.

‘‘This group of workers will undertake a work capacity assessment if they are still unfit for their pre-injury job after 26 weeks.’’

Greens MP David Shoebridge, who knows Cr Moran through the party, said his payments would likely stop within five years under the new laws.

‘‘But for these changes, he would have had his medical expenses paid for the rest of his life and some sort of weekly payments for the rest of his working life,’’ Mr Shoebridge said.

A NSW Trade and Investment safety report after Cr Moran’s accident recommended coal mine operators review risks and controls for unloading materials.