Hit by a Semi Truck in Georgia? What to Do and Who to Call

If you were hit by a semi truck in Georgia, call 911, get medical care, and photograph the truck’s company name and USDOT number before it leaves the scene. Then get the crash report, decline a recorded statement to the trucking company’s insurer, and talk to a lawyer before key records disappear. Trucking companies only have to keep hours-of-service records for 6 months (49 CFR 395.8(k)), so the first weeks matter. Here is the checklist, in the order you will need it.

At the scene

1. Call 911 and get medical care

Call 911 first. Georgia law requires drivers in a crash with an injury, a death, or apparent property damage of $500 or more to notify police immediately (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-273). Accept an ambulance if you need one, and get checked the same day even if you feel okay. Gaps in treatment are something the trucking insurer may point to later.

2. Photograph the truck, the trailer, and the scene

Photos taken in the first hour can be hard to replace later. If it is safe, capture:

1. The cab door. Federal rules require the carrier’s name and its “USDOT” number on both sides of the truck, readable from 50 feet (49 CFR 390.21). If the door says “operated by,” photograph the name that follows.
2. The trailer. Get its number, any company name, and its own license plate. The trailer owner may be a different company.
3. Both license plates, on the tractor and the trailer.
4. The scene. Vehicle positions, damage, skid marks, debris, traffic signals, signs, and weather.
5. Your injuries, and the inside of your car.

3. Exchange information and find witnesses

At a reportable crash, the officer must tell each driver to share names, addresses, the license plate number, and the liability insurer (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-273.1). Ask witnesses for a name and phone number before they leave. Note nearby cameras or dashcams. Do not argue about fault or apologize at the scene.

The first 24 hours

4. Get the crash report number

Ask the officer for the report number and which agency worked the crash. That could be the Atlanta Police Department, a county police department or sheriff, or the Georgia State Patrol. The Georgia Department of Transportation says police crash reports can be bought online through BuyCrash or requested by mail with GDOT’s request form. For a State Patrol crash, Georgia DPS says you can contact the local State Patrol post or its Open Records Unit at (404) 624-7591. Fees may apply under the Georgia Open Records Act.

5. Do not give a recorded statement to the trucking company’s insurer

The trucking company’s adjuster may call within a day or two and ask to record your account. Politely decline and say your lawyer will be in touch. Our guide to handling calls from insurance adjusters covers what to say.

6. Notify your own insurer

Report the crash to your own insurance company promptly, because most policies require prompt notice. In Georgia, auto policies include uninsured motorist (UM) coverage unless you rejected it in writing (O.C.G.A. § 33-7-11). By default, it is added to the at-fault driver’s liability coverage unless you chose otherwise in writing. If your policy includes medical payments (MedPay) coverage, it may help with medical bills; check your declarations page. Read more on uninsured motorist coverage in Georgia.

The first week

7. Look up the trucking company on FMCSA’s SAFER system

Use the USDOT number you photographed to look up the carrier on FMCSA’s free SAFER Company Snapshot. You can search by USDOT number, MC/MX number, or company name. FMCSA says the snapshot shows the company’s identification, size, cargo, inspection and out-of-service summary, crash data, and safety rating if it has one.

8. Send a preservation letter before records are lost

Speed matters because federal record rules are short. Hours-of-service records must be kept at least 6 months (49 CFR 395.8(k)), and driver vehicle inspection reports only 3 months (49 CFR 396.11). No federal rule requires a carrier to keep engine control module (ECM) data at all. A preservation letter puts the company on notice, and the Georgia Supreme Court has held that a defendant’s duty to preserve evidence arises when it knows or should know litigation is contemplated (Phillips v. Harmon, 297 Ga. 386 (2015)). See what evidence trucking companies keep after a crash.

9. Find out whether the driver was drug and alcohol tested

Federal rules require post-accident testing of the truck driver after any fatal crash (49 CFR 382.303). Testing is also required when the driver gets a moving-violation citation and someone is treated away from the scene or a vehicle is towed. The alcohol test should happen within 2 hours (the carrier must document why if not), with attempts stopping at 8 hours. Drug test attempts stop at 32 hours.

