It's easy to assume that a crash without an ambulance isn't worth a claim. Yet a low-speed bump can still injure someone, and the injury side is what the CTP scheme covers. For people around Newtown, our free claim check looks at what happened, what was damaged and who was hurt, then tells you honestly which claim you have and whether you need anyone's help to make it.
Inner West · Car accident claims
Car crash claim in Newtown? Start with the kind of claim
Just had a crash? Sort out the claim first, then the paperwork.
Postcode: 2042
- Free claim check, no obligation
- By phone & online, no office to visit
- Helping people in Newtown & Enmore
Newtown: where crashes happen and what to record
In the WestConnex tunnels and at the Rozelle Interchange, stopping to swap details isn't always safe. Pull over where you can, then record the other vehicle's registration and report the crash if anyone is hurt. Around the King Street strip, the Enmore Theatre and Camperdown Memorial Rest Park, many crashes happen at low speed in car parks, drop-off zones and side streets. A slow bump can still hurt someone, and the kind of claim depends on who was hurt and what was damaged. Local traffic runs on King Street, Enmore Road and the Princes Highway. After a crash on any of them, move somewhere safe before exchanging names, addresses and registration numbers. If anyone is hurt, report it to police and keep the event number for the claim.
Hospitals serving the area include Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. If pain started after you got home, see a GP and mention the crash. That first record is the starting point of any injury claim.
- Region
- Inner West
- Postcode
- 2042
- Local landmarks
- King Street strip · Enmore Theatre
- Main roads
- King Street · Enmore Road
- Nearest public hospital
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
The kinds of claim a car accident can lead to
Start by separating what was hurt from what was broken. Injuries to you or anyone else in the crash belong to an injury claim with a CTP insurer. Damage to your car, your phone or a fence belongs to a property claim with your own insurer or the other driver's. Most confusion in the first weeks comes from mixing the two up.
Read next:Which help do I need? Quick check
No insurer to claim from? What happens then
For an unidentified vehicle, you must make 'due inquiry and search' to try to find it. In practice that means reporting to police promptly, asking witnesses, checking for camera footage and noting anything you remember about the vehicle. Keep a record of each step you take. The Nominal Defendant will want to see that a genuine effort was made.
- Report it to police promptly and keep the event number
- Take the details of anyone who stopped or saw it
- Keep a dated list of every step you take to trace it
Read next:Uninsured or unidentified vehicles
Which claim do you have?
After a crash, the kind of claim depends on what happened: who was hurt, what was damaged, whether the other vehicle can be found, and whether you were working. Pick the card closest to your situation. Some crashes fit more than one.
- You were injured
An injury goes to a CTP insurer
If anyone in the crash was hurt, even slightly, there is an injury claim to consider. It runs through a CTP insurer, separately from any damage to the cars, with its own forms and deadlines.
CTP claims in Newtown - Your car was damaged
Car and property damage is a separate claim
CTP covers people, not cars. Repairs usually go through your own comprehensive insurance or a claim against the at-fault driver or their insurer. It isn't something we help with, but it shouldn't delay your injury claim.
What CTP does and doesn't cover - Hit-and-run or uninsured
A driver who fled or had no Green Slip
A missing or uninsured vehicle doesn't end an injury claim. The Nominal Defendant stands in for the missing insurer. You'll need to show you tried to identify the vehicle, starting with a prompt police report.
Uninsured or unidentified vehicles - Driving for work
Driving for work usually brings another scheme first
A crash while working is usually a work injury as well as a motor accident. Workers compensation generally comes first. You may still be able to claim damages from the at-fault driver's CTP insurer, which is worth checking before you settle anything.
Crash while working? Quick check - Someone died
When someone died in the crash
The family of someone who died in a NSW crash may be able to claim funeral expenses and, for dependants, the financial support they lost. Support is available through CTP Assist whenever you're ready to talk.
After a fatal crash
General information, not legal advice. Some crashes involve more than one claim. Time limits apply.
Do you need a lawyer for a car accident claim?
Whether you need a lawyer depends on the kind of claim you have and how smoothly it's going. A straightforward injury claim against an identified, insured vehicle often doesn't need one. The points below show when advice is commonly worth it.
Often worth talking to a lawyer
- The insurer doubts that a small crash caused your injuries
- Someone died in the crash and the family needs guidance
- A property insurer wants a signed release that may mention injuries
- The crash happened in a car park or driveway and cover is questioned
You may not need one
- Only your car was damaged and nobody was hurt
- The insurer has accepted your injury claim and treatment is approved
- You just need to know which form to fill in
If a small crash has left you sore, a doctor's record is what makes it an injury claim. Ask us about doctors and allied health who understand CTP claims and the Certificate of Fitness.
Not quite your situation?
