Hurt as a passenger on a bus, in a taxi or in a rideshare car? Knocked down on foot, or doored on a bike? For people in Surry Hills, these are motor accidents in most cases, and the claim goes to a CTP insurer. We help you confirm it, point you to the right insurer, and tell you whether you need a lawyer at all.
Sydney CBD & inner city · Motor vehicle accident claims
Surry Hills motor vehicle accident lawyer: does CTP cover you?
Came off, knocked down or hurt as a passenger? Start with whether it counts as a motor accident.
Postcode: 2010
- Free claim check, no obligation
- By phone & online, no office to visit
- Helping people in Surry Hills & Darlinghurst
Which crashes count as a motor accident
Generally, the CTP scheme covers injuries caused by the use or operation of a registered motor vehicle in NSW. Most crashes involving one are covered, whoever you were. The edge cases are technical, so if yours sits in the right-hand column, ask before ruling anything out.
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.
Riding, walking and cycling around Surry Hills
Cyclists use the separated city cycleways but still share busy streets with buses, taxis and delivery trucks. If a vehicle turned across you or a door opened into your path, it's usually a motor accident claim. With Central station, the CBD and South East Light Rail, and bus stops on Crown Street and Cleveland Street 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. Riders and cyclists share Cleveland Street, Crown Street and Elizabeth Street with cars and heavy vehicles. If a vehicle forced you off or turned across you, you may have a claim against its insurer even without contact.
Around Prince Alfred Park, 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
- Sydney CBD & inner city
- Postcode
- 2010
- Getting around
- Central station · CBD and South East Light Rail
- Main roads
- Cleveland Street · Crown Street
- Local landmarks
- Prince Alfred Park · Belvoir St Theatre
- Nearest public hospital
- St Vincent's 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.
Free claim check
Riders, walkers, passengers: free check
Tell us how you were travelling and what happened. We'll say whether it looks like a motor accident claim and who can help.
Bike riders and the CTP scheme
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.
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.
Read next:Cyclist accident claims
Riders: solo crashes, gear and lane position
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
Trucks and heavy vehicles
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.
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.
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
Evidence that matters for riders, cyclists and pedestrians
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.
- Helmet, handlebar or dashcam footage, saved as the original file
- The vehicle's registration, company name or route number
- Your damaged helmet and gear, kept unrepaired
- Names and numbers of witnesses who stopped
Read next:At-fault self-check
A motor accident lawyer: when it's worth a call
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
- The crash happened near a state border and the scheme is unclear
- You were hurt getting into or out of a vehicle and the insurer disputes cover
- Cover is disputed because you were riding an e-bike or e-scooter
You may not need one
- Your injuries are healing and treatment is being approved
- The crash clearly involved a registered vehicle and nobody disputes cover
- 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 Surry Hills
- 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 Surry Hills
- 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 Surry Hills
Frequently asked questions
In most cases, yes. The door belongs to a parked motor vehicle, and opening it is treated as part of using that vehicle, so your injury claim is made to its CTP insurer. That holds whether the person who opened it was the driver or a passenger. Before they leave, take the car's registration and their name, and photograph the door, your bike and where you came down. If the insurer questions cover, ask for advice.
A child who was 16 or under at the time can get the treatment and care they need for as long as they need it, and that doesn't depend on fault, even if they ran onto the road. A parent or guardian usually lodges the claim with the car's CTP insurer. Other entitlements may depend on fault and the injury. Keep school and medical records together, as some effects only become clear over time.
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.
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.
You may be able to. Contact isn't what decides it. If the way another vehicle was driven caused you to crash, for example by pulling out or cutting across your line, you may have a claim against that vehicle's CTP insurer. The difficulty is proof. Look for witnesses, helmet-camera or dashcam footage and any part of the registration. Write down where the vehicle came from and what it did while it's fresh.
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.
Motor vehicle accident lawyer: suburbs near Surry Hills
Related reading
- How motor accident compensation works in NSW
- Gathering medical evidence
- Crashes while driving for work
- Rideshare accidents and CTP
- 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
- Sydney CBD & inner city: area guide
- CTP Lawyer Help in Sydney
Ready to talk it through?
Get a free, no-obligation claim check. It's the first step toward understanding where your claim stands and what help it needs.
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.