Inner West · Car accident compensation

Car accident compensation in Breakfast Point: what and when

No figures, no guesses. Just what compensation can include and what the amount depends on.

Compensation in a NSW CTP claim depends on your injury, your earnings, who was at fault and your accident date, not on your postcode. If you live in Breakfast Point and want to understand what you might be entitled to, start with the two kinds of compensation below, then use our free claim check to see which applies and whether legal advice would help.

Postcode: 2137

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Benefits first, damages maybe

It's easier to ask what each part pays for. Statutory benefits pay for time off work and for treatment, from early in the claim, and most people get them whoever was at fault. Damages pay for the longer-term cost of the injury: earnings you've lost or will lose and, where impairment is above the 10% line, pain and suffering. The two sit side by side rather than one replacing the other.

Read next:Statutory benefits vs damages

When the injury affects your work

Lost income is covered at two stages. Weekly payments replace part of your earnings as you go: up to 95% of pre-accident earnings for 13 weeks, then up to 80% or 85%. A damages claim can also include past and future loss of earnings, called economic loss, if you qualify. Economic loss damages don't require impairment above 10%.

  • Tax returns and notices of assessment
  • Business records if you're self-employed
  • Evidence of a recent pay rise or promotion
  • Your Certificates of Fitness

Read next:CTP weekly payments

Compensation for people in Breakfast Point

Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Concord Repatriation General Hospital and Canterbury Hospital records can matter long after a crash. If pain and suffering damages are ever in question, the notes from the first days carry weight. Coming under the City of Canada Bay has no bearing on compensation. Someone in Breakfast Point and someone at the other end of the state are assessed under the same NSW rules, based on their injuries, their earnings and who was at fault. Breakfast Point is about 5 km north of Burwood, and you don't need to travel there for advice about compensation. Our claim check is by phone and online, and lawyers who handle damages claims can generally work the same way.

Region
Inner West
Postcode
2137
Local government area
City of Canada Bay
Nearest public hospital
Concord Repatriation General Hospital
Distance to Burwood
~5 km

Benefits and damages, side by side

A NSW CTP claim can pay two different kinds of compensation. Most injured people get the first. Only some can claim the second. Neither comes with a set figure; what you receive depends on your circumstances.

Statutory benefits

  • Available to most injured people, regardless of fault
  • Weekly payments: up to 95% of pre-accident earnings, then up to 80% or 85%
  • Treatment and care that is reasonable and necessary
  • Up to 52 weeks for a threshold injury or if mostly at fault (accidents from 1 April 2023)
  • Weekly payments generally end at 104 weeks unless a damages claim is pending
  • Claim within 28 days for back-paid weekly payments

Common law damages

  • Only if another driver was at fault and you weren't mostly at fault
  • Your injury must be more than a threshold injury
  • Can include past and future lost earnings
  • Pain and suffering only if whole person impairment is more than 10%
  • Generally doesn't include treatment and care or unpaid care from family
  • Generally must be claimed within 3 years of the accident

General information, not legal advice. We give no dollar figures because every claim is different. Time limits apply.

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When a damages claim can be made and settled

If the insurer makes an offer, take your time. Ask what it covers, what it assumes about your future earnings and whether it accounts for all your injuries. An independent CTP lawyer can check it against the evidence. Accepting generally ends your damages claim, so it's worth a careful look before you sign anything.

Before you accept an offer

Get advice before accepting any settlement offer. A settlement generally ends your damages claim, and once signed it's usually final.

Read next:CTP settlementsShould I accept the first offer?

What damages generally don't include

If a family member has been driving you to treatment or helping at home, you might expect that to be compensated. Under the current NSW scheme, damages generally don't cover that kind of gratuitous care. Nor do they generally cover treatment costs, which are handled through statutory benefits. The rules for your accident date are worth checking.

When pain and suffering can be claimed

Many people assume every injury attracts compensation for pain. In the NSW CTP scheme it doesn't. Non-economic loss damages require whole person impairment of more than 10%, and you still need to meet the other damages conditions: someone else at fault, you not mostly at fault, and more than a threshold injury.

10% or less?

If your whole person impairment is 10% or less, you may still have a damages claim for lost earnings, as long as the other conditions are met.

Weekly payments while a damages claim is pending

Weekly payments are where statutory benefits and damages overlap. A pending damages claim can stretch weekly payments past the usual 104 weeks: to as long as 156 weeks for impairment at or below the 10% line, or 260 weeks where impairment is more than 10%. Because a damages claim generally can't be made until 20 months after the accident unless impairment is above 10%, the window to lodge in time for this is narrow.

The 2-year lodging rule

To keep weekly payments going past 2 years, lodge the damages claim within 2 years of the accident. Waiting until the general 3-year limit can mean payments stop in the meantime.

Read next:CTP weekly payments

Online estimates and their limits

It's natural to want a number. But in the NSW scheme, compensation depends on assessments that haven't happened yet in most claims, such as impairment and future earning capacity. Any figure given early, by a website or anyone else, should be treated with caution. A careful look at your facts is more useful than an estimate.

Read next:Can I claim damages?

When legal advice changes the picture

Most people don't need a lawyer just to receive weekly payments. When a lump sum may be involved, it's a different story. Use these lists to get your bearings.

Often worth talking to a lawyer

  • An offer to settle has come from the insurer
  • Your injuries may be above the 10% impairment line
  • A family member died and dependants may have a claim
  • Your pre-accident earnings seem to have been set too low

You may not need one

  • You're receiving weekly payments and they look right
  • You only need to understand how weekly payments are calculated
  • You've recovered and are back at your usual work

Your treating team shapes the evidence for lost earnings, starting with the Certificate of Fitness. If you don't have a team yet, doctors and allied health practitioners who work with CTP claims are a sensible place to start.

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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.

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