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Car accident doctor for Berrigan Shire: CTP injury care

Our doctors see people hurt in crashes around Tocumwal, Finley, Barooga and Berrigan by telehealth, with in-person care where appropriate.

Book an appointment(02) 7238 7379

Last updated , 8 min read

An open two-lane country road curving through dry grass and gum trees in regional NSW

Our CTP doctors consult by video right across Berrigan Shire, so you can be seen from a Finley lounge room, the office of a dairy outside Berrigan or a holiday cabin by the river at Tocumwal. That opening appointment looks closely at your injuries, deals with the Certificate of Fitness and builds a care plan that can draw on our physios, psychologists and exercise physiologists. The CTP insurer generally pays for treatment that is reasonable and necessary for your accident injuries; it decides what's approved, and its decisions can be reviewed.

This is flat irrigation country on the NSW bank of the Murray, and its four towns are spread well apart. Berrigan and Finley sit on the Riverina Highway, the Newell runs south from Finley to cross the river at Tocumwal, and Barooga is a river town too. Passenger trains stopped running here long ago, so getting to an appointment means driving, sometimes a long way. Holidaymakers head for the river towns, and Tocumwal's old wartime airfield now draws glider pilots. For anyone nursing a sore neck or back after a crash, telehealth reviews save a lot of time behind the wheel.

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Local road safety

Where people are hurt on the roads in Berrigan Shire

Low light is a feature of crashes in this shire. Transport for NSW crash data for 2020 to 2024 shows that more than one in four of the crashes that caused injury or death happened in darkness, and roughly another one in eight at dawn or dusk, when country roads are harder to read. About one in seven was on a wet road. Tocumwal recorded the most of any town, ahead of Berrigan, Barooga and Finley, and motorcyclists featured in a few. Collisions at open-road speeds between the towns can cause injuries that aren't fully obvious on the day, and soreness can build later. That is why a careful early assessment is worth having, even when you walked away from the car.

Crashes where someone was hurt in Berrigan Shire, 2020 to 2024
YearCrashes where someone was hurtKilledSeriously injuredAll casualtiesAll recorded crashes (including tow-away crashes)
202011031115
2021604912
2022610813
2023810913
20248211212
2020 to 202439484965
Crashes where someone was hurt are police-reported crashes in which at least one person was killed or injured. All casualties counts everyone killed, seriously injured, moderately injured or with minor or other injuries. The last column, for context, also counts crashes where no one was hurt but a vehicle was towed away. Injury severities are as recorded in this police-reported dataset; Transport for NSW's hospital-linked serious injury statistics are a different, higher series.

Roads and streets with the most crashes where someone was hurt

  1. 1.Riverina Highway6 crashes
  2. 2.Newell Highway5 crashes
  3. 3.Racecourse Road2 crashes
  4. 4.Mulwala-Barooga Road2 crashes
  5. 5.Mulwala Road2 crashes

Localities where people were hurt most often

Localities as recorded by Transport for NSW. A crash near the council boundary can carry the name of a locality next door.

  1. 1.Tocumwal12 crashes
  2. 2.Berrigan9 crashes
  3. 3.Barooga7 crashes
  4. 4.Finley6 crashes
  5. 5.Lalalty3 crashes

Road-user mix. Of the 39 crashes where someone was hurt in 2020 to 2024, 3 involved a motorcycle, none a pedestrian, none a bicycle and 5 a heavy vehicle (a crash can involve more than one). Of the 39, 24 happened in speed zones of 90 km/h or more.

Main roads through Berrigan Shire

  • Newell Highway
  • Riverina Highway

Source: Transport for NSW, NSW Road Crash Data 2020 to 2024 (open data). Casualty crashes by LGA of crash. View the dataset (opens in a new tab)

First steps

After a crash in Berrigan Shire: getting checked and recorded

Two cars after a minor collision

If police didn't attend, let them know about the crash and keep a note of the event number. Then get your injuries looked at, even a stiff neck that seems minor, so they're on record from the start. Our doctors can do that by telehealth, whether you're in Barooga or out on a farm near Finley. Get the other driver's name and photograph their plate. Your CTP claim is made with the insurer of the vehicle that caused the crash, and the Certificate of Fitness from your first consultation forms part of it.

  1. Get safe, then get help

    Call 000 if anyone is seriously hurt or in danger. For police attendance when it isn't an emergency, the Police Assistance Line is 131 444.

  2. Report it and keep the event number

    Report the crash to police if anyone was hurt, a driver left the scene or a car was towed. Keep the event number: the claim form asks for it.

  3. Swap details and take photos

    Get names, phone numbers, licence details and registration plates from every driver, and witnesses' details before they leave. Photograph the scene when it's safe.

  4. See a doctor early

    Ideally within a day or two, even if you feel fine. Pain often builds over the following days. An early appointment records your injuries and starts your Certificate of Fitness.

