Injured on a Newcastle road? From Stockton to Wallsend, we assess you by video or in person, then provide the Certificate of Fitness and treatment.
Greater Newcastle
Car accident doctor for the City of Newcastle: CTP injury care
Last updated , 9 min read
Our CTP doctors see people injured in motor accidents across the City of Newcastle, whether the crash was in Hamilton, Kotara or out near Beresfield. You can start with a telehealth consultation, and in-person care can be arranged where it's appropriate. That first visit means a thorough check of what the crash did to you, the Certificate of Fitness, and a plan that can involve physio, psychology or exercise physiology with our team. We also go over what the insurer generally covers and what needs its approval first. If your claim runs into a dispute, we can point you to independent legal help.
Newcastle packs a lot of movement into a compact area. Around Cooks Hill, Wickham and the city centre, people walk to the light rail, the beach and the harbour foreshore, and cyclists ride between the inner suburbs. Further west, traffic from Wallsend, Maryland and Jesmond feeds onto Newcastle Road, while trucks work the routes to the port. Each kind of crash tends to leave a different pattern of injury, so our doctors start with how you were hurt and build the assessment and treatment plan around that.
On this page8 sections
Local road safety
Where people are hurt on the roads in the City of Newcastle
Transport for NSW's records for 2020 to 2024 show Newcastle's injury crashes happening mostly on slower suburban and inner-city streets, with only a small fraction in highway-speed zones such as the motorway stretch past Minmi and Black Hill. Wallsend records more than any other suburb, and Hamilton, Lambton, Hexham, Mayfield and New Lambton also feature strongly. The streets that recur include the Pacific Highway, Maitland Road, the New England Highway and Newcastle Road. More than half of the crashes were at an intersection. Cyclists were involved in nearly one crash in ten and pedestrians in roughly one in thirteen, while about one in five crashes happened after dark. That mix matters clinically. People on foot or on a bike have nothing around them to absorb an impact, so their injuries can be more complex than a driver's.
| Year | Crashes where someone was hurt | Killed | Seriously injured | All casualties | All recorded crashes (including tow-away crashes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 294 | 3 | 90 | 360 | 453 |
| 2021 | 262 | 1 | 69 | 314 | 427 |
| 2022 | 279 | 2 | 99 | 341 | 477 |
| 2023 | 299 | 1 | 89 | 353 | 453 |
| 2024 | 279 | 0 | 95 | 314 | 444 |
| 2020 to 2024 | 1,413 | 7 | 442 | 1,682 | 2,254 |
Roads and streets with the most crashes where someone was hurt
- 1.Pacific Highway107 crashes
- 2.New England Highway79 crashes
- 3.Newcastle Road71 crashes
- 4.Maitland Road68 crashes
- 5.Glebe Road45 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.Wallsend139 crashes
- 2.New Lambton91 crashes
- 3.Mayfield74 crashes
- 4.Lambton63 crashes
- 5.Hamilton60 crashes
Road-user mix. Of the 1,413 crashes where someone was hurt in 2020 to 2024, 13% involved a motorcycle, 8% a pedestrian, 9% a bicycle, 4% a heavy vehicle and under 1% an e-scooter (a crash can involve more than one). Crashes in speed zones of 90 km/h or more made up 3% of the total.
Main roads through the City of Newcastle
- Pacific Highway
- Pacific Motorway (M1)
- New England Highway
- Newcastle Inner City Bypass
- Newcastle Link Road
- Industrial Drive
- Stewart Avenue
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 City of Newcastle: getting checked and recorded
Make sure everyone is safe and call for help if anyone is badly hurt. If no police officer came out, let police know about the crash and note the event number. Swap details with the other driver, note the registration and take photos. Have a doctor check you and write up your injuries soon, even if they seem small, because a jolt in stop-start traffic on Newcastle Road can leave pain that builds over the following days. The at-fault car's insurer generally handles the claim, and a video consult with our doctors saves the trip from Wallsend or Stockton.
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 City of Newcastle: your first appointment
Early medical records matter for anyone hurt on Newcastle's roads. The insurer looks for a clear link between the crash and your injuries, and a consultation soon after the accident helps show it. First, our doctors examine you, record how the crash unfolded, and prepare the Certificate of Fitness, a plan for treatment and the notes insurers tend to request. The city is compact, so in-person care is practical for many people, and telehealth suits anyone who can't easily travel. The local crash data shapes what we tend to see: whiplash and back strain from rear-end and intersection crashes on arterials like Maitland Road and Glebe Road, and more serious injuries among the motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians who appear often in the figures. 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.
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 City of Newcastle
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 City of Newcastle. 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.
Bicycles
Cyclists often land on a shoulder, wrist or hip. See shoulder injuries and cyclist hit by a car.
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.
Been in an accident?
Book an appointment with one of our CTP doctors. We coordinate your care and handle the paperwork.
CTP-experienced doctorsCoordinated allied healthOne team
Book an AppointmentCTP 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
Telehealth makes it simpler to see a CTP doctor from the City of Newcastle without a long drive while you're sore. Where an in-person examination is needed, we'll talk through the options when you book.
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 City of Newcastle
These are some of the suburbs and towns in the City of Newcastle. We see people from all of them. Where we have a local page, the name is linked.
- Newcastle
- Hamilton
- Wallsend
- Merewether
- Mayfield
- Lambton
- New Lambton
- Adamstown
- Waratah
- Jesmond
- Kotara
- Maryland
- Elermore Vale
- Fletcher
- Stockton
- Beresfield
- Shortland
- The Junction
- Cooks Hill
- Islington
- Wickham
- Broadmeadow
- Tighes Hill
Across the wider area: CTP doctors in Newcastle and the Hunter
Neighbouring council areas: Port Stephens, Lake Macquarie, Cessnock, Maitland.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. A cyclist hit by a car can usually claim through the CTP insurer of the vehicle at fault. Our doctors can assess your injuries, issue the Certificate of Fitness and plan treatment, which may include physio for the shoulder, wrist or knee injuries that often follow a fall from a bike. Make sure police have a record of the crash and keep the event number, since the claim needs it.
Yes. Many people start with a telehealth consultation from home, which suits anyone in Stockton who would otherwise need the ferry or a long drive around via Kooragang. Over video, the doctor can take your history, watch how you move, write up the Certificate of Fitness and map out the next steps for treatment. If your injuries need a hands-on examination, we'll talk through the in-person options with you.
No. Neck pain and stiffness after a rear-end crash often build gradually rather than straight away. Book in soon, walk the doctor through how the car behind struck you, and ask for the connection to the crash to go in your notes. If a stiff neck makes driving awkward, one of our doctors can examine you by video at home in Adamstown, Merewether or wherever you are, complete the Certificate of Fitness and get treatment under way. Time limits apply to the claim itself, so start early.
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 City of Newcastle
Often seen within the week. Telehealth across NSW, or in person where appropriate. No claim number needed to start.