Handling a Crash in Atlanta When Police Don’t Respond to Non-Injury Calls

The Atlanta Police Department released a statement that they will no longer respond to car accidents that occur in Atlanta city limits where no one was injured. This update was also shared on The Atlanta 311 Facebook page, which has a little under 2,000 followers.

The change is to protect staff in the department as well as others from spreading COVID-19. With this reduction in police responding to car accidents where no one was injured, there will be less interactions were germs could spread. While this change is temporary, it’s important for car accident victims to know what to do after a wreck occurs, even if they believe they’re uninjured.

Just because you don’t think you’re injured after a car accident doesn’t mean you’re healthy. You may find that after a few hours or days, you begin to feel painful symptoms indicating that something is wrong. So what are you supposed to do now when there’s no police report to refer to? There’s a form Atlanta citizens should fill out called an SR-13, which you can find here.

It’s extremely important for you to self-report after a crash. You should still get the necessary information from the other driver involved. This can include their name, insurance policy number, contact information, and information about their vehicle. Remember to inform your insurance company of the accident after it happens. If the other driver was uninsured, insurance companies may have exclusions for claims where a crash wasn’t reported that occurred within the Atlanta city limits.

While police will still respond to hit-and-run accidents, many Atlanta citizens are pointing out issues with this current plan. For example, those filling out the form may try to minimize their role in the accident, or lie about their involvement. The police officer usually offered the perspective of an unbiased third party. They can also keep the peace between the parties involved in the crash, as emotions can run high and confrontations may occur without an officer on the scene.

In addition to getting information from the other driver, getting information from eyewitnesses and recording information like photographs and videos on your phone could help your claim in the future.