Brookhaven has two very different main roads. Peachtree Road is lined with shops, restaurants and the Brookhaven/Oglethorpe MARTA station, and its stop-and-go traffic shares the road with people crossing to reach them. Buford Highway, on the other side of the city, is a wide, fast corridor where families walk to bus stops, markets and restaurants.
As a Brookhaven personal injury lawyer, Gary Huggins of Huggins Accident Injury Lawyer handles crashes on both, plus I-85, I-285 and North Druid Hills Road. Our office in Perimeter Center is about 10 to 15 minutes away outside rush hour, and Gary speaks Spanish.
Buford Highway: hurt on foot, in a crosswalk or not
Buford Highway is known across the region for its international restaurants and markets, and part of it runs through Brookhaven. It also has long stretches with few crosswalks and a history of pedestrian deaths. GDOT has added medians, crosswalks and lighting in places, yet people still cross mid-block to reach a bus stop or get home.
If you were hit there, two rules matter most:
- In a crosswalk, the driver yields. Georgia law puts the duty on the driver to stop for you and wait (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-91).
- Mid-block, fault gets weighed. A pedestrian crossing outside a crosswalk is supposed to yield to traffic (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-92), but that is not the end of the story. Under Georgia's 50% rule, a jury looks at everyone's share of fault, and a driver who was speeding or looking at a phone may bear the larger share. If you're less than 50% responsible, you can still recover, minus your share.
Report a hit-and-run to Brookhaven Police right away. When a driver flees, your uninsured motorist coverage may still pay, though Georgia attaches reporting and corroboration rules to those “John Doe” claims. If a MARTA bus was involved, special notice rules and shorter deadlines can apply. For more on what to do after a crash there, read our Buford Highway pedestrian safety guide.
If you or someone in your family was hit on Buford Highway, call (240) 421-5511. Gary habla español.
Peachtree Road, North Druid Hills and the interstates
Peachtree Road carries traffic from Buckhead through Brookhaven toward Chamblee. Along the way are Dresden Drive, the MARTA station, Oglethorpe University and Town Brookhaven, and rear-end and turning crashes happen where drivers slow for shops, side streets and the station. If you were riding in an Uber or Lyft along Peachtree Road, the rideshare company's insurance may also be in play.
North Druid Hills Road meets I-85 beside the Arthur M. Blank Hospital campus. Interstate ramps, hospital traffic and nearby offices keep it busy most of the day.
Two interstates frame the city, with I-85 near its southern edge and I-285's Top End near its northern edge. The Georgia State Patrol may work crashes on either.
Ashford-Dunwoody Road, Johnson Ferry Road, Dresden Drive and Clairmont Road carry neighborhood traffic across the city, past spots like Blackburn Park. The Peachtree Creek Greenway brings cyclists and walkers to road crossings, too.
Where Brookhaven crash victims are treated
Brookhaven sits between several hospitals. Depending on where you were hurt and how badly, an ambulance may take you to:
- Piedmont Atlanta Hospital, south on Peachtree Road in Buckhead
- Northside Hospital Atlanta or Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital on Pill Hill, just north across I-285
- Emory University Hospital on Clifton Road
- Grady Memorial Hospital, a Level I trauma center downtown, if the injuries are severe
For children, the likely destination is the Arthur M. Blank Hospital, part of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, which opened in 2024 off North Druid Hills Road and is a Level I pediatric trauma center.
Calling from a hospital bed is fine. Dial (240) 421-5511 and Gary can visit you there.
Brookhaven Police, your report and DeKalb court
The Brookhaven Police Department works most crashes in the city. To get the report, check BuyCrash.com a few days after the wreck (there's a small fee) or ask the department's records unit. Have your report number ready. If the wreck was on I-85 or I-285, the report may come from the Georgia State Patrol instead.
Treat the report as a starting point. The officer's fault opinion usually isn't admissible at trial, but the witness names, insurance details and diagram help build the claim.
Brookhaven is in DeKalb County. A Brookhaven injury lawsuit is often filed in the State Court of DeKalb County, inside the DeKalb County Courthouse on North McDonough Street in Decatur. Where a case goes depends on who is being sued; the at-fault driver's home county and the county of the crash are the usual candidates.
Call (240) 421-5511 and Gary will request the Brookhaven Police report and look for camera footage while it still exists.
