A personal injury claim is, at heart, a record of how an injury has affected one person's life. If that person is you, and you were hurt in a crash near Canterbury, the record starts with your GP, your treatment and the notes you keep yourself. We look at where your motor accident claim is up to, for free, and connect you with an independent lawyer if the case calls for one.
Canterbury-Bankstown · Personal injury lawyer help
Injured near Canterbury? Personal injury lawyer basics
The notes you keep now often count for more than anything you try to remember later.
Postcode: 2193
- Free claim check, no obligation
- By phone & online, no office to visit
- Helping people in Canterbury & Hurlstone Park
After a crash near Canterbury: where your records begin
If it's easier to explain how you feel in a language other than English, CTP Assist on 1300 656 919 can arrange an interpreter. Clear descriptions to your doctor lead to clearer records. Think about the places you go each week, like the Cooks River. Note what has become harder since the crash, and roughly when it started. A lawyer or doctor can use those notes; memory rarely holds them for long. Hospitals serving the area include Canterbury Hospital. Whichever one saw you, note the date, what you were told and any follow-up it suggested. Then take that to your GP within days, not weeks.
Being some distance from Burwood doesn't narrow your options. From Canterbury, the claim check happens by phone and online, so your energy can go into treatment rather than travel.
- Region
- Canterbury-Bankstown
- Postcode
- 2193
- Local landmarks
- Cooks River · Canterbury Racecourse
- Nearest public hospital
- Canterbury Hospital
- Distance to Burwood
- ~4 km
Is it time to talk to a lawyer about your injury?
Most people hurt in a motor accident spend far more time with doctors than with lawyers, and many never need a lawyer at all. These lists show where legal help tends to matter for an injury claim.
Often worth talking to a lawyer
- Your injury may affect your ability to earn for years, not months
- Forms, certificates and insurer requests are piling up while you recover
- You've been asked to see the insurer's doctor and you're worried about the result
- New symptoms have appeared and the insurer doesn't accept they came from the crash
You may not need one
- Your claim is accepted and nothing the insurer has decided worries you
- Your question is a general one that CTP Assist can answer
- Your symptoms have settled and you expect no lasting effects
Recovery comes first. If you haven't found a GP who understands CTP claims, including the Certificate of Fitness, we can point you to doctors and allied health experienced with motor accident injuries.
Not quite your situation?
- Hurt at work, or in a crash while you were working? That is usually a workers compensation claim first, which is a different scheme from CTP. Tell us what happened and we can point you to the right help. Free claim check
- If you're not yet sure which kind of claim you have, or what the word compensation covers, the compensation lawyer page is a better first stop. Compensation lawyer in Canterbury
- If your question is how to check a solicitor and what the relationship involves, see the personal injury solicitor page. Personal injury solicitor in Canterbury
- For a serious injury, and how its severity is measured in a claim, the injury compensation lawyer page goes further. Injury compensation lawyer in Canterbury
What 'personal injury' means for a claim
In NSW, compensation for an injury usually runs through a scheme rather than a simple lawsuit, and which scheme depends on how you were hurt. If the injury came from a motor accident on or after 1 December 2017, it is generally claimed through CTP insurance under the Motor Accident Injuries Act 2017. That is the kind of claim we help with, whether you were driving, a passenger, riding, cycling or on foot.
Read next:What a CTP claim is
The medical side of an injury claim
Medical records are the backbone of an injury claim. In NSW CTP claims your doctor completes a Certificate of Fitness, which records your injuries and your capacity for work. Keep each one, check it lists all your injuries, and arrange your next visit before the current certificate runs out. If something is missing, raise it with your doctor rather than the insurer.
If the insurer arranges its own examination
An examination with a doctor the insurer picks is generally worth attending. Describe your symptoms accurately, then make a short note of what happened while it is fresh.
Read next:The Certificate of FitnessInsurer medical examinations
Recording the effect on your everyday life
The effect of an injury on your life is a large part of any claim, and it's often the least recorded. Time off shows up in payslips. What doesn't show up is the lifting you now avoid, the shifts you swapped, the sport you stopped, or the help you need with children or shopping. Note these as they happen, with dates, in plain words.
If family or friends are helping with things you used to do, like cooking, cleaning, driving or caring for children, write down who helps, with what and how often. Unpaid help from family generally isn't something CTP damages pay for, but the record still shows how much the injury has changed your days. Paid care is a separate treatment and care question for the insurer.
