Being injured changes ordinary days: sleep, work, driving, lifting a child. If a crash near Strathfield 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.
Inner West · Personal injury lawyer help
Injured near Strathfield? Personal injury lawyer basics
General information about motor accident injury claims in NSW, not legal advice.
Postcode: 2135
- Free claim check, no obligation
- By phone & online, no office to visit
- Helping people in Strathfield & Strathfield South
Getting treatment and keeping records from Strathfield
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Concord Repatriation General Hospital and Canterbury Hospital serve the Inner West. Whichever one saw you, keep the paperwork, and tell your GP about symptoms that started afterwards. Everyday places around Strathfield, such as Strathfield Plaza, Strathfield Park and Strathfield Square, are a useful measure of how an injury has changed things. If a trip there now takes planning, rest breaks or a lift from someone, write it down. Strathfield is about 12 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
- Inner West
- Postcode
- 2135
- Local landmarks
- Strathfield Plaza · Strathfield Park
- Nearest public hospital
- Concord Repatriation General Hospital
- From the Sydney CBD
- ~12 km
Your injury and legal help: where do you sit?
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
- New symptoms have appeared and the insurer doesn't accept they came from the crash
- An offer has arrived and you can't tell whether it reflects your injury
- The insurer says your symptoms come from an old injury, not the crash
- You've been asked to see the insurer's doctor and you're worried about the result
You may not need one
- You mainly need the right doctor or physio, not legal advice
- Your question is a general one that CTP Assist can answer
- Your injury is healing well and treatment is being paid for
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 are still working out what kind of claim covers your injury, and what compensation means, the compensation lawyer page starts there. Compensation lawyer in Strathfield
- The personal injury solicitor page covers how to check a solicitor's credentials and how the working relationship generally goes. Personal injury solicitor in Strathfield
- If your injury is serious or may be permanent, the injury compensation lawyer page explains what that means for compensation. Injury compensation lawyer in Strathfield
How injury claims work in NSW
People search for a personal injury lawyer after all sorts of accidents, but the rules depend on the kind of accident. For a motor vehicle crash in NSW, the claim is made to a CTP insurer, and the scheme sets what can be paid and when. That is our focus. The guidance below is about looking after yourself and your records, which matter whichever way a claim goes.
Read next:What a CTP claim is
The medical side of an injury claim
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
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
Choosing a personal injury lawyer
Choosing a lawyer is less about the name on the letterhead and more about who will actually run your file. Ask whether the person you meet will handle it day to day, or pass it to a colleague. Either can work well. What matters is knowing who to call, and that they know your injury and your dates.
Ask how progress will be reported before you commit: by phone, by email, or with a regular check-in. Injury claims often have long quiet stretches while medical evidence is gathered, and a lawyer who warns you about that up front is being straight with you. Vague promises of constant contact are less useful than an honest description of how the file will run.
Read next:Choosing a CTP lawyer
Evidence you create as you recover
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.
- A dated log of every GP, specialist, physio and hospital visit
- Copies of every form, email and letter you send the insurer
- A short symptom diary: pain, sleep and mood, a line or two a day
- Receipts for medicines, treatment, aids and travel to treatment
- Notes of calls with the insurer: the date, who you spoke to and what was said
- A current list of your medications and doses, updated when they change
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
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
If you've missed paid work, keep a list of the dates and any leave you used. If you went back on lighter duties or fewer hours, write down what changed and who agreed to it. Your doctor records your capacity for work on the Certificate of Fitness, but your own notes add the detail a certificate can't hold.
Self-employed or working casually? Your records matter even more, because there may be no payslip showing what you've lost. Keep invoices, the jobs you turned down and any work you handed to someone else. Working out lost earnings is the insurer's job, and a lawyer's if it's disputed, but both will need your records to do it.
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?
- What injuries do you have, and who is treating them?
- Has the insurer made any decisions or requests?
- How is the injury affecting your work and home life?
Read next:What to do after a car accident
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
When it's worth asking for help
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It can. Insurers may look at public posts, and a photo of you at a family barbecue can be misread even if you paid for it with a bad night afterwards. You don't have to go silent, but it's sensible to check your privacy settings, avoid posting about the accident or the claim, and think about how a post might look to someone who doesn't know you. If in doubt, leave it off.
Personal injury lawyer: suburbs near Strathfield
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.