After a Crash
What should I do after a hit-and-run accident in Georgia?
Short answer
Call 911 from the scene and report it as a hit-and-run so an official report exists, get the responding officer's name and the report number, look for witnesses and cameras before you leave, get medically evaluated the same day, and notify your own insurer promptly — because in Georgia your uninsured motorist coverage is usually what pays when the driver is never identified. Leaving the scene without a police report is the single most common reason these claims fail.
What Georgia law says
Georgia law requires a driver involved in a crash with injury, death, or apparent property damage to stop, provide information, and render aid under O.C.G.A. § 40-6-270; leaving the scene is a criminal offense, and crashes meeting the reporting threshold must be reported under O.C.G.A. § 40-6-273. When the at-fault driver is never identified, uninsured motorist coverage under your own policy may apply, subject to conditions in the policy and O.C.G.A. § 33-7-11 — which is why a prompt police report and independent corroboration such as witnesses matter.
What this means after an accident
A hit-and-run claim is a proof problem, not a fault problem. Nobody disputes that someone else caused it; the question is whether you can establish that an unidentified vehicle did, and that you reported it the way the statute expects. Two people with the same injuries can get very different outcomes: the one who called 911 from the roadside, got a report number, and found a witness has a viable UM claim; the one who drove home and called their insurer the next week is arguing about corroboration for the rest of the claim.
How this actually works
Work the first hours in this order.
**Report it from the scene.** Call 911 and say the other driver left. Give the direction of travel and anything you recall — color, make, partial plate, damage, decals. A report generated at the scene carries more weight than one filed later.
**Capture the scene before it changes.** Photograph your vehicle's damage from several angles, transferred paint, debris on the roadway, your position, and the surrounding intersection or building faces. Paint transfer and debris are physical corroboration.
**Find the cameras.** Nearby businesses, gas stations, apartment gates, doorbell cameras, and buses often record the roadway, and most systems overwrite within days. Ask on the spot, and follow up in writing with the business.
**Get names, not just faces.** An independent witness who saw the other vehicle is often the difference between a paid UM claim and a denied one.
**Get evaluated the same day.** Adrenaline hides soft-tissue and head injuries. A same-day record links your symptoms to the crash and closes the causation argument before it starts.
**Notify your own insurer promptly and in writing.** Report it as an uninsured/unknown-driver claim, ask what your UM limits are, and request the declarations page. Ask whether collision coverage applies to the vehicle damage in the meantime.
If the driver is later identified — and they sometimes are, through camera footage or a police investigation — the claim shifts to their liability insurer, with your UM potentially available on top if their limits are too low.
What you should do
- 01Call 911 from the scene and report the driver left
- 02Get the report number and the responding officer's name and agency
- 03Photograph damage, paint transfer, debris and the surrounding roadway
- 04Ask nearby businesses and residents about cameras the same day
- 05Collect independent witness names and phone numbers
- 06Get medically evaluated the same day
- 07Notify your own insurer in writing as an unknown-driver UM claim
- 08Request your declarations page and confirm your UM limits
Important exceptions
If your only proof is your own account with no contact, no debris, and no witness, the corroboration requirement becomes the central issue. If UM was rejected in writing when the policy was written, there may be no coverage for the unknown driver. Vehicle damage may be handled under collision coverage with a deductible rather than UM property damage. And crashes involving government or commercial vehicles carry separate notice deadlines that are much shorter than the general injury deadline.
When an attorney may help
Hit-and-run claims are usually won or lost on procedure: whether the crash was reported the way the statute requires, whether corroboration was preserved, and whether the unknown driver claim was made properly against your own carrier. If your insurer is questioning corroboration, if a camera source may still hold footage, or if your treatment is significant relative to your UM limits, it is worth having the claim reviewed early rather than after evidence is gone.
Attorney
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MCA Answers
What you may need to know next
Straight answers built around Georgia law, authoritative sources and practical guidance.
- How do I get a Georgia accident report?Georgia crash reports are available from the law enforcement agency that responded and, for many collisions, through the Georgia Department of Transportation's online crash report portal. Availability typically takes a few business days, though timing varies by agency.
- What if the other driver had no insurance in Georgia?If the at-fault driver is uninsured or carries too little coverage, your own uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage may apply, depending on your policy. Georgia generally allows drivers to purchase add-on UM that stacks on top of the at-fault driver's limits, which can be the difference between a token payout and a real recovery.
- What happens if I was hit by a car while walking in Georgia?You generally have a claim against the driver, and often more coverage than you expect. Georgia drivers must yield to pedestrians lawfully in a crosswalk, and even where you crossed outside a crosswalk, drivers must exercise due care and your own share of fault only reduces your recovery unless it reaches 50%. As a pedestrian you can also usually access your own auto policy's uninsured motorist and medical payments coverage — even though you were on foot — and that matters most in hit-and-run and low-limits cases.
- What should I do immediately after a car accident in Atlanta?Call 911 so an Atlanta Police Department report is generated, get medical evaluation the same day, photograph everything before vehicles are moved or repaired, and decline to discuss fault with any insurer until you have advice.
- Do I need a police report to make an accident claim in Georgia?No. A Georgia crash report is powerful evidence, but it is not a legal requirement for an insurance claim or a lawsuit, and the officer's opinion about fault is not binding on an insurer, a judge or a jury. Without a report you have to prove the collision another way — photos, witnesses, dash video, vehicle damage, medical records and prompt written notice to both insurers. Georgia does require drivers to report certain crashes, so a missing report can also raise its own questions.
Keep reading
Related from our legal library
How these crashes happen
- Drunk Driving CrashA crash caused by an impaired driver opens two additional avenues: punitive damages, and potential dram shop liability against the bar or restaurant that over-served a noticeably intoxicated driver or served a minor.
- Hit-and-RunWhen the at-fault driver flees, the case usually becomes an uninsured motorist claim against your own policy. Georgia requires prompt reporting and cooperation, and the UM carrier stands in the shoes of the fleeing driver, meaning it will litigate liability just as hard.
- Intersection CollisionIntersection crashes generate the hardest liability fights because both drivers usually claim a green light. These cases are won with signal timing data, independent witnesses and physical damage geometry.
- Lane Change & SideswipeSideswipe crashes on I-285, GA-400 and the Downtown Connector generate disputed fault because both drivers claim the other drifted. Paint transfer and damage height frequently resolve it.
Related case types
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