For crash injuries across the Upper Lachlan Shire, from Taralga to Tuena, our CTP doctors offer telehealth, the Certificate of Fitness and treatment plans.
Southern Tablelands
Car accident doctor for the Upper Lachlan Shire: CTP injury care
Last updated , 9 min read
A crash injury in the Upper Lachlan Shire doesn't have to mean a long drive before you're seen. Our CTP doctors start most consultations by telehealth, so you can be assessed from home in Crookwell, Gunning or Collector rather than travelling to a bigger centre. In that first call, the doctor works through your injuries, fills in a Certificate of Fitness for the insurer and plans the next steps, which can involve physiotherapy, psychological support or exercise physiology. Where in-person care is the better option, we'll help arrange it, and our physios can guide a home exercise program when the nearest practice is a long way off.
This is sheep and cattle country with cold winters, several wind farms and villages such as Laggan, Roslyn, Binda and Bevendale spread between the towns. Many residents drive Crookwell Road or Taralga Road into Goulburn, while the Hume and Federal highways bring fast through traffic past Gunning, Breadalbane and Collector. Crashes on these roads tend to be at high speed, and motorcycles feature in a large share of them. That shapes what our doctors look for: neck and back injuries, shoulder and limb injuries, and the stress and poor sleep that can follow a crash.
On this page8 sections
Local road safety
Where people are hurt on the roads in the Upper Lachlan Shire
Riders feature heavily in the shire's crash record. Transport for NSW records covering 2020 to 2024 show a motorbike in about a third of the casualty crashes here, and close to four out of five were on open roads with high speed limits. The Hume Highway recorded the most, ahead of Taralga Road, Grabben Gullen Road and Goulburn Road. Crookwell leads the localities, followed by Gunning, Grabben Gullen and Tuena, with small places such as Pejar and Lade Vale also on the list. About one in six crashes happened in darkness. For riders, crashes like these commonly bring shoulder, wrist, knee and collarbone injuries, while impacts at highway speed can leave neck and back injuries that take a while to show.
| Year | Crashes where someone was hurt | Killed | Seriously injured | All casualties | All recorded crashes (including tow-away crashes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 32 | 2 | 12 | 38 | 42 |
| 2021 | 38 | 3 | 5 | 48 | 43 |
| 2022 | 35 | 3 | 9 | 39 | 48 |
| 2023 | 48 | 6 | 11 | 60 | 63 |
| 2024 | 34 | 1 | 5 | 42 | 50 |
| 2020 to 2024 | 187 | 15 | 42 | 227 | 246 |
Roads and streets with the most crashes where someone was hurt
- 1.Hume Highway38 crashes
- 2.Taralga Road13 crashes
- 3.Grabben Gullen Road13 crashes
- 4.Goulburn Road11 crashes
- 5.Junction Point Road9 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.Crookwell27 crashes
- 2.Gunning12 crashes
- 3.Grabben Gullen11 crashes
- 4.Tuena9 crashes
Road-user mix. Of the 187 crashes where someone was hurt in 2020 to 2024, 33% involved a motorcycle, 1% a pedestrian, none a bicycle, 9% 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 81% of the total.
Main roads through the Upper Lachlan Shire
- Hume Highway
- Federal Highway
- Taralga Road
- Crookwell Road
- Grabben Gullen Road
- Boorowa 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 Upper Lachlan Shire: getting checked and recorded
Get your injuries checked soon, even if the pain seems mild, so there's a medical record from the start. A video call with our doctors spares you the drive from Binda or Bevendale. If police didn't attend your crash on the Federal Highway or a road out of Taralga, let them know and ask for the event number. Write down the other driver's name, their registration and where you were, using the road name and the nearest town. If that driver caused the crash, their vehicle's CTP insurer handles your claim. Because time limits apply, it pays to begin early.
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 Upper Lachlan Shire: your first appointment
On roads where help can be a long way off, injuries are sometimes shrugged off at the scene and only properly looked at later. Getting assessed early gives you, and the insurer, a clear record linking your symptoms to the crash. During that first visit, one of our doctors examines you, writes up the Certificate of Fitness, maps out treatment and keeps the clinical record the insurer will ask to see. Because the shire is so spread out, you can start by telehealth from home in Crookwell, Gunning or Bigga, with in-person care organised where it's needed. With so many riders in the local crash figures, shoulder and limb injuries are common, as is whiplash after a rear-end impact on the Hume. 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 Upper Lachlan 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 Upper Lachlan 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.
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
Distances in the Upper Lachlan 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.
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 Upper Lachlan Shire
These are some of the suburbs and towns in the Upper Lachlan Shire. We see people from all of them. Where we have a local page, the name is linked.
Neighbouring council areas: Goulburn Mulwaree, Oberon, Hilltops, Yass Valley, Wingecarribee, Bathurst Regional, Wollondilly, Cowra, Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Consultations with our doctors can start by telehealth, by video or phone, so you can be assessed from home on a property near Bigga, Tuena or Grabben Gullen. The doctor takes your history, assesses your injuries, completes the Certificate of Fitness and sets out a treatment plan. If you need an in-person examination, imaging or hands-on physio, we'll arrange the right in-person care, which may mean a trip to a larger centre.
Our doctor will ask how the crash happened, examine your shoulder and any other injuries, and consider whether you need scans or a referral. You'll get a Certificate of Fitness for your CTP claim and a treatment plan, which might include physio or exercise physiology to work on strength and movement. Everything is written up in clinical notes the insurer can rely on. Riders often have more than one injury, so mention anything that hurts, even if it seems minor.
Yes. Neck and back pain from whiplash-type injuries often comes on gradually, so a delay is common. Getting assessed now creates a medical record that connects the pain to the crash, which matters for your CTP claim. A video consult with one of our doctors, from home in Gunning, can cover the Certificate of Fitness and a plan for treatment. If your claim runs into a dispute, we can point you to independent legal help.
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)
About the area
- Wikipedia: Upper Lachlan Shire (opens in a new tab)
- ABS 2021 Census QuickStats (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia: Crookwell, New South Wales (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia: Gunning, New South Wales (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia: Collector, New South Wales (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia: Gunning railway station (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 Upper Lachlan Shire
Often seen within the week. Telehealth across NSW, or in person where appropriate. No claim number needed to start.