If You Are Injured In A Motor Vehicle Collision – Do’s and Don’ts

In Georgia, the driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person or property damage to an apparent extent of $500.00 or more shall immediately, by the quickest means of communication, give notice of such accident to the local police department if such accident occurs within a municipality. If such accident occurs outside a municipality, such notice shall be given to the office of the county sheriff or to the nearest office of the state patrol.
In addition to what the law requires, you should ask people around the accident site if they observed the accident and if you can, get their name and telephone number, so they could be a witness for you if you should need a witness later on. Get as many witnesses as possible, because a person may move or change phone numbers or may not want to be a witness for you later on. If you or anyone that was in the car with you has been injured you should get medical treatment right away.
If you have been injured, do not discuss your injury or the way it happened with any insurance company adjuster, investigator or representative until you have consulted a lawyer. These statements might be incomplete or taken out of context and be harmful to your claim at a later date. Do not sign any papers or agree to any settlement, as this may affect your right to pursue your claim. Always seek competent legal advice first! The sooner your attorney gets involved the better he or she is able to protect your rights. If you have any visible injuries take photographs of your injuries as soon as possible, as well as photographs of the damage to your car. Another important reason to involve a competent lawyer as soon as possible is so that the lawyer can do whatever additional investigation is necessary to protect you.