Not in a car? A motor accident lawyer for Kurmond

Cyclists often assume they need insurance of their own to claim. They don't. The claim runs through the CTP insurance of the motor vehicle involved, so if a car, truck, bus or motorbike hit you while you were riding, it generally goes to that vehicle's insurer. Solo falls, collisions with other cyclists and crashes caused only by the road surface usually sit outside the scheme.

Where a shared path crosses a driveway or a car park entry, bikes and cars meet at an angle drivers don't always check. If a car pulling in or out hit you there, you may have a claim against its insurer. Photograph the path markings, any give-way signs and the view the driver would have had.

Something falling from a truck, such as an unsecured load or a trailer coming loose, can be part of the truck's use or operation, so its CTP insurer may be responsible. Note the company name, any fleet number and the registration if you can. Company markings and the direction it was heading make a truck much easier to trace later.

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.

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.

Riding pillion puts you in much the same position as a car passenger. You weren't steering, braking or choosing the line, so the fault question is mostly about the riders and drivers involved. Your claim goes to the insurer of whichever vehicle caused the crash, which may be the bike you were on. It is made against the insurer, never the rider personally.

Rideshare and taxi drivers are in a different position from their passengers. Many rideshare drivers are engaged as contractors rather than employees, which can make CTP their main path after a crash: statutory benefits from the at-fault vehicle's insurer, or their own vehicle's if they caused it. It depends on the actual arrangement, so have it checked before lodging.

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.

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