See a CTP doctor after a crash on roads around Hornsby, by telehealth or in person, starting with your Certificate of Fitness.
Upper North Shore
Car accident doctor for the Hornsby Shire: CTP injury care
Last updated , 9 min read
After a crash anywhere between Mount Kuring-gai and North Epping, one of our CTP doctors can assess you on video or face to face, complete the Certificate of Fitness for your claim and start planning treatment. Physio, psychology and exercise physiology follow where they suit your injuries. We also explain how CTP funds treatment, what the insurer decides and how its decisions can be reviewed. A crash on the M1 near Cowan and a bump outside Hornsby station start the same way, with a consultation that records what happened to you.
Pennant Hills Road and the Pacific Highway carry heavy commuter and freight traffic through the south of the shire, and stop-start conditions like these tend to produce rear-end crashes and whiplash-type neck and back pain. Beyond Hornsby, the M1 runs at motorway speed through bushland past Mount Kuring-gai and Berowra. That spread of roads means injuries range from soft-tissue strains to more serious harm. Telehealth suits people in Brooklyn, Arcadia or Berowra Heights who'd rather not travel while sore, and an in-person consultation can be arranged where an examination is needed.
On this page8 sections
Local road safety
Where people are hurt on the roads in the Hornsby Shire
Crash figures from Transport for NSW for 2020 to 2024 count a little over 1,000 people hurt or killed in crashes on Hornsby Shire roads, from the motorway at Mount Kuring-gai to the quiet streets of Beecroft. About one in six of those crashes involved a motorcyclist, a notable share. Pedestrians, cyclists and heavy vehicles appear in smaller numbers. Crashes recur most on the Pacific Highway, then the M1 and Pennant Hills Road, which the data records as the Cumberland Highway. Cowan, on the motorway's bushland run north of Berowra, is the locality with the highest count. Around one in five crashes happened on a wet road, and almost two in five at an intersection.
| Year | Crashes where someone was hurt | Killed | Seriously injured | All casualties | All recorded crashes (including tow-away crashes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 145 | 3 | 50 | 182 | 228 |
| 2021 | 161 | 0 | 65 | 208 | 245 |
| 2022 | 168 | 0 | 77 | 208 | 275 |
| 2023 | 181 | 8 | 85 | 222 | 266 |
| 2024 | 191 | 4 | 84 | 245 | 281 |
| 2020 to 2024 | 846 | 15 | 361 | 1,065 | 1,295 |
Roads and streets with the most crashes where someone was hurt
- 1.Pacific Highway151 crashes
- 2.M1 Pacific Motorway (Sydney to Newcastle)138 crashes
- 3.Cumberland Highway100 crashes
- 4.Old Northern Road45 crashes
- 5.Beecroft Road38 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.Cowan144 crashes
- 2.Hornsby96 crashes
- 3.Pennant Hills61 crashes
- 4.Cherrybrook54 crashes
- 5.Beecroft51 crashes
Road-user mix. Of the 846 crashes where someone was hurt in 2020 to 2024, 17% involved a motorcycle, 7% a pedestrian, 5% a bicycle and 5% a heavy vehicle (a crash can involve more than one). Crashes in speed zones of 90 km/h or more made up 18% of the total.
Main roads through the Hornsby Shire
- Pacific Motorway (M1)
- Pacific Highway
- Pennant Hills Road
- NorthConnex (M11)
- M2 Hills Motorway
- New Line Road
- Galston Road
- Old Northern Road
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 the Hornsby Shire: getting checked and recorded
Look after your safety first, then swap details with the other driver, including the registration number. If police didn't come out, report the crash to them so you have an event number. Get your injuries checked and written down early, even if the soreness seems mild, because neck and back pain after a jolt on Pennant Hills Road or the M1 can take time to show. One of our doctors can take that first look by video from home in Normanhurst or Asquith. Whichever insurer holds the CTP cover on the car that caused the crash handles your claim.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 the Hornsby Shire: your first appointment
Early, well-documented care matters for anyone hurt on the shire's roads, from the motorway north of Hornsby to the suburban streets of Cheltenham and Normanhurst. The insurer works from medical records, so a clear account of your injuries from the start supports your claim and helps us plan your care. At your first visit, our doctors examine you, complete the Certificate of Fitness, set out your treatment and write up the records the insurer relies on, adding our physios or psychologists when needed. Because Hornsby is part of metro Sydney, you can choose telehealth from home or an in-person consultation where that suits. The road-user mix in the crash data points to common patterns: neck and back strain from rear-end crashes in Pacific Highway and Pennant Hills Road traffic, and fractures, shoulder and knee injuries among motorcyclists. 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:
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.
