Hurt in a Wreck in Georgia? How Auto Insurance Works

Quick answer: Georgia requires drivers to carry liability insurance, with minimum limits of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per incident for bodily injury, and $25,000 per incident for property damage. If you were hurt in a wreck in Decatur, which coverage applies depends on who caused it, whether that driver was insured and what your own policy includes. Georgia’s Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire explains each kind of coverage, and this article walks through what it says.

This is general information, not legal advice. Your policy, your insurer and your attorney, if you have one, are the authority on your own situation.

What does Georgia require every driver to carry?

Georgia’s insurance office says drivers must have liability insurance that meets the minimum limits required by law to drive on the state’s public roads and highways. You can purchase more if you choose.

Liability insurance helps pay damages to others on your behalf if they are injured or their property is damaged in an accident or incident where you are ruled at fault. The office adds that liability coverage can help protect you in other circumstances too, such as when a person alleges you are at fault and makes a claim against you.

Keep in mind what a minimum is. It tells you what the law requires a driver to carry. It does not tell you what the other driver in your wreck actually bought.

What does each kind of coverage do?

Here is the state’s page, boiled down:

Coverage	Required by Georgia?	What the state says it does
Bodily injury liability	Yes, at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per incident	Helps pay damages to others if they are injured in an accident where you are ruled at fault
Property damage liability	Yes, at least $25,000 per incident	Helps pay damages to others if their property is damaged in an accident where you are ruled at fault
Collision (physical damage)	Not by state law, though a lender or leasing company usually requires it	Covers losses associated with vehicle collisions
Comprehensive (physical damage)	Not by state law, though a lender or leasing company usually requires it	Covers theft, vandalism and fire-related losses
Uninsured motorist	Not among the minimum limits the page lists	Protects you if an uninsured driver causes an accident that damages your vehicle or injures you or your passengers
Medical payments, rental reimbursement, towing and labor	Named as optional coverages	The page names them without detail, so ask your agent what yours pays

What if the other driver has no insurance?

Georgia requires all drivers to have liability insurance. The state acknowledges that some drivers do not follow the law, and that others may unknowingly let their coverage lapse or cancel. Those drivers are considered uninsured.

If one of them causes an accident that damages your vehicle or injures you or your passengers, the state says Uninsured Motorist insurance would protect you. That makes it worth finding out now whether your own policy includes it, and what its limits are. Your agent can tell you.

Can I use my own policy if someone else caused the wreck?

For damage to your vehicle, the state says yes. As a policyholder, you are allowed to file a claim under your own physical damage coverage even if someone else may have caused the accident.

That sentence is about your car. Physical damage insurance helps pay for loss or damage to your own vehicle. It is a different question from who pays for your injuries, so ask your insurer about that one separately.

What is the difference between tort and no-fault?

The state’s page explains that each state must implement either a tort system or a no-fault system, and that the system determines what kind of insurance is available to you. The three basic coverages sold under the tort system are bodily injury liability, property damage liability and uninsured motorists coverage. Under a no-fault system, your insurance company pays you directly for your losses from injuries in an accident, regardless of who is at fault.

For questions about how this applies to you, the page says to check with your state insurance department. Every state insurance department has personnel available to answer questions about auto insurance coverage.

How can care be paid for after a wreck?

Coverage depends on your policy and your situation, so this office cannot tell you what a policy will pay. What it can tell you is how most of its own accident patients handle it.

Most auto accident patients at Total Health & Injury Specialist are treated on an attorney lien basis. That arrangement generally allows eligible patients to receive treatment under a written agreement concerning payment from a potential settlement or recovery. Eligibility, financial responsibility and payment terms depend on the individual arrangement.

Two things to understand before you agree to one:

• A lien does not guarantee that treatment will be covered or that a legal claim will result in a settlement.
• Payment obligations may still apply even if a claim does not result in compensation.

The team can explain the process and the arrangements available before care begins. An attorney is not necessarily required to seek a chiropractic evaluation. See how care works after a car accident for the details.

What should come first, the paperwork or your health?

Your health. Severe pain, significant trauma, progressive weakness, loss of consciousness or new bowel or bladder dysfunction need urgent medical evaluation, whatever the insurance situation is.

Some injuries are easy to dismiss in the first few days, too. Read about headaches and concussion signs after a crash and numbness, weakness or trouble walking after a wreck. Neck pain has its own article.

What records does a chiropractor keep after a wreck?

This office keeps records of your visits, reported symptoms, exam findings and treatment. That includes your reported accident history, range-of-motion and neurological screening results, services provided and follow-up evaluations.

Accurate records support continuity of care and may be relevant to an insurance or personal injury claim. Clinical decisions are based on your needs and professional judgment, not on the status or potential value of a legal claim.

Where can I check an insurance company or agent?

The state’s website has a License Lookup to confirm that an insurance company or agent is licensed to sell insurance in Georgia. The state also warns that it is illegal for unlicensed insurers to sell insurance. If you buy from one, you have no guarantee that the coverage you pay for will ever be honored.

Why see Dr. Jackson after a wreck in Decatur?

Auto accident and personal injury care is a primary focus of this practice. Dr. Teresa Jackson examines you thoroughly, reviews her findings with you during the same visit and goes over a care plan before you leave. “She was in constant communication with my lawyer and made my process of getting better so smooth,” wrote Chea Taylor in a Google review.

The office is in Decatur at 5304 Panola Industrial Blvd, Suite E. Call (404) 734-9740 or contact the office.