Accident help
After a car accident in Georgia, get somewhere safe and call 911 if anyone is hurt. Ask the officer for the report number. Take photos, and write down names, plates and insurance details. Which state's rules apply usually depends on where the crash happened, not where you live. A free case check organizes what happened, a licensed attorney reviews it, and it does not decide anything.
Free. Not legal advice. Starting a case check does not mean we represent you.
Where this comes from
We checked these original sources on September 5, 2026. Each link opens the source so you can read it for yourself.
Original links
Crash Data and Reporting: Accident Reporting System
Individual Accident Report Request form
Submit an Open Records Request
Driver's Manual, Section 11: Crashes
Personal Report of Accident, police questions and answers
General rules where the crash happened
Because the crash happened in Georgia, Georgia traffic and fault rules are the first ones to check. Other state law may also matter depending on where people live, vehicles are registered, policies were issued, employers operate, and companies are based. A lawyer must decide which law controls the particular case.
A secondary state-by-state chart classifies Georgia as an at-fault jurisdiction. Fault generally affects legal responsibility, but that does not mean a particular person or insurance company automatically owes or pays a claim. Payment depends on the facts, current law, available coverage, and the policy you actually have. That policy may separately list MedPay or PIP on its declarations page.
A secondary state-by-state chart indicates that insurers in Georgia generally must offer uninsured motorist coverage on applicable auto policies. The source does not confirm what was offered, selected, or rejected on the policy you actually have, or whether coverage applies or pays. Check that policy and its declarations page for uninsured motorist or UM; the policy terms and facts control.
Other states can matter too, depending on where the people live, where the vehicles are registered, where the policies were issued and which companies were involved. A lawyer decides which law applies to your facts.
Check any other stateGeorgia Department of Transportation
Georgia DOT is the state agency that manages and stores Georgia's crash reports. Its crash reporting page points you to the purchase site it names, or lets you mail a request form to the department instead. If the Georgia State Patrol worked your crash, the Department of Public Safety handles that copy.
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Write down the date of the crash, the last name on the crash report, and the reporting agency with the report number if the officer gave you a card at the scene. The state request form asks for those, plus your own name, address, phone and email.
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Georgia DOT says police crash reports are available through the BuyCrash system. Its crash reporting page links you straight there to buy and download a copy. The same page links the request form you can mail to the department instead, with payment.
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The Department of Public Safety says that when the Georgia State Patrol investigated the crash, you can contact a local State Patrol post or its Open Records Unit, and include its open records request form. For every other crash report, it sends you to Georgia DOT.
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Georgia law asks for a statement of need before a crash report is released. The state form has boxes to check: you drove a vehicle in the crash, you own or lease the damaged vehicle or property, you were injured or were a witness, you are the insurer, or you are an attorney for a party or witness.
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For a written request to the Department of Public Safety, include your full name, mailing address and phone number, the names of the people in the report, the records you want, the Georgia county or city where it happened, the date, and the report number if you know it.
Georgia Department of Public SafetyAgencies change their forms, portals and fees. Open the linked page before you pay for anything, and keep a copy of every request you send.
Federal fatal-crash counts, 2022 to 2024
| County | Fatal crashes | People who died | Share of the state |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeKalb County | 356 | 383 | 8.0% |
| Fulton County | 339 | 367 | 7.6% |
| Gwinnett County | 183 | 198 | 4.1% |
| Cobb County | 170 | 179 | 3.8% |
| Clayton County | 136 | 143 | 3.0% |
| Richmond County | 122 | 128 | 2.7% |
These are crashes in which at least one person died within 30 days, as counted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They are not a count of all crashes, injuries, insurance claims or lawsuits, and most crashes are not in this file at all.
The counts are not adjusted for population, road miles or how much people drive, so they cannot say one place is more dangerous than another. A crash appearing here does not show who was at fault, whether anyone was insured or whether anyone has a claim.
Closer to where it happened
Each page names the department that usually holds the report there and how to ask for it.
Questions
Georgia DOT is the state agency that stores Georgia crash reports, and its crash reporting page says police crash reports are available through the BuyCrash system. You can buy and download a copy there. You can also mail the state request form with payment, which the form says takes longer.
Georgia law asks for a statement of need first. The state request form lists boxes for the driver, the person who owns or leases the damaged vehicle or property, someone injured in the crash or a witness, the insurer, an attorney for a party or witness, and news media.
The state driver's manual tells you to notify the nearest law enforcement agency right away if anyone is hurt or killed or the damage is large enough. Georgia also has a personal report of accident form for crashes where no officer was called. County police say it is for your own use and is not mailed to the state.
The Department of Public Safety says that if the Georgia State Patrol investigated your crash, you can contact a local State Patrol post or its Open Records Unit and send its open records request form with your request. For every other crash report, it sends you to the Crash Reporting Unit at Georgia DOT.
Have the date of the crash, the last name on the report, and the reporting agency with the report number if you got one. The state form also asks for your name, address, phone and email. A written request to the Department of Public Safety asks for the county or city too.
Keep reading
A quick reality check
This page cannot decide fault, medical cause, insurance coverage, legal deadlines, case value or whether you have a claim. Those questions depend on the complete facts, records, state law and a licensed attorney's review.
Last updated
We opened every Georgia agency page linked here on this date and rewrote anything that had changed.
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