Some injuries are obviously serious from the day of the crash. Others turn out to be more serious as weeks pass, when scans or a surgeon find nerve involvement, a tear or a lasting psychological effect. If that is happening to you in Mount Pritchard, it may change your claim. We offer a free claim check and can point you to an independent lawyer and to doctors experienced with CTP.
Liverpool & Fairfield · Serious injury compensation
Injury compensation lawyer help for people in Mount Pritchard
How serious injuries are measured in a CTP claim, and what those measurements change.
Postcode: 2170
- Free claim check, no obligation
- By phone & online, no office to visit
- Helping people in Mount Pritchard & Bonnyrigg
Serious injury care and records near Mount Pritchard
A serious injury is hard to describe in a second language. For your claim, CTP Assist on 1300 656 919 can arrange an interpreter, which helps your doctors record the injury accurately. If you were admitted to Fairfield Hospital after the crash, the admission notes, scans and specialist letters made there are often the first evidence of how serious the injury is. Ask for copies, or ask your GP to obtain them. A serious injury can make every trip to Liverpool a major effort. Claim help can stay at home, where the check is done by phone and online and documents can generally be signed without travelling.
Whether you live in the Fairfield City Council area or elsewhere, the scheme measures a serious injury the same way. The local part is your treating team, and the record they keep of your injury over time.
- Region
- Liverpool & Fairfield
- Postcode
- 2170
- Nearest public hospital
- Fairfield Hospital
- Distance to Liverpool
- ~3 km
- Local government area
- Fairfield City Council
Serious injury: when legal advice helps
If your injury is more than threshold, it's worth at least one conversation with someone who knows the scheme. Whether you need more than that depends on your situation. Use these lists as a starting point.
Often worth talking to a lawyer
- Another driver was at fault and a damages claim may be possible
- A pre-existing condition is being blamed for your symptoms
- You're wondering whether your impairment could be more than 10%
- The insurer has classed your injury as threshold and your doctors disagree
You may not need one
- You were mostly at fault, so no damages claim is open to you
- You want general scheme information that CTP Assist can give
- Your question is about treatment options, not compensation
With a serious injury, the right treating team matters for recovery and evidence alike. We can point you to doctors and allied health experienced with CTP, including GPs who complete the Certificate of Fitness.
Not quite your situation?
- Injured at work rather than on the road? That is usually a workers compensation claim, which runs under different rules from CTP. The free claim check can point you to the right help. Free claim check
- If you want to know what compensation can include and when it is paid, the car accident compensation page sets out the whole package. Car accident compensation in Mount Pritchard
- Before any of this, if the real question is which scheme or kind of claim covers your injury, the compensation lawyer page is the place to begin. Compensation lawyer in Mount Pritchard
- To dispute a threshold decision the insurer has made, see the CTP claim denied page for the review process and its deadlines. CTP claim denied in Mount Pritchard
Reading the threshold line
Think of this as a map, not a verdict. It shows the kinds of injury usually treated as threshold, and the findings that may take an injury beyond it. Only the medical evidence in your own claim can place you.
Usually treated as a threshold injury
- Sprains and strains of muscles, tendons or ligaments
- Whiplash-type neck pain with no nerve findings
- Bruising and soft tissue swelling
- A psychological injury the scheme classes as threshold
- Statutory benefits generally up to 52 weeks, for accidents from 1 April 2023
May be more than a threshold injury
- Nerve damage confirmed by a doctor
- A full or partial tear of a tendon, ligament, meniscus or cartilage
- A fracture, which is generally not a soft tissue injury
- A brain injury, or a diagnosed psychological condition beyond the threshold category
- Damages may be possible if another driver was at fault and you weren't mostly at fault
General information, not legal advice, and not medical advice either. The insurer decides on the medical evidence, its decision can be reviewed, and time limits apply.
When an injury counts as serious
Most people never need to think about impairment percentages. If your injury is serious, you probably will. The scheme's rules divide injuries by type first, threshold or not, and then, for some entitlements, by the degree of lasting impairment. This page explains both in general terms. Your own claim depends on your diagnosis and on the insurer's decisions, which can be reviewed.
Read next:Threshold vs non-threshold injury
What makes an injury more than threshold
The definition works by exclusion. An injury is generally threshold if it is soft tissue damage with no nerve damage and no torn tendon, ligament, meniscus or cartilage, whether the tear is complete or not, or if it is a psychological injury the scheme classes as threshold. Injuries outside that description, such as fractures, torn ligaments or brain injuries, are generally more than threshold.
Which side you're on matters. For accidents from 1 April 2023, statutory benefits for a threshold injury generally last up to 52 weeks. For accidents between 1 December 2017 and 31 March 2023, the limit was 26 weeks. If your injury is more than threshold and you weren't mostly at fault, benefits can generally continue for longer, and a damages claim may be possible.
