You don't have to prove fault on the day of the crash, but what you notice then can matter later. Lanes, signals, where the cars stopped and what was said all feed into the insurer's view. For people in South Turramurra, we explain how fault is weighed in a NSW claim and help you decide whether the question needs a lawyer. Often it doesn't. When it does, we'll connect you with one.
Upper North Shore & Hornsby · Car accident lawyer help
Car accident lawyer help for people in South Turramurra
Not every fault question needs a lawyer. The free check tells you whether yours does.
Postcode: 2074
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Four ways fault can play out after a car accident
Fault rarely decides whether you can claim at all. Most injured people get statutory benefits whoever caused the crash. What fault changes is how long those benefits can run and whether a lump sum is possible. These four positions cover most car accidents.
Situation 1
You were not at fault
No share of the fault is the strongest position. Benefits come from the at-fault vehicle's insurer, and a lump sum damages claim may follow if your injury isn't a threshold injury. The insurer still needs evidence before it accepts fault.
Situation 2
You were partly at fault
Sharing some of the blame generally doesn't stop a claim. It can reduce weekly payments after the first 52 weeks and cut down any damages in proportion. How much is often argued, which is where advice helps.
Situation 3
You were wholly or mostly at fault
'Mostly at fault' means contributory negligence greater than 61%. Weekly payments and treatment and care are then generally limited to the first 52 weeks, with no common law damages. Children 16 and under keep treatment and care for as long as they need it.
Situation 4
No one was clearly at fault
Some crashes happen without any driver being at fault, for example after a sudden medical episode or an unforeseeable mechanical failure. NSW has 'blameless accident' rules that may let an injured person claim in some of these cases. They are technical, so get advice.
General information, not legal advice. Fault and contributory negligence are decided on the evidence. Time limits apply.
South Turramurra roads and the question of fault
On winding roads such as Galston Road, Bobbin Head Road and the Old Pacific Highway north of Berowra, a crash may have no witnesses. Photos of the road and the car positions help settle fault. Intersections along Kissing Point Road and Vernon Street can involve turning arrows, give-way signs and changing lights. If fault is argued, a photo of the signals and lane markings taken on the day is hard to dispute. If you were taken to Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital, the ambulance and emergency records often note the type of impact, such as being hit from behind or side-on. That early description can support your version of how the crash happened.
With Turramurra station and bus stops for Turramurra and Macquarie Park nearby, buses and other commercial vehicles are a regular part of local traffic. Many carry cameras, so if one was involved in your crash, ask early whether the footage was kept.
- Region
- Upper North Shore & Hornsby
- Postcode
- 2074
- Main roads
- Kissing Point Road · Vernon Street
- Nearest public hospital
- Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital
- Getting around
- Turramurra station · bus services to Turramurra and Macquarie Park
Fault after a crash: when to call a lawyer, and when you may not need one
Plenty of car accident claims never involve a fault argument. The ones that do often benefit from advice, because fault controls the lump sum. These lists show when a lawyer is commonly worth a call on fault, and when you may manage alone.
Often worth talking to a lawyer
- A fault decision has been made and the review deadline is running
- A seatbelt or speed argument is being used to cut your claim
- You've been asked for a detailed statement about how the crash happened
- You were a passenger and both drivers blame each other
You may not need one
- The other driver admitted fault and the insurer accepted it
- You mainly need a doctor to record your injuries
- You only need help identifying the at-fault vehicle's insurer
Before any fault argument, get the right care. We can connect you with doctors and allied health experienced with CTP claims, who can treat you and complete a clear Certificate of Fitness whatever happens with fault.
Not quite your situation?
- If you're not yet sure whether this is an injury claim, a damage claim or something else, the car accident claim page helps you tell them apart. Car accident claim in South Turramurra
- If you've already decided to engage a solicitor and want to know how the file runs stage by stage, see the car accident solicitor page. Car accident solicitor in South Turramurra
- If you were riding, walking or cycling, or travelling by truck, bus or rideshare when you were hurt, the motor vehicle accident page fits better. Motor vehicle accident lawyer in South Turramurra
The first hours after a crash, and the question of fault
The insurer that decides fault will not have been there. It relies on what people recorded at the time. So record what you can: the time, the weather, the road surface, the lane markings and the direction each vehicle was travelling. If a witness stopped, ask whether they'll give their name. A note written that evening is worth more than a memory months later.
- The lane each vehicle was in, and any lane change
- What the traffic lights or give-way signs showed
- Skid marks, debris and the damage to each vehicle
- Weather, light and the road surface at the time
Read next:What to do after a car accident in NSW
Seatbelts, speed and your share of fault
Insurers look at more than who hit whom. They may ask whether you wore a seatbelt, how fast you were going and whether you were distracted. The finding is usually a percentage. A small one trims damages and later weekly payments. One greater than 61% has a much bigger effect, because it rules out damages altogether.
Check the percentage
A contributory negligence finding is usually expressed as a percentage. A few points either side of the 'mostly at fault' line can decide whether damages are possible at all, so ask how the figure was worked out.
