At the scene: safety, care and a 911 call
Check yourself and anyone with you first. If you can move, get out of traffic. Call 911, say that a driver left the scene, and ask for medical help if anyone is hurt. Do not follow the other car. A chase puts you in more danger, and police can search with the details you give them.
Georgia law requires a driver in a crash with injury, death or apparent damage of $500 or more to tell the police right away (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-273). Inside a city, that means the city police. After a hit-and-run, this call matters twice. Georgia’s uninsured motorist law makes the report a condition of a claim when the other driver is unknown.
Shock can hide pain. A headache that gets worse, repeated vomiting, confusion or slurred speech are danger signs listed by the CDC that need emergency care. Some symptoms show up hours or days later, so get checked even if you feel fine. Our symptom timeline shows what to watch for.
Atlanta Police or the State Patrol: who takes the report
The agency depends on where and when the crash happened. ATL311 sets out the split inside the city:
| Where and when | Agency |
|---|---|
| City streets, any time | Atlanta Police Department (APD) |
| Interstates in the city, weekdays 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. | Georgia State Patrol |
| Interstates in the city, weeknights 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. and weekends | Atlanta Police Department |
Ask the officer for the report number before you leave. APD reports are sold on BuyCrash for $11, usually 5 to 7 business days after the crash, and you need the report number and the last name of a person involved. The City does not hold State Patrol reports. Request those through the Georgia Department of Public Safety.
Evidence that can identify the driver
Memories fade and camera footage can be recorded over. As soon as you are safe, write down what you saw, even if it seems incomplete.
- The car: all or part of the plate, the make, model and color, any damage, and the direction it went.
- The scene: photos of your vehicle, the road, skid marks, debris and paint transfer. Keep any broken parts the other car left behind.
- Witnesses: names and contact details of anyone who stopped. A witness can also matter for insurance, as explained below.
- Cameras: dashcams, doorbells and business cameras that face the road. Ask the owners to save the clip, and give the place and time to the investigating officer.
Send new details to the officer who has the case, and quote the report number each time.
Georgia hit and run laws: what the driver had to do
Under O.C.G.A. § 40-6-270, a driver in a crash that injures or kills someone, or that damages a vehicle someone is driving or attending, must stop at the scene, or as close to it as possible, and return. The driver must give a name, address and the vehicle’s registration number, show a license on request, and give reasonable help to anyone hurt, including getting them to medical care. If an injured person cannot communicate, the driver must make every reasonable effort to contact emergency services and police. The driver must stay until these duties are done.
| What the driver did | Penalty under Georgia law |
|---|---|
| Knowingly left a crash that caused death or serious injury | Felony: 1 to 5 years in prison (§ 40-6-270(b)) |
| Knowingly left a crash with other injury, or damage to an attended vehicle | Misdemeanor. First conviction: a fine of $300 to $1,000, up to 12 months in jail, or both (§ 40-6-270(c)) |
| Hit a parked, unattended vehicle and did not find the owner or leave a note with a name and address | Misdemeanor (§ 40-6-271) |
| Convicted of hit and run | Driver’s license suspension (§ 40-5-54) |
The criminal case and your injury claim are separate, with separate steps. Your claim still needs evidence of what happened and what it cost you.
If the driver is never found: uninsured motorist cover
Georgia treats a vehicle as uninsured when its owner or driver is unknown (O.C.G.A. § 33-7-11(b)(2)). So your own uninsured motorist (UM) cover can pay for injuries or damage caused by a hit-and-run driver. Georgia auto policies include UM cover unless an insured named in the policy rejected it in writing (§ 33-7-11(a)(3)). Check the declarations page of your policy.
When the driver is unknown, the law adds conditions:
| Condition | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Physical contact | The other vehicle actually hit you, your car or your motorcycle. |
| Or an eyewitness | With no contact, for example when a driver forced you off the road, someone other than you must back up your account of how it happened. |
| A police report | The crash must be reported as § 40-6-273 requires (§ 33-7-11(c)). |
If no driver is identified, a lawsuit can be filed against “John Doe” and served on your insurer, which can defend it in that name (§ 33-7-11(d)). The two-year injury limit still applies. Our Georgia statute of limitations guide covers that deadline and when it can pause.
Getting help after a hit-and-run
A hit-and-run claim often turns on paperwork: the police report, a witness statement and the notice to your insurer. Tell your insurer promptly and keep copies of what you send. If you were riding, our motorcycle crash guide covers the Georgia rules that affect a rider’s claim.
An Atlanta injury lawyer can check your policy, the report and the deadline. The free crash review on our home page sends four short answers to our partner law firm, and its team calls you back. You are under no obligation to hire anyone.