[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/butlerfirm.com\/blog\/changes-in-atlanta-what-happens-when-you-call-911-after-a-car-accident\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/butlerfirm.com\/blog\/changes-in-atlanta-what-happens-when-you-call-911-after-a-car-accident\/","headline":"Changes in Atlanta (ATL): What Happens When You Call 911 After a Car Accident","name":"Changes in Atlanta (ATL): What Happens When You Call 911 After a Car Accident","description":"Dealing With Non-Injury Car Accidents in Atlanta Unfortunately, many of us have dealt with the annoyance and inconvenience of non-injury car accidents. Even more unfortunate,\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0also dealt with the annoyance and inconvenience of those who are directly involved with the car accident (most often, the party who is in the wrong). You know how it all… Continue reading Changes in Atlanta (ATL): What Happens When You Call 911 After a Car Accident<\/span><\/a>","datePublished":"2020-09-11","dateModified":"2026-04-17","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/butlerfirm.com\/blog\/author\/butler\/#Person","name":"Jeb Butler","url":"https:\/\/butlerfirm.com\/blog\/author\/butler\/","identifier":9,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f5a02bc71d91db5fc8645f129c4424ce6ef7af7e24fe54f4a85315a9dd28f317?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f5a02bc71d91db5fc8645f129c4424ce6ef7af7e24fe54f4a85315a9dd28f317?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Butler Kahn","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/butlerfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Butler-Law-Firm-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/butlerfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Butler-Law-Firm-Logo.png","width":210,"height":93}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/butlerfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/clark-van-der-beken-CSkriQWeTVs-unsplash.jpg","url":"https:\/\/butlerfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/clark-van-der-beken-CSkriQWeTVs-unsplash.jpg","height":496,"width":890},"url":"https:\/\/butlerfirm.com\/blog\/changes-in-atlanta-what-happens-when-you-call-911-after-a-car-accident\/","about":["Car Accident"],"wordCount":1208,"articleBody":"Dealing With Non-Injury Car Accidents in AtlantaUnfortunately, many of us have dealt with the annoyance and inconvenience of non-injury car accidents. Even more unfortunate,\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0also dealt with the annoyance and inconvenience of those who are directly involved with the car accident (most often, the party who is in the wrong).You know how it all goes down, right?You\u2019re\u00a0driving along in rush hour traffic, doing your best to bide your time and get home at a reasonable hour despite the craziness on the highway.\u00a0You\u2019re\u00a0minding your business and suddenly\u2014wham\u2014somebody\u2019s vehicle smashes into your vehicle. That sound of crunching metal on metal fills your ears. Thankfully,\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0not hurt. The person who hit\u00a0you?\u00a0They\u2019re\u00a0not hurt either, thank goodness.But your car is looking bleak. There\u2019s damage, there\u2019s\u00a0fault, and there needs to be someone to mediate this situation. So, you reach for your phone, you dial the police department, and you call for assistance.The cops come in a prompt manner and assist. They help you get off the road, out of the way, and do\u00a0their best to mediate and help you and the other party find a solution.You\u2019ve\u00a0probably been in this situation before.Now, however, part of that equation has changed dramaticallyThat sequence we described a minute\u00a0ago?\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0no longer the case.Now,\u00a0Atlanta Police will not respond\u00a0to car crashes within the Atlanta city limits in which no injuries have occurred.The announcement of this new, temporary police came in a post from\u00a0the Atlanta 311 Facebook page\u00a0on July 30, 2020.In other words, if\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0in a wreck and no one is hurt, the Atlanta Police Department will not be dispatched to help you.But what exactly does this policy state, and further, where did it come from and what does it mean for the people of Atlanta (like you) who now face the responsibility of dealing with non-injury car accidents without the assistance of police?Butler Kahn\u00a0is taking a good, hard look at this\u00a0temporary police spurred by the coronavirus pandemic and laying out what you need to know and\u00a0how\u00a0you can respond should you or a loved one regrettably end up in a non-injury auto accident.What Exactly Is This Policy? What Does it Mean?The new policy instated by the Atlanta Police Department on July 30 claims to be a temporary response to help limit the impact of COVID-19.As it stands, the policy states:\u201cTo protect the health and safety of our staff and customers, and to help mitigate the impact of COVID-19, the Atlanta Police Department will not be dispatched to the scene of non-injury automobile accidents.