10. Start a medical and expense file

Follow your doctors’ advice. Keep every bill, receipt, and work note, and log missed workdays. For claims arising on or after April 21, 2025, evidence of what health insurance actually paid can be admitted (O.C.G.A. § 51-12-1.1), so keep your health insurance statements too.

The first 30 days

11. Identify everyone who may be responsible

A truck crash often involves more than one defendant:

• The driver, for unsafe driving.
• The motor carrier, for the driver’s conduct and for its own hiring and supervision. The Georgia Supreme Court allows negligent hiring and retention claims even when the company admits the driver was on the job (Quynn v. Hulsey, 2020).
• A freight broker. In Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, LLC (May 14, 2026), the U.S. Supreme Court held federal law does not preempt state negligent-hiring claims against brokers.
• Others whose negligence contributed. Georgia law apportions damages among everyone at fault (O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33).

Fault can be shared in crashes like a jackknife.

12. Understand the insurance

Interstate for-hire carriers must carry at least $750,000 in liability coverage for general freight, $1,000,000 for oil and certain hazardous materials, and $5,000,000 for certain other hazardous materials (49 CFR 387.9). For claims arising on or after July 1, 2024, you generally cannot sue the carrier’s insurer directly unless the carrier is insolvent or bankrupt, or the driver or carrier cannot be served after diligent effort (O.C.G.A. § 40-1-112(c)).

13. Mark your deadlines

Georgia generally gives you 2 years to file an injury lawsuit (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33) and 4 years for property damage (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-31). If a loved one died, see our page on wrongful death after a truck crash in Georgia.

14. Prepare for fault and seat-belt arguments

Under Georgia’s comparative fault rule, your damages drop by your share of fault, and you recover nothing if you are 50% or more at fault (O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33). Under the 2025 tort reform law, evidence that you were not wearing a seat belt can be admitted in lawsuits filed on or after April 21, 2025 (O.C.G.A. § 40-8-76.1(d)). Any party can also demand that fault be tried before damages (O.C.G.A. § 51-12-15).

15. Call a lawyer, and ask the right questions

Call a lawyer before you give any statement, and ideally in the first week, while the evidence is still there. Ask:

1. What experience do you have with tractor-trailer cases, and do you take cases to trial?
2. When will you send a preservation letter, and to whom?
3. Who will actually work on my case day to day?
4. What do I owe in fees and case costs if we do not recover anything?
5. Will you file suit if the insurer will not pay fair value?

Who to call after a semi truck crash in Georgia

• 911, from the scene.
• Your own auto insurer, to open a claim.
• The agency that worked the crash, for the report. Use BuyCrash or GDOT, or the Georgia DPS Open Records Unit for State Patrol crashes.
• FMCSA’s SAFER Company Snapshot, to look up the carrier.
• A truck accident lawyer. Flack Injury Law is an Atlanta firm in Midtown that represents injured people in truck crashes. Founding attorney Jonathan Flack has been licensed in Georgia since 2016. Before founding the firm, he spent two and a half years on the insurance side of commercial truck, tractor-trailer and medical transport van cases. He works directly on every case, and he speaks Spanish with clients without an interpreter. Learn more about our Atlanta truck accident attorney and Georgia truck accident attorney pages, or read this guide en español.

The firm recovered $650,000 for a client hurt in a head-on collision with a tractor-trailer in Peachtree City. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Frequently Asked Questions

Talk to a Georgia truck accident lawyer about your crash

If you were hit by a semi truck, Jonathan Flack can review your crash, send preservation letters, and explain your options in English or Spanish. Consultations are free.

There is no fee and no case cost unless the firm recovers money for you. Call Flack Injury Law at (678) 653-0309 or contact us online.

Related guides

• Atlanta truck accident attorney
• Georgia truck accident claims: laws, deadlines and insurance
• How Much Insurance Do Trucking Companies Carry in Georgia?
• What Evidence Does a Trucking Company Have to Keep After a Crash?
• Who Is at Fault in a Jackknife Truck Accident in Georgia?

See all our guides for people hurt in Georgia crashes.