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How to Read Your Georgia Car Accident Report

When you’re involved in a car wreck in Georgia, you need to get a copy of your accident report as soon as possible. The insurance company uses this report to determine fault for the accident, and if the investigating officer is later called to testify in your case, the report will likely be the basis of their testimony.

In short, you need to understand what your report says because it can have a dramatic effect on the outcome of your claim. Here’s how to read it:

Georgia Uniform Vehicle Accident Report

https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/documents/ga_dot_523_12_2003.pdf

Georgia Accident Report page 1

Page One

The top of the page gives the date, time, and location of the accident, as well as the total number of injuries and fatalities known to the investigating officer at the time of the crash. Note the difference between the time of the crash itself and the time the officer arrived on the scene.

Click here to download a printable PDF of How to Read Your Georgia Car Accident Report.

Information on the involved vehicles, including the drivers, owners, and vehicles themselves, is on the left and right sides. (If the crash involved more than two vehicles, additional pages will be used.)

Associated with each vehicle is information on any drug or alcohol tests, the driver’s condition, and the maneuvers each vehicle made. These can all affect liability for the accident.

The report notes whether any injured people were taken to the hospital and lists contact information for any witnesses.

If the wreck involved a commercial vehicle, the section at the bottom contains additional details such as driver credentials, the commercial carrier, and the vehicle configuration.

Georgia Accident Report page 2

Page Two

The “remarks” section contains the officer’s written notes. Read this carefully, as it may contain information not noted anywhere else in the report.

The pictorial diagram includes each vehicle’s direction of travel, traffic signals, and signage. Information in the diagram may reveal fault for the accident.

If any citations were issued in connection with the crash, the officer will note them here.

If any property other than a vehicle was damaged, that damage will be described on this page.

Any other occupants of vehicles are listed at the bottom of the page, including reported injuries and safety equipment use.

Car Accidents Assistance Accident Report

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