\u201d\u00a0Later, the post goes on to mention the appropriate response to these accidents by stating:\u201cIf you are involved in an automobile accident with no injuries, please complete the SR-13 form.\u201d\u00a0The policy, straightforward as it might be, didn\u2019t come in the form of a formal announcement\u2014instead, it was announced as a post from the\u00a0Atlanta 311 Facebook page, a customer-based information portal for city services that has just under 2,000 followers.The SR-13 form the policy mentions have been used in the past for accidents that have happened on private property. Now, they are to be the main procedure for all non-injury accidents that occur within city limits.Understanding the New, Temporary PolicyUltimately, what this policy means is that, should drivers end up in a car accident without injuries, the responsibility is up to both parties to fill out the appropriate forms, assigning fault, and determining liability.In the past, police officers have served multiple, necessary purposes when called to the scene of car accidents even when an injury\u00a0has not occurred. Often, they help both parties remove their cars safely from blocking traffic. They also act as mediators should tempers flare or conflict arises.And of course, police officers, in theory, are there to help determine liability and root out fraud. They act as a litmus test for honesty and an unbiased third-party to help distinguish what went wrong and\u00a0who\u2019s\u00a0at fault.Now, however,\u00a0all of\u00a0those responsibilities fall squarely on the shoulders of the parties involved in the accident.Should\u00a0someone call the police and insist that an officer come to the scene of a non-injury car accident, it\u2019s likely they\u2019ll respond with an SR-13 form, but there have been no current statements made that indicate whether a police officer will stay at the scene\u00a0of the accident to help determine fault or mitigate the risk of confrontation.Now, drivers are responsible for getting insurance information from the other party, separating themselves to avoid conflict, safely removing their vehicles from the road, determining their own role in the accident, and essentially act as their own investigators as they\u2019re not able to be 100% sure if the insurance information a driver is giving them is correct or valid.Drivers are responsible for being their own investigators now. With little-to-no help from police officers in non-injury car accidents, the entire responsibility of doing the right thing under the correct procedure is directly placed on the drivers.Further, there have been no public education courses or programs enacted or put in place before this change went into effect. With just a simple Facebook post, Atlanta citizens are expected to understand how this new procedure works, know where to access the necessary forms, and honestly and thoroughly conduct their own investigation of their fault in a car accident.Unfortunately, the entirety of the circumstances surrounding this policy\u2014temporary or not\u2014are rife with confusion and laden with backlash from citizens.Sifting through\u00a0what\u2019s\u00a0right and wrong in the midst of a pandemic can be complicated\u2014and without police involvement in pivotal moments like traffic accidents, that line can become even more blurred and difficult to navigate.This new policy\u2014though\u00a0created with the coronavirus pandemic in mind\u2014places the onus squarely on the shoulders of the drivers of the vehicles, AKA, the parties in the accident. Asking drivers to handle these issues without any police involvement or instruction can be complex\u2014and\u00a0often, this could leave the injured party at risk of never receiving reparations.At Butler Kahn,\u00a0we\u2019ll\u00a0do everything we can to assist you.If you or someone you know was involved in a non-injury auto accident within the city limits of Atlanta and you\u2019re unsure what happens next, contact Butler Kahn.We\u2019ll\u00a0help you sort through insurance paperwork, answer questions about the forms you need to file, and try to sift through the incident with you to ensure the reparations you deserve are fulfilled.Our highly trained and skilled professionals are here to work with you and provide you with the knowledge, advice, insight, and support you need during this time.At\u00a0Butler Kahn, we\u2019re committed to preserving your rights and protecting you\u2014don\u2019t hesitate to reach out to us for advice, insight, or legal muscle. We\u2019re proud to serve Atlanta and even prouder to stand with its citizens every step of the way as we all learn to navigate the new normal this pandemic has brought."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/butlerfirm.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Changes in Atlanta (ATL): What Happens When You Call 911 After a Car Accident","item":"https:\/\/butlerfirm.com\/blog\/changes-in-atlanta-what-happens-when-you-call-911-after-a-car-accident\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]