What to write down, photograph and keep
These are records only you can make, and they are easiest to make as things happen. None of them proves a claim on its own. Together they show how the injury has affected you, which is what a doctor, an insurer or a lawyer needs to understand.
- Everyday tasks you now need help with, and who is helping
- A dated log of every GP, specialist, physio and hospital visit
- Photos of visible injuries, taken again every week or so as they change
- Copies of every form, email and letter you send the insurer
- A current list of your medications and doses, updated when they change
- Dates you missed work, and any duties you've had to change or hand over
General information, not legal advice. Your records support a claim; they don't decide it. Time limits apply.
Free claim check
Hurt in a crash? Check where your claim stands
Tell us about your injury and where your claim is up to. We'll say whether a lawyer, a doctor or neither would help.
When an injury changes over time
If your injury changes, your records should change with it. A symptom diary that stops after a fortnight can suggest you recovered, even if you didn't. Keep it going, even at a line or two, until your treating doctor says things have settled. What a change means for your claim is a separate question, and someone can answer it once the change is written down.
Don't tidy up your records
Write what actually happened, including the good days. A diary that records only bad days is less convincing than an honest one, and harder to rely on later.
Read next:Injuries after a car accident
How to choose a lawyer if you need one
If you decide you need a lawyer, look for experience with NSW motor accident claims in particular. Personal injury covers many schemes, and the CTP rules on benefits, thresholds and deadlines are a world of their own. Ask how much of the lawyer's current work is motor accident claims, and how far those claims usually go. A clear, specific answer is a good sign.
Notice how a lawyer treats you before you sign anything. Did they listen to your account, or jump to conclusions? Did they explain what they don't know yet? Did they mention that some claims don't need a lawyer at all? Early signs like these tell you a lot about the working relationship ahead.
Read next:Choosing a CTP lawyer
What a personal injury lawyer needs to know first
Most first conversations with a personal injury lawyer cover the same ground. How did the accident happen? Who else was involved? How serious is the injury, and what treatment have you had? And when did it happen, because dates drive the deadlines. You don't need perfect answers. Honest, approximate ones, backed by whatever notes you have, are enough to start.
- When and where did it happen?
- Who else was involved, and in which vehicles?
- How is the injury affecting your work and home life?
- Have you signed anything about the accident?
Read next:What to do after a car accident
When to get in touch
Earlier is usually easier. A claim lodged within 28 days of the accident can have weekly payments back-paid to the day after it, and some insurer decisions have short windows for review. If you're unsure about anything, from which form to fill in to whether your injury is being taken seriously, a free claim check is a low-effort way to see where you stand.
Read next:What help do I need? Quick check
Frequently asked questions
Age doesn't stop you claiming. Older people can take longer to recover, and a crash can aggravate existing conditions such as arthritis, which makes clear medical records especially important. Weekly payments are based on what you were earning before the accident, so they may not apply if you weren't working, but treatment and care can generally still be claimed. Rules can vary with circumstances, so check your own situation.
It's a lawyer whose work is claims for people who have been hurt. The label covers a lot of ground, from road accidents to falls. After a NSW motor accident, the relevant work is a CTP claim, and what the lawyer does depends on the stage: sometimes a single piece of advice, sometimes running the whole claim. Many CTP claims never need one, and the claim check tells you whether yours does.
When you claim, you'll generally be asked to authorise the insurer to obtain medical information relevant to your injuries. That can include records from before the accident if they bear on the same part of the body or on your capacity to work. Read any authority before signing it, and ask the insurer what it covers if you're unsure. A lawyer can check whether a request goes further than it should.
Photos help, particularly for bruising, cuts, swelling, scars and anything that changes as it heals. Take them soon after the accident and again every week or so, with the date recorded. Keep the originals on your phone or computer rather than edited copies. Photos of aids you now use, like a brace or crutches, can help too. They support your medical records; they don't replace them.
In some claims, insurers do use surveillance, generally where a lot is at stake or something in the claim doesn't add up to them. It is lawful within limits. The simplest protection is accuracy: tell your doctors and the insurer what you can and can't do, including the good days. If your records match how you actually live, footage has little to show.
Whenever suits you, but earlier helps. A claim lodged within 28 days can have weekly payments back-paid to the day after the accident. Contact also helps when something changes, such as a new symptom, a refused treatment request or an offer you're unsure about. There is no charge for the claim check, and no obligation afterwards. If you only need a doctor or some reassurance, we'll say so.
Personal injury lawyer: suburbs near Canterbury
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.