Four Georgia rules, in plain words
| Rule | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Two-year deadline | Most injury and wrongful-death suits must be filed within two years (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33). A claim against a city needs written notice within 6 months; against a county, within 12. |
| The 50% bar | Fault of 50% or more bars recovery entirely. Anything less reduces your award by your percentage (O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33). |
| At-fault insurance | The driver who caused the crash pays through their liability policy. Georgia requires at least $25,000 in injury coverage per person ($50,000 per crash). |
| UM coverage | Your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage can fill the gap. Georgia's default since 2009 is added-on UM, which adds to the other driver's limits; reduced-by UM subtracts them. |
What happens in the first week after you call
When you call (240) 421-5511, a person answers, day or night. Here's what Gary typically does next.
He meets you where you are: a hospital room at Piedmont, your living room in Brookhaven, or a video call.
He takes over the insurance calls. Adjusters are told to contact him, not you, and you don't have to give the other driver's insurer a recorded statement.
He goes after evidence that disappears. On Buford Highway and Peachtree Road, that means asking businesses and apartment complexes for camera footage, requesting 911 audio and photographing the scene.
He checks every policy that might pay: the driver's liability coverage, your UM coverage and any med-pay.
He protects your deadlines, including the short government notice periods if a MARTA, city or county vehicle was involved.
Cases we take in Brookhaven
- Car accident lawyer in Brookhaven for wrecks on Peachtree Road, Buford Highway and I-85
- Truck crashes on I-85 and Buford Highway
- Motorcycle accidents in Brookhaven
- Pedestrian accidents on Buford Highway and Peachtree Road
- Wrongful death claims for Brookhaven families
- Bicycle crashes: Georgia requires drivers to give cyclists at least 3 feet when passing (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-56)
- MARTA and other bus accidents
From Brookhaven to Perimeter Center
Ashford-Dunwoody Road is the simplest route: take it north from Peachtree Road, across I-285, to Perimeter Mall. Our office is on Crown Pointe Parkway, on the mall's west side, about 10 to 15 minutes from most of Brookhaven outside rush hour.
Can't drive after the crash? Gary will come to you.
Talk to a Brookhaven personal injury lawyer today
Call (240) 421-5511 for a free consultation, in English or Spanish. You'll find Huggins Accident Injury Lawyer at 1050 Crown Pointe Parkway, Suite 500, Atlanta, GA 30338, in Perimeter Center, and for your injury claim there is no attorney's fee unless we recover compensation for you.
Free consultation. Gary meets Brookhaven clients at our Perimeter Center office, by video, or at home or in the hospital. (240) 421-5511
Cases we handle in Brookhaven
Pages for the most common claims we see in Brookhaven:
Questions people ask about brookhaven personal injury
Which police department handles a Buford Highway crash in Brookhaven?
It depends on exactly where you were. Brookhaven Police work crashes inside the city. Farther northeast, Buford Highway runs through Chamblee and Doraville, which have their own departments, and any stretch outside city limits is covered by DeKalb County Police. Look at the paperwork the officer handed you for the agency name and report number before you try to request the report.
What if a driver hit me on my bike near the Peachtree Creek Greenway?
You may have a claim against the driver and their insurer. Georgia requires drivers to leave at least 3 feet when passing a cyclist (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-56), and the usual rules apply: two years to file for most injuries, and no recovery if you're 50% or more at fault. Keep your damaged bike and gear, photograph the crossing or roadway, and note any cameras nearby.
What if the driver who hit me in Brookhaven had no insurance?
Look to your own auto policy. Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage can pay when the at-fault driver has no insurance or too little. Since 2009, Georgia policies default to “added-on” UM, which pays in addition to whatever the other driver carries, unless you chose “reduced-by” in writing. UM can also cover hit-and-runs if they're reported promptly, and there are technical steps to keep a UM claim alive.
How long do I have to bring a claim against MARTA?
Don't wait to find out. Because MARTA is a public transit authority, a claim against it may face immunity questions, special notice requirements and a deadline well short of the usual two years. If a MARTA bus or train was part of your crash, or you were hurt at or near the Brookhaven/Oglethorpe station, call right away so any required notice goes out on time.
Where will my child be treated after a crash in Brookhaven?
Injured children are often taken to a Children's Healthcare of Atlanta hospital: the Arthur M. Blank Hospital off North Druid Hills Road, which opened in 2024 and is a Level I pediatric trauma center, or Scottish Rite on Pill Hill. A child's own injury claim generally has more time, because the deadline usually doesn't start until age 18. The parents' separate claim for the child's medical expenses runs on a different clock, so call early.
Does Gary speak Spanish?
Yes. Gary Huggins speaks Spanish, so families along Buford Highway can explain what happened and ask questions in the language they're most comfortable with. He can meet you at our Perimeter Center office, at your home, in the hospital, or by phone or video. Bring any letters from insurance companies, even ones written in English, and he'll go through them with you.