The assumption that costs people money
"It was just me — I hit a tree / ran off the road / misjudged the corner. There's no one to claim against." It's the most common thing people believe after a single-vehicle crash, and it's usually wrong if they were injured.
The reason is how the NSW scheme is built. The early statutory benefits — income support and treatment — are largely no-fault. You don't need another driver to blame, and you don't need to prove the crash was someone else's fault, to receive them. They come from the CTP insurer of the vehicle you were driving.
What an injured driver can claim after a solo crash
If you were hurt in a single-vehicle accident, you can usually access:
- Income support — 95% of pre-injury earnings for the first 13 weeks, 80% from week 14, up to a regulated cap, for up to 52 weeks.
- Treatment funding — GP and specialist visits, physio, imaging, surgery, medication, all reasonable and necessary care.
- Rehabilitation and care — return-to-work support, and domestic or personal care while you can't manage at home.
That's up to a year of real support, available even though no other vehicle was involved and even if the crash was your own doing. See statutory benefits explained for the full mechanics, and can I claim if I was at fault for the no-fault logic in more depth.
Passengers in a single-vehicle crash
If you were a passenger when the driver ran off the road, your position is usually stronger. You weren't responsible for the driving, so you typically have access to the full claim — statutory benefits, and where your injury is non-threshold, a damages claim against the driver's CTP insurer. See passenger claim NSW.
When a damages claim might also be open
The lump-sum damages claim generally needs someone or something else to be partly responsible. In a single-vehicle crash that can happen more often than you'd think:
- A road defect — a dangerous pothole, a poorly maintained or badly designed road, missing signage.
- A mechanical failure — a fault with the vehicle that wasn't your doing.
- Another party's negligence — for example, debris left on the road, or a hazard someone else created.
Where one of these contributed, and your injury is non-threshold, a damages claim may be possible on top of statutory benefits. If the crash was entirely your own — a genuine driving error with no other factor — the damages side generally isn't open, but the statutory benefits still are. See the damages claim explained. The details matter, and they're worth a conversation.
Common single-vehicle scenarios
- Ran off the road / hit a tree or pole. Injured driver: statutory benefits usually available.
- Swerved to avoid an animal. Statutory benefits available if injured; circumstances decide any damages angle.
- Lost control in rain or on black ice. No-fault benefits generally still apply for an injured driver.
- Hit a pothole and crashed. Statutory benefits available; a possible damages angle against the road authority.
- Rollover on a country road. Often serious injuries — statutory benefits, and a damages claim if another factor contributed.
Don't forget the car and the deadline
Two practical points. First, the car is separate — damage to your own vehicle is covered by comprehensive motor insurance if you have it, not by CTP. We coordinate that side alongside. Second, the 28-day window still applies — get the CTP claim in early to lock in backdated benefits. See the 28-day rule.
What we do for you
One call. We work out exactly what's available for your single-vehicle crash, get the claim in inside 28 days, set up income and treatment, and look closely at whether any road, vehicle or third-party factor opens a damages angle. We don't take a contingency cut from your damages.
Take the short check at /check, or call (02) 7238 7379 and a real person picks up.