Being injured changes ordinary days: sleep, work, driving, lifting a child. If a crash near North Turramurra 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.
Upper North Shore & Hornsby · Personal injury lawyer help
North Turramurra: choosing a personal injury lawyer after a crash
General information about motor accident injury claims in NSW, not legal advice.
Postcode: 2074
- Free claim check, no obligation
- By phone & online, no office to visit
- Helping people in North Turramurra & St Ives Chase
After a crash near North Turramurra: where your records begin
If you rode the Old Pacific Highway north of Berowra before the crash and can't now, record it. Activities you have had to give up belong in your diary as much as pain does. Before the crash, getting to Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park may have been nothing. If it is now a task you avoid or need help with, record it with the date. That is exactly the kind of detail a claim relies on. Keep a note of every visit connected with the crash, starting with Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital if you went there. Dates, who you saw and what changed make your records far easier for anyone to follow.
North Turramurra is about 19 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
- Upper North Shore & Hornsby
- Postcode
- 2074
- Local landmarks
- Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park · North Turramurra Golf Course
- Nearest public hospital
- Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital
- Distance to Hornsby
- ~5 km
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
- Your injury may affect your ability to earn for years, not months
- 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
- Forms, certificates and insurer requests are piling up while you recover
You may not need one
- Your claim is accepted and nothing the insurer has decided worries you
- Your injury is healing well and treatment is being paid for
- You mainly need the right doctor or physio, not legal advice
Good treatment and good records go together. Ask us about doctors and allied health familiar with CTP, from GPs who complete the Certificate of Fitness to physiotherapists and psychologists.
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 North Turramurra
- If your question is how to check a solicitor and what the relationship involves, see the personal injury solicitor page. Personal injury solicitor in North Turramurra
- For a serious injury, and how its severity is measured in a claim, the injury compensation lawyer page goes further. Injury compensation lawyer in North Turramurra
Personal injury claims in NSW
'Personal injury' covers harm to your body or mind caused by an event, as opposed to damage to property. After a motor accident in NSW, the claim goes to a CTP insurer, and most injured people can claim statutory benefits whoever was at fault. Injuries at work sit under a separate workers compensation scheme with its own rules, and we can point you to the right help if that is you.
Read next:What a CTP claim is
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
Keep your notes plain and honest, with good days included. An accurate record carries more weight than one that looks as if it was written for the claim.
Read next:Injuries after a car accident
Your GP, your treating team and the notes they keep
Tell every doctor and therapist that the crash caused your injuries, and describe all your symptoms, not just the worst one. It sounds obvious, but a headache or low mood mentioned to nobody won't appear anywhere. Your GP completes the Certificate of Fitness, and the insurer relies on it. Specialist reports and treatment notes then build on that base.
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
Evidence you create as you recover
You don't need to be organised about it, just consistent. A notebook, a folder on your phone and an envelope for receipts cover most of this list. Start with whichever item feels easiest.
- A current list of your medications and doses, updated when they change
- Photos of visible injuries, taken again every week or so as they change
- Everyday tasks you now need help with, and who is helping
- Dates you missed work, and any duties you've had to change or hand over
- Receipts for medicines, treatment, aids and travel to treatment
- 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.
Free claim check
A free, no-obligation look at your injury claim
Free and no obligation. If your case calls for a lawyer, we'll connect you with an independent one experienced in motor accident claims.
Work, home and the things you can't do now
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.
How, who, how serious and when
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.
- Who else was involved, and in which vehicles?
- Has the insurer made any decisions or requests?
- 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
What to look for in 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
Getting help at the right time
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
Frequently asked questions
Yes, if you can. A short daily or weekly note of pain, sleep, mood, what you managed and what you couldn't is one of the most useful records you can have. It helps you describe the injury accurately to doctors, and it gives a lawyer or insurer the detail that memory loses. Keep it honest, include the good days, and date every entry.
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.
Look for experience with NSW motor accident claims specifically, not just personal injury in general. Ask who will run your file day to day, how you'll be kept informed, and what they will need from you. Notice whether they explain things plainly and tell you honestly if your claim may not need a lawyer at all. If we connect you with an independent lawyer, you're free to decide not to go ahead.
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.
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.
Personal injury lawyer: suburbs near North Turramurra
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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.