Canterbury-Bankstown · Motor vehicle accident claims

Not in a car? A motor accident lawyer for Bass Hill

Riders, pedestrians, cyclists and passengers: whether the NSW motor accident scheme covers what happened to you.

Riders, cyclists and pedestrians often have little between them and the vehicle, so injuries can be serious. That makes the right claim path matter. We're not a law firm. For people around Bass Hill, we check whether your crash falls within the CTP scheme, which insurer is involved, and whether an independent lawyer should look at it.

Postcode: 2197

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  • By phone & online, no office to visit
  • Helping people in Bass Hill & Georges Hall

Usually covered, or check first?

Riders, pedestrians and passengers often aren't sure whether their crash counts. The first list shows situations that are usually covered. The second shows ones that often aren't, and are worth checking before you give up on a claim.

Usually a CTP (motor accident) claim

  • A car, truck, bus or motorbike hit you while you were walking, riding or cycling
  • You were a pillion, or a passenger on a bus, in a taxi or in a rideshare car
  • Someone opened the door of a parked car into your path
  • An unsecured load or a loose trailer caused your crash (generally)
  • A driver forced you off the road without touching you (it turns on the evidence)

Often not a CTP claim: check first

  • You came off your bicycle and no motor vehicle played any part
  • An e-scooter or bicycle rider knocked you down on a footpath
  • You were hurt at a track day, race meeting or other closed-circuit event
  • A pothole or loose gravel was the only cause of your fall
  • A quad bike or unregistered trail bike on private land was involved

General information, not legal advice. Whether an incident is a motor accident depends on the facts. Time limits apply.

Local roads and transport near Bass Hill: who gets hurt, and how

Trucks serving the Chullora and Milperra industrial areas use the Hume Highway, Stacey Street and Henry Lawson Drive. If one caused your crash, the claim goes to the truck's CTP insurer, and its records may help. With bus stops for Bankstown and Liverpool nearby, many people walk or cycle to catch a service. If a vehicle hit you on the way, your claim is generally made to that vehicle's CTP insurer, whether or not you own a car. Busy places such as Bass Hill Plaza, Bass Hill RSL and the Georges River foreshore bring people on foot, cyclists and turning cars together. A pedestrian hit in a car park open to the public may still have a CTP claim, depending on the details.

Wherever you were treated, including Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital, make sure each injury is written down and linked to the crash. Riders and pedestrians often have several injuries, and a missed one can be hard to add later.

Region
Canterbury-Bankstown
Postcode
2197
Getting around
bus services to Bankstown and Liverpool
Main roads
Hume Highway · Henry Lawson Drive
Local landmarks
Bass Hill Plaza · Bass Hill RSL
Nearest public hospital
Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital

The motor accident test, in plain terms

In NSW, a motor accident is generally an incident involving the use or operation of a motor vehicle that causes an injury. You don't need to have been driving, or even in a vehicle. A pedestrian, a cyclist, a pillion passenger and a bus passenger can all be injured in a motor accident. For accidents from 1 December 2017, the Motor Accident Injuries Act 2017 sets the rules.

Getting into or out of a vehicle is a common grey area. If a passing car hit you as you stepped out, or your driver moved off while you were halfway out, the injury may come from the use of a motor vehicle. Whether it does depends on exactly what happened, so write it down while it's fresh and have it checked.

If a heavy vehicle was involved

Heavy-vehicle crashes often draw in more people than a car crash: an operator, perhaps a separate trailer owner, a company that loaded the truck, and other drivers. Your injury claim still starts in one place, the CTP insurer of the vehicle at fault. Questions about the other parties can wait, and a lawyer can look at them if a damages claim follows.

If you think a truck's camera, its telematics or the driver's work diary would help show what happened, raise it early. Police may obtain some records during an investigation, and the insurer may request others. A lawyer can formally ask the operator to keep records, which matters because some are overwritten or discarded after a while.

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If you were on a motorbike

Arguments in rider claims tend to centre on where the bike was and whether it was visible. Lane position, moving between lanes of slow traffic, headlights and the driver's sightline all come up, and the road rules for motorcycles are detailed. Write down what you were doing and where, as precisely as you can, and have someone who knows those rules look at it before you accept a fault finding.

