The CTP scheme isn't only for drivers. A pedestrian hit on a crossing, a cyclist knocked off by a turning car and a pillion passenger all claim through the same NSW scheme. For people in Leppington, we explain how it applies to your situation and whether an independent lawyer would help, especially where the facts are unusual.
Macarthur & Wollondilly · Motor vehicle accident claims
Motor vehicle accident lawyer help for Leppington
Riders, pedestrians, cyclists and passengers: whether the NSW motor accident scheme covers what happened to you.
Postcode: 2179
- Free claim check, no obligation
- By phone & online, no office to visit
- Helping people in Leppington & Catherine Field
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.
Leppington road users and the CTP scheme
Interstate freight uses the Hume Motorway, and trucks bound for Port Kembla use Picton Road and Appin Road. A crash with a heavy vehicle there can involve several parties, so get advice if the claim stalls. Near Leppington station, buses pull in and out, taxis and rideshare cars stop briefly, and people cross between them. Injuries in that mix are often motor accidents, so note the vehicle's registration or route number. On Camden Valley Way or a side street, a crash with a motor vehicle is generally a CTP matter. If only the road surface brought you down, a cyclist usually has no CTP claim, though a motorcyclist's own Green Slip may still pay.
Shared paths, driveways and car park entries are where cars most often cross the path of cyclists and walkers. Photograph the layout and any signs, because fault can turn on who should have given way.
- Region
- Macarthur & Wollondilly
- Postcode
- 2179
- Getting around
- Leppington station · bus stops on Camden Valley Way
- Main roads
- Camden Valley Way · Bringelly Road
- Nearest public hospital
- Campbelltown Hospital
What counts as a motor accident
The CTP scheme follows the vehicle, not the person. Every registered motor vehicle in NSW carries a Green Slip, and the policy responds to injuries the vehicle causes, whether the person hurt was inside it or not. So the question for a rider, cyclist or pedestrian is simple to ask but sometimes hard to answer: was a motor vehicle part of how you were hurt?
Physical contact isn't always required. A rider who swerves to avoid a car that pulls out, or a pedestrian who falls leaping clear of a vehicle, may still have a claim against that vehicle's insurer. These claims rely heavily on evidence, so witnesses and footage matter even more than usual. If the vehicle didn't stop, a different claim path applies, which the car accident claim page explains.
Motorcycle riders and pillion passengers
Missing or inadequate gear can become an argument: the insurer may claim a particular injury would have been less serious with proper protection. Where the evidence backs that up, contributory negligence can reduce the claim by a percentage. If the rider is found more than 61% at fault, the damages claim is lost, and statutory benefits are generally limited to the first 52 weeks. Keep damaged gear unrepaired, and photograph it from every side.
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.
Read next:Motorcycle accident claims
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Not sure if your crash counts? Ask us
Tell us how you were travelling and what happened. We'll say whether it looks like a motor accident claim and who can help.
If a heavy vehicle was involved
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.
Injuries from a crash with a heavy vehicle are often serious: fractures, head injuries and injuries to the spine. Medical evidence needs to cover every injury, and early legal advice can be worth having because more parties and more records are involved. That doesn't mean you need a lawyer to lodge, only that the file can become complex.
Walking, crossing and car parks: pedestrian claims
Pedestrian injuries can be serious because there's nothing between you and the vehicle. Fractures, hip and pelvic injuries and head injuries are common. Statutory benefits are available to most injured pedestrians whoever caused the crash, and a damages claim may be possible where the driver was at fault. Ask your doctors to note each injury, including the less obvious ones.
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
Bike riders and the CTP scheme
Dooring is one of the more common ways cyclists are hurt in busy streets. A car door opened into your path is generally part of using that car, even while it's parked, so the injury claim goes to its CTP insurer. Before the car leaves, record its plate and who opened the door, and photograph the door and where you fell.
