A motor accident claim in NSW turns on a motor vehicle, not on what you were riding or where you were walking. If a car, truck, bus or motorbike played a part in how you were hurt near North St Marys, you may have a claim even though you weren't driving. The edge cases are technical, so our free check starts there before anything else.
Penrith & the Nepean · Motor vehicle accident claims
Not in a car? A motor accident lawyer for North St Marys
Most crashes involving a registered motor vehicle are covered. The edge cases are where advice helps.
Postcode: 2760
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- Helping people in North St Marys & Tregear
Is it a motor accident? A quick guide
Whether you can make a motor accident claim depends on whether a motor vehicle was involved in how you were hurt, not on whether you were driving. Use the two lists as a rough guide. The details decide the harder cases.
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.
Getting around North St Marys on two wheels, on foot or by bus
Freight and construction traffic around the Western Sydney International Airport site at Badgerys Creek uses The Northern Road and Elizabeth Drive. A crash with a heavy vehicle there runs through the truck's CTP insurer. Near St Marys 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 Christie Street 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.
If you were hurt near the St Marys town centre, ask nearby businesses, and the venue if there is one, to keep camera footage. It's often kept only briefly, and it can show how a vehicle and a person on foot or on a bike met.
- Region
- Penrith & the Nepean
- Postcode
- 2760
- Getting around
- St Marys station
- Main roads
- Christie Street · Forrester Road
- Local landmarks
- St Marys town centre
- Nearest public hospital
- Mount Druitt 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?
Where you were matters too. Crashes on public roads are the core of the scheme, but a car park open to the public or a driveway can also be covered, depending on how the vehicle was being used. A crash at a racetrack, or on private land with an unregistered vehicle, usually isn't. When the setting is unusual, get it checked before assuming either way.
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
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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 you were on foot
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.
For an older person, being knocked down by a vehicle can mean weeks away from home and help with everyday tasks afterwards. Record what support they now need, from shopping to personal care. Age doesn't affect the right to claim, and a family member can help manage the claim if the injured person agrees.
Read next:Pedestrian accident claims
Crashes with trucks: what's different
When a truck is to blame, the injury claim is made to that truck's CTP insurer. Nothing about the scheme or its time limits changes because the vehicle was a heavy one. What can differ is the evidence. Many trucks carry forward-facing cameras, some record location and speed, and heavy-vehicle drivers may keep work diaries. None of it will necessarily exist, and it may not be kept for long.
Interstate trucks are a constant presence on the Hume, Pacific and Newell highways. A crash with one in NSW is generally still handled under the NSW scheme, though identifying the insurer can take longer. Make sure the claim records the truck's home state and the precise location, so the paperwork doesn't stall.
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
What to keep, depending on how you were travelling
For crashes involving trucks, buses and rideshare cars, the operator may hold records you don't: onboard cameras, telematics, trip logs and driver hours. They aren't kept forever. Note the company, the route or fleet number and the time, and ask early. For passengers, a trip receipt or card record shows you were on board.
- The vehicle's registration, company name or route number
- Photos of the crossing, lane markings or bike lane
- A screenshot of the rideshare or delivery trip
- Names and numbers of witnesses who stopped
Read next:At-fault self-check
Do you need a lawyer after a motor accident?
Whether you need a lawyer depends on how clear your situation is. A pedestrian hit by an identified car usually has a straightforward path. An e-scooter crash, a delivery job or a truck with several parties can be harder.
Often worth talking to a lawyer
- Your injuries include fractures, a head injury or nerve damage
- Cover is disputed because you were riding an e-bike or e-scooter
- You were hurt getting into or out of a vehicle and the insurer disputes cover
- A driver forced you off the road without contact and denies it
You may not need one
- The crash clearly involved a registered vehicle and nobody disputes cover
- A pedestrian claim against an identified car is progressing smoothly
- You were a bus or rideshare passenger and the insurer has accepted the claim
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 driving or a passenger in a car and the question is who caused the crash, the car accident lawyer page fits better. Car accident lawyer in North St Marys
- If the vehicle that hit you drove off or had no insurance, or you aren't sure what claim this is, start with the car accident claim page. Car accident claim in North St Marys
- If your real question is whether you need a lawyer at all for a CTP claim, the CTP lawyer page answers that directly. CTP lawyer in North St Marys
Frequently asked questions
Generally, yes. For a crash that happened in NSW, the NSW scheme usually applies, even when the vehicle is registered elsewhere. Identifying the right insurer can take a little longer, so give the insurer or CTP Assist the truck's plate, its state of registration, any company name and the exact location. Don't wait for that to be sorted before lodging, because the usual time limits still run from the date of the crash.
Often it's CTP. Rideshare platforms commonly treat drivers as independent contractors, not employees. On that footing you claim like any other injured driver: benefits through the Green Slip of the vehicle at fault, which is your own car's if you caused the crash, and a possible damages claim where another driver was to blame. If your arrangement actually makes you an employee, the position may be different, so have it checked.
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.
It usually starts as a workers compensation claim. When a crash happens while you're driving for your employer, you generally claim through the employer's insurer first, and CTP weekly payments and treatment aren't generally paid where workers compensation applies. A separate damages claim against an at-fault driver's CTP insurer may still be open. If you own your truck or work as a contractor, the answer may be different, so have your arrangements checked early.
It depends which vehicle was to blame. When the rider carrying you caused the crash, the claim goes to the Green Slip insurer of that motorbike. When a car or truck caused it, the claim goes to that vehicle's insurer instead. You weren't in control of the bike, so fault is rarely argued against you, though protective gear can occasionally come up. Your claim is against the insurer, not against the rider, even if they're your partner.
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 North St Marys
Related reading
- How motor accident compensation works in NSW
- Rideshare accidents and CTP
- 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
- Penrith & the Nepean: 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.