- If you already know it's a CTP injury claim and just want the steps and deadlines, the CTP claims page walks you through them. CTP claims in Newtown
- If the real argument is about who caused the crash, the car accident lawyer page explains how fault is decided. Car accident lawyer in Newtown
- If you want to know what an injury claim can actually pay, and when, the car accident compensation page covers it. Car accident compensation in Newtown
Free claim check
Not sure what claim you have? Ask us
We'll check the injury side of your crash, flag any deadlines, and point you to a lawyer or doctor only if your claim needs one.
Reporting the crash and swapping details
For an injury claim, the insurer will usually ask for a police event number, which shows the crash was reported. Police don't attend every crash, but you can generally report one yourself afterwards. Do it promptly, especially if someone was hurt, the other driver left without swapping details, or you suspect they'd been drinking. Keep the number with your claim papers.
A driver who won't cooperate at the scene doesn't stop your claim. What matters is the vehicle, not the driver's attitude. A number plate lets the vehicle's CTP insurer be identified. Without one, the claim may need to go to the Nominal Defendant instead, which is why a prompt police report and a record of what you saw matter so much.
Read next:CTP claim forms
What to collect before the details fade
Keep one folder, paper or digital, for everything about the crash from the first day. Put in the other driver's details, photos, the police event number, any hospital or GP paperwork and receipts for costs like medication and travel. If the claim turns out to be simple, it saves time. If it becomes complicated, you'll be glad you started it early.
- Any police event number you were given
- A written note of what happened, made that day
- Hospital or GP paperwork from the first visit
- Receipts for medication, fares and parking at treatment
Read next:Checklist for the first 30 days
When a low-speed bump turns into an injury claim
People often decide not to claim because they 'only' had a small crash, then find weeks later that the injury isn't settling. By then the deadlines have been running since the day of the crash. If you were sore after a collision, it's sensible to see a GP, keep the record and at least find out what claim you have, even if you never end up needing it.
Deadlines run from the crash
Even if you're not sure the injury is serious, check your deadlines early. They start on the day of the crash, not when you first notice symptoms.
Read next:The 28-day rule for CTP claims
Who pays for the car, and why it isn't CTP
Your car and your injuries run on separate tracks. The car side goes to a property insurer, usually your own if you have comprehensive cover, or the other driver's if they were at fault and insured. The injury side goes to a CTP insurer. An offer about the car says nothing about your injuries, so don't treat it as the end of the matter.
If you don't have comprehensive insurance and the other driver was at fault, their property insurer is usually the first place to ask about repairs. Where the other driver has no property cover at all, the options are narrower and may involve dealing with them directly. None of this changes your right to make an injury claim through CTP.
Let us sort out the kind of claim with you
Getting the claim type right early saves time and avoids missed deadlines. There's no charge for the claim check and no obligation to go further. It covers the injury side of a car accident, and it can also point you to doctors and allied health if treatment is what you need first. Property damage we'll simply point back to your insurer.
Frequently asked questions
For the car, a private arrangement can sometimes work, but get it in writing. For injuries, be cautious. A cash payment from the driver doesn't replace an injury claim through CTP, and accepting one could complicate things if your injuries turn out to be worse than they seemed. Take their full details and registration anyway, report the crash if anyone was hurt, and keep your injury claim options open.
You can, if you were injured. Many people with genuine injuries never go to hospital, particularly after a low-speed crash. What matters is that a doctor sees you, records your symptoms and notes that they came from the crash. See a GP as soon as you can and keep that record. The injury claim then runs in the usual way, whether or not there was an ambulance or an emergency visit.
Write down or photograph the number plate, and note the make, colour and a description of the driver. Then report it to police, including that details weren't exchanged. A vehicle's CTP insurer can usually be found from its registration, so your injury claim can still go ahead. If you didn't get the plate, the Nominal Defendant may be the path instead, and your police report becomes even more important.
Yes. It's not unusual for neck, back or psychological symptoms to appear a day or more after a crash. See a doctor as soon as you notice them and tell them about the accident, so the link is recorded. Remember the time limits run from the date of the accident, not from when the pain began. You can generally still claim up to 3 months after the accident, though weekly payments may then start from the claim date.
Yes, but they are two separate claims that run side by side. The injury claim goes to a CTP insurer, and the car goes to your own or the other driver's property insurer. One doesn't wait for the other, and settling the car doesn't settle your injuries. Keep separate folders, and don't sign any release for the car that also mentions injuries without getting advice.
Not always. 'Car accident claim' is an everyday phrase that can mean an injury claim, a claim for damage to your car, or both. In NSW, an injury claim runs through CTP insurance, the Green Slip on every registered vehicle. Damage to the car is a separate property claim with a different insurer. If you were hurt, the CTP injury claim is the one with the tighter deadlines, so start there.
Car accident claim: suburbs near Newtown
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CTP Lawyer is not a law firm. This page is general information, not legal advice; the independent lawyer you speak with can advise on your own situation.