E-scooters raise a question of their own. A scooter isn't covered by CTP insurance itself, so if a scooter rider knocked you down on a footpath, a CTP claim is unlikely and another path may apply. If a car hit you while you were on a scooter, a claim against the car's insurer may still be possible. Have the specific facts checked.
Read next:Cyclist accident claims
Evidence that matters for riders, cyclists and pedestrians
If you ride, your own devices may hold the strongest evidence. Helmet and handlebar cameras, bike computers and tracking apps can show your speed, your line and the moment of impact. Copy the original files somewhere safe straight away, before a device loops over them, and don't trim or edit anything. Keep your damaged helmet and gear as they are.
- 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
- A screenshot of the rideshare or delivery trip
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
- The insurer says your riding gear or helmet made your injuries worse
- A heavy vehicle was involved and several parties are pointing at each other
- A truck or bus operator's records may matter and need to be kept
- You were hurt getting into or out of a vehicle and the insurer disputes cover
You may not need one
- A pedestrian claim against an identified car is progressing smoothly
- You were a bus or rideshare passenger and the insurer has accepted the claim
- You came off a bicycle alone and just need to confirm it isn't a CTP matter
If treatment is what you need now, start there. We can put you in touch with doctors and allied health experienced with CTP claims, who can complete the Certificate of Fitness and link your injuries to the crash.
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 Leppington
- 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 Leppington
- 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 Leppington
Frequently asked questions
Sometimes. The test is whether the injury came from the use or operation of a motor vehicle. A passing car striking you as you open the door, or a bus pulling away while you're still on the step, can qualify. Slipping on a wet kerb with no vehicle movement involved usually won't. Note the vehicle, the time and exactly what moved, photograph the spot, and see a doctor promptly.
Possibly. The insurer may say that boots, gloves, a jacket or a helmet would have prevented or lessened a particular injury. If it can show that on the evidence, your claim may be reduced for contributory negligence, usually by a percentage. It rarely wipes out a claim, and it can't be assumed: medical opinion about how each injury happened matters. Cyclists face the same argument about helmets. Ask how any percentage was reached.
Buses carry CTP insurance like any registered vehicle, and a pedestrian hit by one generally claims through that policy. Write down the route, the time, which way the bus was heading and the nearest stop. Transport operators commonly have cameras inside and outside their buses, so put a request in writing quickly. CTP Assist on 1300 656 919 can help you identify the insurer if you can't work it out.
Usually, yes. A car reversing out of a bay is a motor vehicle in use, and injuries caused that way are generally within the CTP scheme even though a car park isn't a street. Unusual settings, such as a private, gated area, can raise questions. Ask the centre in writing to hold its camera footage, note the bay number and the vehicle's plate, and get the facts checked if the insurer hesitates.
Where the crash was the truck driver's fault, your injury claim is made to the insurer on the truck's Green Slip, as it would be for a car. You don't claim against the trucking company or the driver personally. Their records still matter, because dashcam footage, telematics and the driver's hours can help show what happened. Lodge on time and mention early that the truck may hold footage, so it can be requested before it's overwritten.
On an e-bike, generally yes: you're usually in the same position as a pedal cyclist, and the claim goes to the car's CTP insurer. On an e-scooter, it's less certain. The scooter has no Green Slip, but the car does, so a claim against the car's insurer may still be possible. Expect questions about where you were riding and the type of device. Make a police report and get advice before accepting a refusal.
Motor vehicle accident lawyer: suburbs near Leppington
Related reading
- How motor accident compensation works in NSW
- Crashes while driving for work
- Gathering medical evidence
- Crash while working? Quick check
- Fractures
- Knee Injury
- Hip Injury
- Pelvic Injury After a Car Accident
- Wrist and Hand Injury
- Motorcycle Accidents in NSW
- Pedestrian Hit by a Car
- Cyclist Hit by a Car
- Rideshare or Taxi Passenger Accident
- CTP claims for motorcyclists
- CTP claims for pedestrians
- CTP claims for cyclists
- CTP claims for rideshare drivers
- Macarthur & Wollondilly: 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.