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Mid North Coast

Car accident doctor for the Mid-Coast region: CTP injury care

Car accident injuries assessed and documented for people across the Mid-Coast, by telehealth from Hawks Nest to Harrington and in person where appropriate.

Book an appointment(02) 7238 7379

Last updated , 9 min read

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

Our doctors see people hurt in crashes right across the MidCoast Council area, mostly by telehealth, so getting care doesn't hinge on a long drive from Gloucester or Bulahdelah. At your first visit we examine and document every injury from the crash, whether it happened on the highway at Rainbow Flat or in a Wingham street, and complete your Certificate of Fitness. From there we build a treatment plan, which can bring in physio, psychology and exercise physiology. 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.

About 97,000 people lived in the council area at the 2021 Census, spread across lake towns, the Manning River valley and farm and forest country inland. A retiree in Taree, a tradie in Forster and a farmer near Wingham all depend on the same roads, from the Pacific Highway to The Lakes Way. Holiday visitors hurt here may be back home in Sydney or Newcastle before neck stiffness or headaches set in. Telehealth lets care carry on wherever you end up in NSW, with your records kept together for the insurer.

On this page8 sections

Local road safety

Where people are hurt on the roads in the Mid-Coast region

Over 2020 to 2024, Transport for NSW crash data records nearly 1,000 crashes in the council area in which someone was hurt or killed. Motorcyclists feature strongly, with close to one in five of those crashes involving a motorbike. Taree and Forster have the most crashes of any towns, and the Pacific Highway has the most of any road, while Wingham, Nabiac and Tuncurry also recur. Roughly one crash in twelve involved a truck or other heavy vehicle, and pedestrians and cyclists made up a smaller share. Many crashes happen away from town on country routes such as The Bucketts Way and Thunderbolts Way, and that shapes the injuries people bring to our doctors.

Crashes where someone was hurt in the Mid-Coast region, 2020 to 2024
YearCrashes where someone was hurtKilledSeriously injuredAll casualtiesAll recorded crashes (including tow-away crashes)
2020197375243297
2021205792275305
2022191891246292
20232024107262305
202419813109266293
2020 to 2024993354741,2921,492
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.Pacific Highway195 crashes
  2. 2.The Lakes Way102 crashes
  3. 3.Bucketts Way58 crashes
  4. 4.Thunderbolts Way41 crashes
  5. 5.Old Bar Road20 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.Taree116 crashes
  2. 2.Forster83 crashes
  3. 3.Wingham42 crashes
  4. 4.Nabiac28 crashes
  5. 5.Tuncurry28 crashes

Road-user mix. Of the 993 crashes where someone was hurt in 2020 to 2024, 18% involved a motorcycle, 5% a pedestrian, 4% a bicycle, 8% a heavy vehicle and 1% an e-scooter (a crash can involve more than one). Crashes in speed zones of 90 km/h or more made up 38% of the total.

Main roads through the Mid-Coast region

  • Pacific Highway
  • The Lakes Way
  • The Bucketts Way
  • Thunderbolts Way

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 Mid-Coast region: getting checked and recorded

Two cars after a minor collision

Get to safety, swap names and registration numbers with the other driver, and note exactly where it happened, such as the highway near Nabiac or a street in Tuncurry. Where officers didn't come out, let police know about it afterwards and jot down its event number. Then have a doctor assess you soon, even if the pain seems mild, because early records link your injuries to the accident. Our doctors can consult by video, whether you're still at a Pacific Palms holiday rental or already home. The at-fault vehicle's CTP insurer is the one that deals with the claim.

  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 the Mid-Coast region: your first appointment

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

For anyone hurt on the region's roads, early records matter, because the insurer looks for a clear link between the crash and each injury. The first consultation makes that link: the doctor examines each injury, notes how the crash caused it, completes your Certificate of Fitness and maps out treatment. The council area is large and spread out, so most follow-up happens by telehealth. Physio, psychology and exercise physiology can also run by video, saving the drive from Tea Gardens, with face-to-face sessions where suitable. The local crash mix shapes what we see: whiplash and back strain from rear-end crashes in Taree and Forster traffic, fractures and soft tissue injuries in motorcyclists, who feature in a sizeable share of crashes, and the stress and travel anxiety that can follow a serious highway crash. 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 the Mid-Coast region

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.

The road-user mix above shows who else gets hurt on the roads in the Mid-Coast region. 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.

Heavy vehicles

Crashes with trucks involve more force, so injuries tend to be more serious, and the shock can linger. See psychological injury.

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.

Bicycles

Cyclists often land on a shoulder, wrist or hip. See shoulder injuries and cyclist hit by a car.

A man taking a phone consultation at home, sitting by a sunlit window

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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

Telehealth makes it simpler to see a CTP doctor from the Mid-Coast region without a long drive while you're sore. 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 the Mid-Coast region

These are some of the suburbs and towns in the Mid-Coast region. We see people from all of them. Where we have a local page, the name is linked.

  • Taree
  • Forster
  • Tuncurry
  • Wingham
  • Old Bar
  • Harrington
  • Tea Gardens
  • Gloucester
  • Hallidays Point
  • Cundletown
  • Smiths Lake
  • Bulahdelah
  • Nabiac
  • Hawks Nest
  • Stroud
  • Pacific Palms
  • Tinonee
  • Diamond Beach
  • Coopernook
  • Krambach

Across the wider area: CTP doctors in Newcastle and the Hunter

Neighbouring council areas: Port Stephens, Dungog, Upper Hunter, Walcha, Port Macquarie-Hastings.

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 the Mid-Coast region

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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