Being injured changes ordinary days: sleep, work, driving, lifting a child. If a crash near Moorebank did that to you, those changes are the substance of a personal injury claim, and they are easy to forget once you start to recover. Write them down as they happen. When a lawyer is worth talking to, we'll connect you with an independent one experienced in motor accident claims.
Liverpool & Fairfield · Personal injury lawyer help
Before calling a personal injury lawyer: a Moorebank guide
General information about motor accident injury claims in NSW, not legal advice.
Postcode: 2170
- Free claim check, no obligation
- By phone & online, no office to visit
- Helping people in Moorebank & Hammondville
How injury claims work in NSW
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
When an injury changes over time
Injuries rarely follow a straight line. Some improve and then flare. Some that seemed slight at first turn out to be more serious, and some symptoms, like headaches, poor sleep or anxiety, appear weeks later. Record each change as it happens: what's different, when you noticed it, and whether you told your doctor. Dated notes like these are what let a doctor connect a later problem to the crash.
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
Evidence you create as you recover
Memory fades quickly after an injury, especially on days when you're in pain. A few simple records kept from the start save you trying to rebuild, months later, what happened, what it cost and what you couldn't do.
- Copies of every form, email and letter you send the insurer
- Activities you have stopped or cut back on since the crash
- Notes of calls with the insurer: the date, who you spoke to and what was said
- Everyday tasks you now need help with, and who is helping
- A short symptom diary: pain, sleep and mood, a line or two a day
- A dated log of every GP, specialist, physio and hospital visit
General information, not legal advice. Your records support a claim; they don't decide it. Time limits apply.
After a crash near Moorebank: where your records begin
If you would rather describe your injury in another language, such as Vietnamese or Arabic, CTP Assist on 1300 656 919 can arrange an interpreter, so what your doctor writes matches what you mean. Think about the places you go each week, like the Georges River foreshore. 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 Liverpool Hospital and The Sutherland 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.
Moorebank is about 25 km from the Sydney CBD, but claim help shouldn't cost you a trip anywhere. The claim check, and most dealings with a lawyer, can happen by phone and online, which leaves your energy for treatment.
- Region
- Liverpool & Fairfield
- Postcode
- 2170
- Local landmarks
- Georges River foreshore · Moorebank Shopping Village
- Nearest public hospital
- Liverpool Hospital
- Distance to Liverpool
- ~4 km
The medical side of an injury claim
Treatment and care that is reasonable and necessary for your injuries is generally paid for by the insurer, within your benefit periods. The insurer decides each request, and its decisions can be reviewed. Your part is to follow the treatment plan, turn up to the sessions arranged for you, and keep copies of certificates and reports. Gaps in treatment are hard to explain later.
If the insurer arranges its own examination
The insurer may ask you to see a doctor it chooses. Go, be honest, and describe your symptoms as they are on the day. Afterwards, jot down how long it took and what was examined.
Read next:The Certificate of FitnessInsurer medical examinations
How the injury affects work and daily 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.
Don't forget the costs of being injured. Medicines, taxis or parking for treatment, a pillow or brace your physio suggested: keep the receipts, even small ones, in one place. The insurer generally pays for treatment and care that is reasonable and necessary, and receipts are how you show what you've spent along the way.
The first questions a lawyer will ask
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?
- What injuries do you have, and who is treating them?
- Have you signed anything about the accident?
- Were you hurt or unwell in the same area before?
Read next:What to do after a car accident
Choosing a personal injury lawyer
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.
It's fine to speak to more than one lawyer before deciding, and fine to take a day to think. You shouldn't feel pressed to sign on the spot. If we connect you with an independent lawyer after your claim check, you remain free to decide not to go ahead with them.
Read next:Choosing a CTP lawyer
When to get in touch
You can ask for a claim check at any stage, but some moments make it more useful. Soon after the crash, while deadlines are still ahead of you. When an injury isn't improving as expected. When the insurer makes a decision you don't understand. And before you sign anything that would finalise your claim. The check is free, and it tells you whether a lawyer, a doctor or neither is needed.
Read next:What help do I need? Quick check
Do you need a personal injury lawyer?
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
- The insurer says your symptoms come from an old injury, not the crash
- New symptoms have appeared and the insurer doesn't accept they came from the crash
- Your injury isn't improving and you're unsure what that means for your claim
- An offer has arrived and you can't tell whether it reflects your injury
You may not need one
- Your injury is healing well and treatment is being paid for
- You're back to your usual work and routine
- You only need help understanding a form or a certificate
If your injury has changed, or you're not sure your treating team has the full picture, a fresh look can help. We can suggest doctors and allied health who know CTP and the Certificate of Fitness.
Not quite your situation?
- If the injury happened at work, including on the road for work, workers compensation is usually the scheme that applies first, not CTP. After a crash, a CTP damages claim may still be possible. We can point you to the right help. Free claim check
- If you are still working out what kind of claim covers your injury, and what compensation means, the compensation lawyer page starts there. Compensation lawyer in Moorebank
- If your question is how to check a solicitor and what the relationship involves, see the personal injury solicitor page. Personal injury solicitor in Moorebank
- For a serious injury, and how its severity is measured in a claim, the injury compensation lawyer page goes further. Injury compensation lawyer in Moorebank
Free claim check
A free, no-obligation look at your injury claim
Tell us what you've recorded so far and what the insurer has said. A short, free conversation usually makes the next step clearer.
Frequently asked questions
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.
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.
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.
Generally, yes. You can choose your own treating doctor, and many people prefer a GP who already knows their history. What matters is that your GP is willing to complete the Certificate of Fitness, keep it current and describe all your injuries. If your GP would rather not be involved with a CTP claim, we can point you to doctors experienced with these claims.
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.
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 Moorebank
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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.