Broken bones, torn ligaments, nerve damage and head injuries are common in motorcycle crashes. Those are generally not threshold injuries, which matters for how long benefits run and whether damages may be possible. Make sure each doctor records every injury, not just the most painful one, and links it to the crash in their notes.

Read next:Motorcycle accident claims

If you were on foot

Not every pedestrian injury happens on a street. Shopping centre, station and hospital car parks are open to the public, and a person hit there by a car that is reversing or turning can usually claim. A vehicle rolling down a home driveway can also be a motor accident, sometimes involving a child and a family car. The details matter, so check before assuming you can't claim.

Treatment and care for a child who was 16 or under at the time continues for as long as it's needed, and fault doesn't change that, even if the child ran onto the road. A parent or guardian lodges the claim. Notes from school about concentration, behaviour or missed days can help show how the injury affects them as time goes on.

Read next:Pedestrian accident claims

Passengers, drivers for hire and delivery work

Buses, taxis and rideshare cars carry CTP insurance like any other registered vehicle. As a passenger, you generally claim against the insurer of whichever vehicle caused the crash: the one you were in if its driver was at fault, or another vehicle if that driver was. You claim against the insurer, not the bus company or the app. Passengers are rarely found at fault.

Food and parcel delivery puts riders on busy roads for long hours. When a car hits one, the claim may go to that car's CTP insurer. A rider working as an employee at the time usually claims workers compensation first, so the details of the arrangement matter. Platform insurance, where it exists, has its own terms and doesn't necessarily replace either claim.

Read next:Rideshare and taxi accident claims

If you were on a bike or e-scooter

Electric bikes are generally treated like pedal bikes for this purpose, so if a motor vehicle hit you on one, you claim against that vehicle's insurer. E-scooters are less settled. A car that hit you on a scooter still carries a Green Slip, but expect questions about where you were riding and the type of device. Check before accepting a refusal.

A helmet, lights after dark and your position on the road may all come up if the insurer says you contributed to the crash. Any reduction depends on evidence, including whether the missing item made an injury worse, and it generally shrinks a claim rather than ending it. Turning drivers are generally expected to give way to riders in a marked bike lane.

Read next:Cyclist accident claims

What to keep, depending on how you were travelling

For pedestrians, the key evidence is usually outside your control: shop, station, bus and council cameras, and dashcams in passing cars. Ask for footage in writing as early as you can. Witnesses who saw where you were crossing matter too. A police report and the ambulance record complete the picture of where and how the vehicle hit you.

  • The vehicle's registration, company name or route number
  • Photos of the crossing, lane markings or bike lane
  • Your damaged helmet and gear, kept unrepaired
  • Written requests for shop, station or bus footage

Read next:At-fault self-check

Do you need a lawyer after a motor accident?

The CTP scheme covers most road users, but the edge cases are where people get stuck. If the insurer says your crash isn't a motor accident, or your working arrangement complicates things, advice is often worth having.

Often worth talking to a lawyer

  • A heavy vehicle was involved and several parties are pointing at each other
  • Your injuries include fractures, a head injury or nerve damage
  • The insurer says your riding gear or helmet made your injuries worse
  • A driver forced you off the road without contact and denies it

You may not need one

  • What you need first is a doctor to treat and record your injuries
  • You were a bus or rideshare passenger and the insurer has accepted the claim
  • You only need help working out which insurer to contact

Recovery comes first. Ask us about doctors and allied health, including physiotherapists and psychologists, who understand motor accident claims and the Certificate of Fitness the insurer relies on.

Not quite your situation?

  • If you were inside a car when it crashed, whether driving or as a passenger, the car accident lawyer page covers fault for you. Car accident lawyer in Bass Hill
  • If you're not sure what kind of claim you have, or the vehicle drove off or wasn't insured, the car accident claim page sorts that out. Car accident claim in Bass Hill
  • If you already know it's a motor accident and just want to know whether a lawyer is worth it, see the CTP lawyer page. CTP lawyer in Bass Hill

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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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