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.
A treatment plan
What you need next, such as physiotherapy, psychology or exercise physiology, with clear reasons the insurer can act on.
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 the Hornsby 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:
- Whiplash and other neck injuries, common after rear-end collisions.
- Back injuries and other soft-tissue injuries: sprains and strains that stiffen over the following days.
- Fractures: most are obvious, but some in the wrist, foot or ribs are subtle and need imaging to confirm.
- Concussion and headaches, which can happen without a direct blow to the head.
- Psychological injury, such as anxiety about driving, poor sleep or flashbacks.
Our guide to car accident injuries and their symptoms covers the warning signs.
The road-user mix above shows who else gets hurt on the roads in the Hornsby Shire. Each of these groups has its own injury pattern:
Motorcycles
Riders have little protection, so fractures and wrist, knee and ankle injuries are more common. See motorcycle accidents in NSW.
Pedestrians
A person struck by a vehicle can have leg, pelvic and head injuries, often more than one at once. See pedestrian hit by a car.
Heavy vehicles
Crashes with trucks involve more force, so injuries tend to be more serious, and the shock can linger. See psychological injury.
Bicycles
Cyclists often land on a shoulder, wrist or hip. See shoulder injuries and cyclist hit by a car.
Been in an accident?
Book an appointment with one of our CTP doctors. We coordinate your care and handle the paperwork.
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Book an AppointmentCTP benefits
What CTP pays for, and weekly payments
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. 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
We see people from the Hornsby Shire by telehealth, which suits many appointments, or in person where that's clinically appropriate. Tell us what's easiest when you book, especially if you're not driving yet or getting around is hard.
Book online or call
Use the booking form or call (02) 7238 7379.
We confirm by phone
We call to confirm the time, whether it's telehealth or in person, and what to bring.
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 the Hornsby Shire
These are some of the suburbs and towns in the Hornsby Shire. We see people from all of them. Where we have a local page, the name is linked.
Across the wider area: Car accident doctors across Sydney
Neighbouring council areas: The Hills, Central Coast, Ku-ring-gai, Ryde, Parramatta, Northern Beaches.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, it's worth being checked. Whiplash-type pain often builds after a rear-end crash rather than showing at the scene. One of our doctors can assess you, record the injury, and issue a Certificate of Fitness for your CTP claim if it's needed. Getting it documented early also gives the insurer a clear picture of how the injury started.
Yes. Our doctors offer telehealth consultations across NSW, which suits people along the river at Brooklyn or in Cowan and Berowra. A telehealth appointment can cover the assessment, the Certificate of Fitness and your treatment plan. If an in-person examination is needed, we'll talk through the options with you.
The CTP insurer generally pays for treatment that is reasonable and necessary for your accident injuries, and that can include physiotherapy. It decides what's approved, and you can ask for its decisions to be reviewed. Our doctors write the treatment plan and records the insurer looks at, and our physios can work with you once treatment is approved. Who was at fault can also affect what is paid.
No. You can book before you've lodged a claim. The Certificate of Fitness from your first appointment is one of the documents your claim needs, so the appointment often comes first.
Sources
- Transport for NSW: NSW Road Crash Data (open data) (opens in a new tab)
- SIRA: Motor accidents and CTP (green slip) information (opens in a new tab)
- SIRA: Certificates of fitness for motor crash injuries (opens in a new tab)
- SIRA: What you can claim, medical expenses (opens in a new tab)
- NSW Legislation: Motor Accident Injuries Act 2017 (opens in a new tab)
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.
Keep reading
Guides for every stage of a CTP claim
CTP claims
Who can claim, how to lodge, and what happens after — in plain English.
Read the guide
CTP treatment
Our doctors assess you, write the Certificate of Fitness and plan the rest of your care.
Read the guide
Car accident injuries
What's common, what can show up days later, and when to get checked.
Read the guide
CTP benefits
The kinds of support the scheme provides, and what they depend on.
Read the guide
Legal help & disputes
When the claim gets difficult — and how to get independent legal advice.
Read the guide
Next step
See a CTP doctor after a crash in the Hornsby Shire
Often seen within the week. Telehealth across NSW, or in person where appropriate. No claim number needed to start.