Read next:Can I claim if I was partly at fault?
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Car crash near South Turramurra? Free fault check
Tell us what happened and what the insurer has said about fault. We'll point you to the right help, whether that's a lawyer, a doctor or neither.
Evidence that settles fault
Dashcam footage is often the clearest evidence of fault, but many cameras record over themselves within hours or days. Save the original file as soon as you can, and don't trim or edit it. If another driver or a nearby business may have footage, ask early and in writing, because it may not be kept for long.
Some evidence only exists for a short time: skid marks, debris, temporary signs and camera footage. Other evidence can be gathered later, such as the police record and witness statements. If fault is disputed, a lawyer can ask for footage and records to be kept and, where the claim justifies it, obtain an expert opinion on how the crash happened.
- Independent witnesses' names and numbers
- Your own written account from the first days
- Camera footage from nearby shops or homes
- Any messages the other driver sent after the crash
Save footage early
Shops, buses and homes with cameras often keep footage only briefly. Ask in writing as soon as you can, giving the date, time and exact spot.
Whose insurer, when fault is shared or unclear
Chain collisions are where fault gets complicated. The driver who started it may carry most of the blame, but a driver behind who was following too closely can share it. Each vehicle has its own Green Slip insurer. Your task is to record every vehicle involved and the order of the impacts; the insurers' task is to sort out which of them responds.
If you were hit from behind and pushed into the car in front, you may have been blameless in both impacts. Make that clear in your account: which impact came first, and whether you had stopped before being hit. Insurers sometimes treat a chain crash as one event, and the sequence is what shows your own share was nil.
Read next:Multi-vehicle accidents
Why fault matters more for a lump sum than for benefits
Think of the claim in two parts. Statutory benefits come first and, for most people, don't depend on who caused the crash. Common law damages come later and depend heavily on it: another driver must have been at fault, you must not have been mostly at fault, and the injury must be more than a threshold injury. That is why fault is worth attention early.
Rules change
Your accident date decides which rules apply. Accidents before 1 December 2017 fall under the older 1999 Act, and some limits changed again on 1 April 2023.
Read next:At fault vs not at fault
If you were the passenger
Passengers usually have the simplest fault position of anyone in a crash. You weren't in control, so the question is only which driver caused it, and that decides which insurer deals with you. Where both drivers share the blame, you may still be blameless yourself. That matters later, because damages depend partly on your own share of fault.
Passengers in a crash between two cars sometimes find that each driver blames the other and neither insurer will accept the claim at first. You don't have to take sides. Give an honest account of what you saw, lodge on time, and let the fault question be worked out between the insurers. If it stalls, that's when advice helps most.
Read next:Passenger injury claims
When fault is disputed
A fault finding isn't final just because the insurer has made it. Most insurer decisions can go to internal review, generally within 28 days of receiving the decision, and then to the Personal Injury Commission. Before you accept a finding that you were mostly at fault, have someone look at whether the evidence supports it, because so much turns on that line.
Read next:At-fault self-check
Frequently asked questions
'Mostly at fault' means your contributory negligence is found to be greater than 61%. If you were wholly or mostly at fault, weekly payments and treatment and care are generally limited to the first 52 weeks, and you can't claim common law damages. For accidents from 1 April 2023, most people in that position still receive those first 52 weeks of statutory benefits. Because so much turns on the line, a finding close to it is worth having reviewed.
By looking at the order of events and what each driver did. In a chain crash, the driver who started it often carries most of the blame, but others can share it, for example by following too closely. Each vehicle has its own CTP insurer, and the insurers may split responsibility between them. Your part is to record every registration, the order of impacts and the police event number, and to lodge on time.
Not automatically, although it can help. A traffic fine or a criminal charge is a separate process from your claim, and the insurer generally looks at all the evidence rather than relying on it alone. A conviction can be strong support for your account. A charge that is dropped, or no charge at all, doesn't mean the other driver wasn't at fault. Keep a copy of any police paperwork you receive.
Possibly. NSW has 'blameless accident' rules for crashes where no driver was at fault, for example because of a sudden medical episode or an unforeseeable mechanical failure. In some of these cases, an injured person may be able to claim as if someone were at fault. The rules are technical and depend on the facts, so get advice before assuming there's no claim. Statutory benefits may be available in the meantime.
Usually less than people fear. Being partly to blame is called contributory negligence. It doesn't stop you claiming statutory benefits. It can reduce weekly payments after 52 weeks, and it reduces any damages by your share. It only removes damages altogether if your share is found to be greater than 61%. Ask how the insurer reached its percentage, and get advice if it seems high.
Generally, yes. You claim against the CTP insurer of the vehicle at fault, which here is the Green Slip insurer of your friend's car. The claim is against the insurer, not against your friend personally. Passengers are rarely found at fault, though contributory negligence can still be raised in limited cases, for example if you knew the driver had been drinking. Your friend may be asked for their account, which is normal.
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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.