If your vehicle suffers serious property damage and/or you suffer injury in a collision when traveling the roads and highways of Georgia, state law requires that a report be filed if the collision results in significant property damage (i.e. $500 or above) or injury to any party involved in the accident. The other driver in the collision may express a preference not to report the collision and settle the matter informally with direct payment for any damage. While there is no legal duty to report a Georgia car crash if there is no significant damage to the vehicles and no one suffers injury, the decision to forgo notifying law enforcement is a risky proposition. Our Georgia motor vehicle accident attorneys at Montlick and Associates advise contacting law enforcement so that an investigation can be undertaken, which is especially helpfu if you later discover you have injuries that were not immediately apparent.
If you contact law enforcement, the officers who respond to the scene of the crash will talk to those who were involved in the collision as well as witnesses to the crash during the course of the accident investigation. Although Georgia Auto Accident Reports traditionally were not admitted as evidence, the report will highlight key evidence and witness observations that may be used to develop a basis for further investigation and the development of a theory of liability. The insurance company for the other driver or other potentially liable third parties will carefully examine the report to determine how to proceed so it is important to obtain this official law enforcement record as soon as it is available (Note that we obtain this report for our clients as part of our investigation- if they have not already done so).
Settlement discussions may be impacted significantly by Georgia Auto Accident Reports so it is important to make sure that they accurately reflect your version of events. If unsafe driving by the other motorist caused the collision, you should make sure the officer is informed regarding hazardous driving practices or traffic law violations by the other driver. In some cases, the other driver may seem intoxicated based on physical appearance, slurred speech, the odor of alcohol on the driver’s breath or similar signs of alcohol or drug impairment. Any signs that the driver’s ability was impaired prior to the collision should be communicated to the officer so that a DUI investigation can be conducted, which may include chemical testing of blood alcohol content, field sobriety tests and other types of evidence.
Although Georgia Auto Accident Reports may not be available for a few days, they may be obtained through an Internet request submitted to the website www.buycrash.com or by contacting the police department or other law enforcement agency. Georgia Auto Accident Reports are assigned identifying numbers so you should request this information along with the name and contact number of the officer handling the accident investigation. If you notice significant errors or omissions in the report, it may be appropriate to seek to have the report corrected, but you should consider obtaining legal advice prior to taking this step. Sometimes people contact the police in the aftermath of a crash and compromise their claim by inadvertently providing damaging facts.
Put Our Law Firm’s Over 39 Years Experience to Work For You!
Whether you have questions about obtaining Georgia Auto Accident Reports, correcting mistakes or omissions in the report or pursuing an accident injury claim, our car crash lawyers have been representing injury victims for over thirty years throughout all of Georgia and the Southeast, including but not limited to all smaller cities and rural areas in the state. No matter where you are located our attorneys are just a phone call away, and we will even come to you. Call us 24 hours a day/7 days a week for your Free Consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333). You can also visit us online at www.montlick.com and use our Free Case Evaluation Form or 24-hour Live Online Chat.
