Earlier in the summer, Atlanta police announced that they would not be responding to accidents that didn’t involve injuries. However, a few weeks later, they took that statement pack and said that they would respond if help was requested. The word circulating the street is that the response is slow, and there are a lot of times that Atlanta police still aren’t actually making it out to crash sites.
There are two reasons for this major disruption in everyday people not getting the help they need from the Atlanta Police Department. First is the major draw of attention away from seemingly minor incidences such as traffic accidents. Atlanta police are dealing with much bigger issues on a daily level, but the people who are missing out are the ones who rely on Atlanta police the most. Second is the pandemic. There is some concern that if police catch coronavirus, then our police force will be substantially lower.
Here is exactly what you should do if the Atlanta police don’t respond to your accident. Among other things, you should contact an Atlanta car accident attorney for guidance.
Exchange Information
If you’re well enough to step out of the vehicle, then grab your insurance card, driver’s license, and your cell phone. Exchanging information is pretty easy, and thanks to cameras on cell phones, you can just take pictures rather than taking notes.
The other driver will also need your information, it seems like you’re giving out a lot of information, but this is how they’re going to find your insurance policy and open their claim. You’re going to do that very same thing with their information, so think of it as an even exchange.
After exchanging all the insurance information, and the information on your driver’s license, you also need to know what type of car they’re driving and takedown or snap a photo, their license plate.
Take Tons of Pictures
There might be an issue with too many selfies on one phone, but there is no such thing as an overload of pictures of a crash site. When police respond to a crash site, they often have skilled photographers come out and take pictures, or they do it themselves. They use higher quality cameras than most of us have access to, and they do this almost daily, so their photography skills are pretty developed.
When taking photos, snap away. Make sure you don’t let those photos make it onto social media. Pictures of the crumpled hood, the dented tire well, the smashed driver-side door, or slightly scratched bumper. It doesn’t matter how extensive the damage has. You want to make sure that you are recorded at that moment.
Now, property damage is certainly one element to consider when taking photos, but also injuries. If you have any injuries, even if it’s just mild bruising or a small scrape, take a picture.
Head to an Urgent Care Center
Normally people advised those who were in a car accident to go to the emergency room. If you need emergency medical attention, then contact 911. If you need emergency attention, contact the hospital that you’re heading toward to let them know that you’re coming in, you’re in a car accident, and whether or not you have symptoms of COVID-19.
If you don’t need emergency attention, but you need medical attention, then head to an urgent care center. Urgent care centers are often equipped to handle the same issues that people go to the emergency room.
For example, even something as serious as a broken bone can be handled at your local Urgent Care Center. In fact, if the break or fracture is so traumatic that the Urgent Care Center can’t handle it, it’s likely that the emergency room staff couldn’t handle it either, and both facilities would refer you to an orthopedic specialist.
Call the Weinstein Firm if Atlanta Police Don’t Respond to a Car Accident
At the Weinstein firm, we’re seeing a pretty high number of people reporting that Atlanta police just never made it to their car accident site. We understand the strain that the Atlanta Police Department is under right now, and we know that it’s impacting people on an everyday level. If Atlanta Police Department officers didn’t make it out to your crash scene, that doesn’t mean that you didn’t have any injuries.
Sit down and speak with us at the Weinstein Firm about the injuries you sustained during your Atlanta crash, and the property damage involved. Our skilled attorneys have years of experience working in Atlanta and helping everyday people resolve accidents.