Check the date of your accident
The scheme has been amended over time, most recently for accidents from 1 April 2023. Rules change, so check the current rules for your accident date.
Read next:Threshold injury disputes
Free claim check
Serious injury? Talk to us before the next decision
Tell us about your injury and what the insurer has decided. We'll say whether an independent lawyer would help.
When whole person impairment is measured
Impairment is generally assessed once an injury has stabilised, meaning it's unlikely to change much with further treatment. Assessing too early can understate a serious injury. The insurer may arrange an assessment, your own doctors may give opinions, and if the insurer and you disagree about the degree of impairment, the Personal Injury Commission can carry out a medical assessment.
- Whether the injury has stabilised
- Changes in your condition since the last report
- Whether you disagree with the result, and the deadline to say so
Read next:Insurer medical examinations
Mental health after a serious crash
A crash can cause psychological injury as well as physical injury, and sometimes instead of it. Some psychological injuries are classed as threshold injuries; others are not, depending on the diagnosis. Anxiety, low mood, flashbacks or fear of driving are worth raising with your GP early, both for your own sake and so the injury is recorded and properly diagnosed.
Read next:Psychological injury after a crash
When an injury limits your work for years
Weekly payments cover lost income for a limited time. For a serious injury, the bigger question is the future: will you be able to return to your old job, at the same hours and pay? If not, a damages claim may include past and future economic loss, provided the conditions for damages are met. That part of a claim doesn't depend on WPI above 10%.
Read next:Statutory benefits vs damages
WPI: the percentage behind serious injury claims
Whole person impairment, or WPI, is a percentage that describes how much a lasting injury affects the body as a whole. It isn't a measure of pain, and it isn't a measure of what you've lost. It's a medical assessment made under set guidelines once an injury has stabilised. In a CTP claim, WPI matters mainly for damages: non-economic loss is only available where WPI is more than 10%.
Because so much can turn on a few percentage points, WPI assessments are often contested. Your treating doctors, the insurer's chosen doctor and, if there's a dispute, a medical assessor through the Personal Injury Commission may reach different figures. Keep every report, and get advice before accepting an assessment you think is wrong.
Read next:Can I claim damages? Quick check
What shows an injury is serious
The most persuasive serious injury claims usually have consistent evidence: the same injuries described the same way, from the hospital to the GP to specialists, with no unexplained gaps in treatment. That consistency comes from telling each doctor the full story and following treatment plans. If a report leaves something out, ask the doctor about it rather than letting it pass.
- Hospital admission and discharge records
- Imaging reports, such as X-ray, CT or MRI, where done
- Operation and specialist reports
- Reports from a treating psychologist or psychiatrist, if any
Read next:Gathering medical evidence
Frequently asked questions
Generally, no. A threshold injury is generally a soft tissue injury, and a broken bone isn't soft tissue. So a fracture caused by the crash will usually take the injury beyond the threshold, although the insurer still decides on the medical evidence. If you have a fracture along with soft tissue injuries, make sure the fracture is clearly recorded on every certificate and report.
Generally, yes, for the worsening the crash caused. A pre-existing condition, like arthritis or an old back injury, doesn't stop a claim, but the insurer may argue that some of your symptoms would have happened anyway. Clear evidence helps: records of how you were before the crash, and how you've been since. Tell your doctors about the earlier condition rather than leaving it out.
It can. The insurer's decision is based on the evidence it has at the time. If a new diagnosis comes to light, such as nerve damage or a tear, the insurer can be asked to look at the classification again. If you disagree with a decision, there's a formal process to challenge it, starting with an internal review, and the CTP claim denied page explains those steps and their deadlines.
Tell every doctor about it, even if it seemed mild at first. A brain injury isn't a soft tissue injury, so a diagnosed brain injury is generally more than threshold. Symptoms such as headaches, memory problems, fatigue or changes in mood can take time to show and are easy to put down to stress. Record them, and ask your GP whether further review is needed.
Tell your doctor about the change, get it recorded, and make sure the insurer receives the new evidence. An earlier assessment may no longer reflect your condition, and in some circumstances the injury may be looked at again. Whether and how that happens depends on the stage of your claim and the rules for your situation, so this is a good point to get advice.
Each injury matters. Your claim should list every injury the crash caused, and your doctors should record all of them, not just the worst. The threshold limits generally apply where all your injuries are threshold injuries, so one injury that is more than threshold can change the whole claim. How several injuries are rated for impairment is technical, so get advice if it matters to you.
Injury compensation lawyer: suburbs near Mount Pritchard
Related reading
- Whole person impairment
- CTP damages claims
- Lump sum and damages claims
- When the insurer says threshold injury
- Threshold disputes: a general guide
- Whiplash
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Chronic Pain After a Car Accident
- Sciatica and Nerve Pain
- Pre-Existing Condition Aggravation
- Liverpool & Fairfield: area guide
- CTP Lawyer Help in Sydney
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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.