  5. Which CTP insurer handles your claim

    You claim with the CTP (green slip) insurer of the vehicle most at fault, worked out from its registration. If that vehicle can't be identified, the claim may go to the Nominal Defendant.

  6. Lodge the claim form

    The form is the Application for Personal Injury Benefits, backed by your Certificate of Fitness. Our step-by-step lodging guide walks through it.

Time limits

A claim served within 28 days of the accident can have benefits backdated to the accident date. A common reference point for lodging is three months from the accident. Your circumstances can change the dates, so confirm yours with SIRA or a solicitor.

CTP injury care

Car accident injury care for Berrigan Shire: your first appointment

A doctor with a tablet talking with a patient seated on an examination bench

The crash pattern here shapes what our doctors look for. High-speed collisions on the Newell between Finley and Tocumwal, or on the Riverina Highway out of Berrigan, can cause neck and back injuries, fractures and head knocks. Intersection crashes in the towns often bring whiplash-type injuries from side or rear impacts. The data includes a few motorcycle crashes too, and riders need shoulders, wrists, hands and knees checked with care. An early assessment, written up properly, gives the insurer a clear record linking your injuries to the crash. A first video call from Barooga or a Finley farmhouse covers your history, an examination, the Certificate of Fitness, a care plan and notes the insurer can use. If a hands-on examination or imaging is needed, we'll explain the options for arranging it closer to home. If your claim runs into a dispute, we can point you to independent legal help.

Our CTP doctors see people injured in motor vehicle accidents across NSW. The first appointment does four jobs, and each one feeds the claim:

  1. A proper assessment

    The doctor takes a history of the crash, examines you and records a diagnosis for each injured area, including the ones that seem minor today.

  2. Your Certificate of Fitness

    The main medical document in a NSW CTP claim. It records your injuries, your capacity for work and what you can and can't do. The first one must come from a medical practitioner, and each one generally covers up to 28 days, so it's renewed as you recover. See what a Certificate of Fitness should include.

  3. A treatment plan

    What you need next, such as physiotherapy, psychology or exercise physiology, with clear reasons the insurer can act on.

  4. The records the insurer asks for

    Dated notes, referrals and reports that link your symptoms to the crash. Insurer decisions lean on them, so they need to be specific.

More detail: the CTP medical assessment, and physiotherapy, psychology and exercise physiology under CTP.

CTP injury care

Common injuries after crashes in Berrigan Shire

Every crash is different, but some injuries come up again and again after car crashes. Many don't show their full extent on the day:

Our guide to car accident injuries and their symptoms covers the warning signs.

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CTP benefits

What CTP pays for, and weekly payments

Approved treatment is generally arranged through the CTP scheme rather than paid by you directly. Depending on your injuries, it can include:

  • Appointments with our CTP doctors, and specialist care where it's needed.
  • Physiotherapy, psychology and exercise physiology with our allied health team.
  • X-rays, scans and other imaging when they're clinically justified.
  • Medication prescribed for your accident injuries.
  • Reasonable travel to approved treatment, where the insurer agrees. Check its process first.

If your injuries stop you working, or cut your hours, weekly payments may be paid where the scheme rules allow. The amount is based on your pre-accident earnings, it steps down at set points, and there's a cap. Your Certificate of Fitness records your capacity for work, so keep it current. Being mostly at fault, or having an injury classified as minor, shortens how long some benefits run. See CTP weekly payments, minor vs non-minor injury and CTP benefits in NSW.

Booking

Telehealth or in person: how to book

A woman at home on a video consultation, a clinician visible on her laptop screen

Distances in Berrigan Shire can be long, and a sore neck or back makes every kilometre feel longer. Telehealth means you can see one of our CTP doctors from home. Where an in-person examination is needed, we'll talk through the options when you book.

  1. Book online or call

    Use the booking form or call (02) 7238 7379.

  2. We confirm by phone

    We call to confirm the time, whether it's telehealth or in person, and what to bring.

  3. Bring what you have

    Photo ID, the police event number, a claim number if you already have one, any scans or hospital letters, and a list of your medications.

New to telehealth? Here's what to expect from a telehealth CTP appointment.

Around the area

Suburbs and towns across Berrigan Shire

These are some of the suburbs and towns in Berrigan Shire. We see people from all of them.

  • Tocumwal
  • Finley
  • Barooga
  • Berrigan

Neighbouring council areas: Federation, Murrumbidgee, Edward River, Murray River. The council area also borders Victoria.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

About the area

Last checked:

General information, not legal advice. CTP Doctor is a medical clinic, not a law firm or an insurer, and this page isn't medical advice for your situation. For the scheme rules, see SIRA.

A doctor talking through next steps with an older patient at her desk

Next step

See a CTP doctor after a crash in Berrigan Shire

Often seen within the week. Telehealth across NSW, or in person where appropriate. No claim number needed to start.

Book an appointment(02) 7238 7379
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