Our doctors see people injured on Willoughby roads, from the Gore Hill Freeway to Eastern Valley Way, and write up their CTP Certificate of Fitness.
Lower North Shore
Car accident doctor for the Willoughby area: CTP injury care
Last updated , 9 min read
If a crash on the Pacific Highway, Mowbray Road or a Chatswood side street has left you sore, one of our CTP doctors can see you in person where an examination calls for it, or by telehealth from home or work. The first consultation covers what happened, a physical check and a clear record of each injury, which your claim relies on. The doctor then signs your Certificate of Fitness and maps out care, perhaps with our physios, psychologists or an exercise physiologist. 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.
Traffic around Willoughby mixes commuters squeezing onto the Pacific Highway and the Gore Hill Freeway, buses heading for the Chatswood interchange, motorcyclists working through peak-hour queues, and crowds on foot between the station and the shopping centres. That mix shapes the injuries people bring to our doctors: neck and back strain from rear-end crashes in stop-start traffic, wrist, shoulder and knee injuries after motorbike spills, and impact injuries for pedestrians. Telehealth lets you start care from a desk in St Leonards or a couch in Naremburn rather than sitting in traffic while you're hurting, and in-person care is arranged where an examination needs it.
On this page8 sections
Local road safety
Where people are hurt on the roads in the Willoughby area
Most injury crashes in Willoughby happen on ordinary suburban and town-centre streets, not fast roads. Transport for NSW crash data for 2020 to 2024 counts about 170 people seriously injured over those years, a reminder that low speeds don't always mean minor injuries. Riders and people on foot feature prominently. Motorcyclists were involved in about one crash in six and pedestrians in about one in seven, with cyclists in close to one in ten. Chatswood and Artarmon recorded the most crashes, and the Pacific Highway, Mowbray Road and Penshurst Street head the street list. For our doctors, that road-user mix means many limb, head and soft tissue injuries in people with little protection around them.
| Year | Crashes where someone was hurt | Killed | Seriously injured | All casualties | All recorded crashes (including tow-away crashes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 100 | 0 | 41 | 120 | 140 |
| 2021 | 85 | 2 | 26 | 103 | 128 |
| 2022 | 103 | 1 | 30 | 117 | 144 |
| 2023 | 99 | 0 | 43 | 122 | 123 |
| 2024 | 98 | 3 | 28 | 108 | 137 |
| 2020 to 2024 | 485 | 6 | 168 | 570 | 672 |
Roads and streets with the most crashes where someone was hurt
- 1.Pacific Highway83 crashes
- 2.Mowbray Road34 crashes
- 3.Penshurst Street32 crashes
- 4.Eastern Valley Way31 crashes
- 5.Fullers Road26 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.Chatswood162 crashes
- 2.Artarmon77 crashes
- 3.Roseville50 crashes
- 4.Willoughby36 crashes
- 5.Lane Cove North26 crashes
Road-user mix. Of the 485 crashes where someone was hurt in 2020 to 2024, 17% involved a motorcycle, 15% a pedestrian, 9% a bicycle and 3% a heavy vehicle (a crash can involve more than one). None happened in speed zones of 90 km/h or more.
Main roads through the Willoughby area
- Pacific Highway
- Gore Hill Freeway (M1)
- Eastern Valley Way
- Mowbray Road
- Willoughby 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 Willoughby area: getting checked and recorded
Move somewhere safe, and call police straight away if anyone is hurt or a driver won't share their details. Where officers didn't come out, contact police later and note the event number they give you. Note the other driver's name, registration and insurer. Then have your injuries checked and recorded, even if you walked away from a minor bump on Willoughby Road feeling fine, because neck and back pain can take time to build. The at-fault car's CTP insurer takes the claim, while our doctors see you in person, or by video from a St Leonards desk.
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 Willoughby area: your first appointment
Notes made soon after a crash give the insurer a clear line from the collision to your symptoms, which is harder to show after a delay. Whether a car shunted you on Fullers Road or you came off your motorbike near Gore Hill, that opening appointment pulls together an examination, your Certificate of Fitness, a written plan for care and the notes an insurer typically asks to see. You can choose an in-person consultation where an examination is needed, or telehealth that fits around a working day in Chatswood. Injury patterns tend to follow the local crash data: whiplash and lower back strain from rear-end crashes on the arterials, fractures and grazes for motorcyclists and cyclists, and head, hip and leg injuries for pedestrians around the Chatswood centre. 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 Willoughby area
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 Willoughby area. 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.
Bicycles
Cyclists often land on a shoulder, wrist or hip. See shoulder injuries and cyclist 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
We see people from the Willoughby area 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 Willoughby area
These are some of the suburbs and towns in the Willoughby area. 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: Ku-ring-gai, Ryde, Lane Cove, North Sydney, Mosman, Northern Beaches.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Delayed neck pain is common after a rear-end crash, and it's better to have it assessed and written down early than to wait and hope. One of our doctors can see you in person or by telehealth, check how you're moving, record your symptoms and complete the Certificate of Fitness. Those early notes help connect your injury to the crash when the insurer looks at your claim.
In many cases, yes. A first telehealth consultation can cover your history, a guided check of movement and pain, the Certificate of Fitness and a starting treatment plan. If your doctor needs to examine you in person or arrange imaging, they'll tell you and help set that up. A video consultation can fit around a working day in Chatswood or St Leonards without a trip across town.
Physio is often part of the plan for pedestrians with leg, hip or back injuries. The decision sits with the CTP insurer of the vehicle that hit you. It generally pays for treatment that is reasonable and necessary for your accident injuries, and if it declines something your doctor recommends, that decision can be reviewed. Our doctors set out why each treatment is needed, which helps the insurer assess requests.
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 Willoughby area
Often seen within the week. Telehealth across NSW, or in person where appropriate. No claim number needed to start.