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 Wiley Park, 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.
Canterbury-Bankstown · Car accident lawyer help
Partly at fault? Car crash lawyer help for Wiley Park
Fault rarely stops a claim, but it can shorten benefits and close off a lump sum. We help you see where you stand.
Postcode: 2195
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Fault and your claim: four situations
The insurer will form a view about who caused the crash, and that view shapes the rest of your claim. Find the situation closest to yours below, then check the detail with someone who can see your evidence.
Situation 1
You were not at fault
Your claim goes to the CTP insurer of the vehicle that caused the crash. You can receive statutory benefits, and if your injury is more than a threshold injury, a common law damages claim may also be open to you.
Situation 2
You were partly at fault
If you contributed to the crash or your injuries, for example by not wearing a seatbelt, the insurer may argue contributory negligence. Weekly payments after 52 weeks may be reduced, and any damages can be reduced by your share.
Situation 3
You were wholly or mostly at fault
Being at fault doesn't leave you with nothing. Statutory benefits generally continue for the first 52 weeks, but a damages claim is off the table. The same applies once contributory negligence is found to be greater than 61%.
Situation 4
No one was clearly at fault
Unexplained crashes sit in a grey area. The 'blameless accident' provisions may allow a claim where no driver was at fault, but they don't fit every situation. Talk it through with someone who knows them before you rule anything out.
General information, not legal advice. Fault and contributory negligence are decided on the evidence. Time limits apply.
Driving in and around Wiley Park: fault in local crashes
Stacey Street, Henry Lawson Drive and King Georges Road have busy intersections. If the other driver claims you ran a light, your account, any witness and any camera footage from nearby businesses will matter. If you were taken to Bankstown-Lidcombe 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 Wiley Park station and bus stops on Canterbury Road 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
- Canterbury-Bankstown
- Postcode
- 2195
- Main roads
- Canterbury Road · Lakemba Street
- Nearest public hospital
- Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital
- Getting around
- Wiley Park station · bus stops on Canterbury Road
Fault after a crash: when to call a lawyer, and when you may not need one
A lawyer isn't a box to tick after every crash. When fault is clear and accepted, many people run their own claim. When it's argued, split or pinned on you, advice is often worth having.
Often worth talking to a lawyer
- A fault decision has been made and the review deadline is running
- The insurer puts your share of fault above 61%
- You've been asked for a detailed statement about how the crash happened
- No driver seems to be at fault and you've been told you can't claim
You may not need one
- It was a clear rear-end collision and liability is accepted
- You were a passenger and nobody disputes which driver caused it
- 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 still working out what kind of claim you have, such as car damage or a driver who drove off, start with the car accident claim page. Car accident claim in Wiley Park
- 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 Wiley Park
- If you weren't in a car at all but on a motorbike, a bicycle or on foot, the motor vehicle accident page covers your situation. Motor vehicle accident lawyer in Wiley Park
What to note near Wiley Park that bears on fault
Once everyone is safe and anyone hurt has help, your memory of the crash is at its sharpest. Note which lane each car was in, what the lights or signs showed, roughly how fast you were going and where the vehicles came to rest. Write down anything the other driver said about how it happened. These details can decide fault later, and they fade within days.
- The lane each vehicle was in, and any lane change
- Where each car came to rest, photographed before moving if safe
- Exactly what the other driver said, written down that day
- Whether you and your passengers wore seatbelts
Read next:What to do after a car accident in NSW
Passengers and fault
Being a passenger doesn't make fault irrelevant. It shifts the question to the drivers. If the driver of your car and another driver both contributed, your claim may involve both vehicles' insurers. Your own conduct can still come up in limited ways, such as not wearing a seatbelt or travelling with a driver you knew was affected by alcohol.
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
Free claim check
Free check on a fault question
Free and no obligation. Call (02) 7238 7379 or send a few details online, and we'll help you work out where fault leaves your claim.
Why fault matters more for a lump sum than for benefits
Most people hurt in a car crash can claim statutory benefits regardless of fault, covering weekly payments and reasonable and necessary treatment. Fault matters most for the lump sum. Common law damages are only possible if another driver was at fault, you were not mostly at fault, and your injury is more than a threshold injury. So a fault finding against you can close off damages even while benefits are paid.
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
Dashcam, witnesses and the police record
An independent witness, someone with no link to either driver, can carry real weight. Get their name and phone number at the scene if you can. If you can't, the police record may have their details. Photos of the final positions of the vehicles also matter, since damage patterns often show the angle and order of impact.
The police event number links your claim to the official record of the crash. The insurer can use it to check who was involved and what was reported. It's worth getting even if the crash seemed minor and police didn't attend, because a record made close to the time is harder to dispute than one pieced together later.
- Photos of both vehicles' damage and final positions
- Independent witnesses' names and numbers
- Your own written account from the first days
- 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.
Several vehicles, several insurers: working out fault
When three or more vehicles are involved, fault can be divided between several drivers. That affects which insurer deals with you and may affect how any damages are shared between insurers later. It generally doesn't stop you receiving statutory benefits while that is argued. If the insurers are still disputing it weeks after you lodge, advice is worth getting.
The police event number is often the thread that ties a multi-vehicle crash together. It links the drivers, the vehicles and any statements taken at the scene. Keep it with your registration notes. CTP Assist, a free SIRA service on 1300 656 919, can help identify an insurer when you're unsure, though it won't decide fault for you.
Read next:Multi-vehicle accidents
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?
The other driver blames you: what now?
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.
Less than it does for adults. A child who was 16 or under at the time of the accident can receive treatment and care for as long as they need it, regardless of fault. Fault can still matter for other entitlements, such as any damages claim. A parent or guardian usually handles the claim. Keep the police record and the child's medical records together, and note which driver the police report points to.
Not by itself. An apology can be mentioned, but insurers decide fault on the evidence as a whole: police records, damage patterns, photos, footage and witnesses. People apologise for many reasons, and drivers sometimes change their account later. Write down exactly what was said and when, then collect the harder evidence. If fault is disputed, those records will count for more than the apology.
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.
It can reduce your claim, but it usually doesn't end it. Not wearing a seatbelt is a classic example of contributory negligence. Weekly payments after 52 weeks may be reduced for it, and any damages can be reduced too. How much depends on the evidence, including medical opinion on whether a seatbelt would have changed your injuries. Get advice before you accept the percentage the insurer puts forward.
Car accident lawyer: suburbs near Wiley Park
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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.