You were walking to the Medical Center MARTA station, crossing Roswell Road to a bus stop, or heading into an appointment on Pill Hill. A driver who should have stopped didn't.
Gary Huggins is a Sandy Springs pedestrian accident lawyer at Huggins Accident Injury Lawyer in Perimeter Center. He helps people hurt on foot deal with the driver's insurer, the medical bills and Georgia's crosswalk rules. Someone picks up (240) 421-5511 24 hours a day.
First steps, if you can manage them
A family member can handle these while you rest:
- Ask for the Sandy Springs Police report number, or the State Patrol's if a trooper came.
- Keep the clothes and shoes from the crash as they are; don't wash or toss them.
- Photograph the spot: the crosswalk or the lack of one, the signal, the streetlights and any bus stop nearby.
- Save the names and numbers of anyone who stopped to help.
- Tell the driver's insurer you'll answer in writing later. Georgia law doesn't make you give it a recorded statement.
Where drivers hit people on foot in Sandy Springs
Near the MARTA stations. Sandy Springs has three Red Line stops: Medical Center, Sandy Springs and North Springs. Riders walk to the platform and back, often across busy roads and station driveways where drivers hurry to park or catch a train.
On Pill Hill. Patients, visitors and staff cross Peachtree-Dunwoody Road and the streets around Northside Hospital Atlanta, Emory Saint Joseph's and Scottish Rite at all hours. Some are walking slowly after a procedure, using a cane or pushing a wheelchair. Drivers watching for their turn or a parking space may never look at the crosswalk.
Along Roswell Road. Apartments and bus stops sit on one side, groceries and pharmacies on the other, and on parts of the road the next signal is a long walk away. That's when people cross mid-block, and when insurers start talking about fault.
At City Springs and the shopping centers. Crowds heading to events, diners and shoppers walk between parking and their destination while drivers circle for a space.
Hit near a MARTA station or on Roswell Road? Call (240) 421-5511. Gary speaks Spanish and can meet you at home, in the hospital or in rehab.
Crosswalk or not: how Georgia decides fault
Georgia's crosswalk law favors the person on foot. Under O.C.G.A. § 40-6-91, a driver must stop and stay stopped for a pedestrian in a crosswalk on the driver's half of the road, or one approaching closely from the other half.
Outside a crosswalk, the rule flips: the person walking must yield to traffic (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-92). But a mid-block crossing doesn't, by itself, defeat your claim. Georgia splits fault by percentage under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33. You recover nothing at 50% or more, and below that, your award is reduced by your share.
A driver who was speeding, holding a phone in violation of the Hands-Free Georgia Act (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-241) or simply not watching the road can still carry a share of the blame. Lighting, sight lines and the car's own speed data can shift those percentages. Read more about Georgia's 50% rule.
Paying for care after you were hit on foot
A car-versus-person crash can mean a broken leg or pelvis, a head injury or months of rehab. Georgia is an at-fault state, so the driver's liability insurer comes first, but the minimum it must carry is just $25,000 per injured person.
Other sources can help:
- Your own UM coverage, or a household member's, may pay when the driver had too little insurance or none, even though you weren't driving. Added-on UM stacks on the driver's limits; reduced-by UM subtracts them. Our guide to Georgia UM coverage explains the difference.
- Med-pay and your health insurance can cover treatment while the claim is pending.
- Hospital liens: Georgia hospitals and some providers can place liens on an injury settlement (O.C.G.A. § 44-14-470), so the bills have to be tracked from the start.
If you were hurt on or after April 21, 2025, SB 68 also matters: jurors may be told what your health plan paid, and treatment arranged on a letter of protection is open to the defense (O.C.G.A. § 51-12-1.1). Keep every bill and benefits statement.
If your child was the one hit, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Scottish Rite is close by on Pill Hill. The deadline rules for children are different; see the FAQ below.
If the driver drove away
Georgia requires a driver in an injury crash to stop, give information and help the injured person (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-270). Fleeing is a crime, and until police find the driver, there's no driver's insurance to claim against. Your own UM can cover a hit-and-run, but the law has reporting and corroboration requirements, so report it to Sandy Springs Police right away and get the names of anyone who saw it.
A pending criminal case may extend your filing deadline under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-99, but courts decide that case by case. No one should rely on it.
A city truck, a MARTA bus or a broken signal
When a government vehicle hit you or a public hazard played a part, written notice comes due long before the usual two-year lawsuit deadline (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33):
- City of Sandy Springs: within 6 months (O.C.G.A. § 36-33-5)
- Fulton County: within 12 months (O.C.G.A. § 36-11-1)
- The State of Georgia, including GDOT: within 12 months (O.C.G.A. § 50-21-26)
- MARTA: special notice rules and shorter deadlines can apply
Governments are also immune from many claims unless the law waives that protection. See our page on bus and MARTA accidents, and call (240) 421-5511 early so each agency gets proper notice.
What Gary does in the first week
Gary goes to the spot where you were hit at the same hour of day, to see what the driver could have seen. He sends preservation letters for apartment, storefront and parking-deck video, 911 audio and the car's crash data. He also tracks down witnesses, including bus riders and neighbors who may have seen the car.
He takes over the adjusters' calls, maps every policy that might pay, and starts a running file of your bills, lost pay and liens. Gary handles pedestrian cases for a contingency fee, so there's no attorney's fee unless we recover compensation for you.
If you can't drive right now
Driving may be off the table while you heal. On MARTA's Red Line, Dunwoody station, near our office, sits between the Medical Center and Sandy Springs stations. Or skip the trip: Gary will come to your home, hospital room or rehab center, or talk by phone or video.
For more on Georgia pedestrian law, see our Atlanta pedestrian accident attorney page, and for other injuries in town, our Sandy Springs personal injury lawyer page.
Talk to a Sandy Springs pedestrian accident lawyer today
A free consultation is one call away at (240) 421-5511, any hour of the day. Gary's office is at 1050 Crown Pointe Parkway, Suite 500, Atlanta, GA 30338, near the Dunwoody MARTA station, and he speaks Spanish (accidentes peatonales en español).
Free consultation. Gary meets Sandy Springs clients at our Perimeter Center office, by video, or at home or in the hospital. (240) 421-5511
Other Sandy Springs cases
Pedestrian accident attorney in nearby communities
Questions people ask about Sandy Springs pedestrian accident claims
What if I was crossing Roswell Road outside a crosswalk?
You may still have a claim. Georgia expects a person crossing outside a crosswalk to yield to traffic (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-92), so the insurer will say part of the fault is yours. But the driver's speed, phone use and attention still count, and so does the lighting. Georgia's 50% rule still lets you recover, minus your share, if a jury finds you less than half to blame (O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33).
Will my own car insurance help if I was hit while walking?
It may. Your uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM) coverage, or a policy belonging to a relative you live with, may pay when the driver had no insurance or not enough, even though you weren't in a car. If your auto policy includes med-pay, it can cover medical bills even when fault is disputed. Gary reads the declarations pages with you to see what applies and whether your UM is added-on or reduced-by.
How long do we have if our child was hit by a car in Sandy Springs?
Georgia generally pauses the deadline on a child's own injury claim until the child turns 18 (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-90). Your claim as a parent for the child's medical bills is treated differently, and evidence fades either way. If your child was treated at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Scottish Rite or another hospital, keep every bill and record, and call early so the right deadlines are identified.
A driver hit me in Sandy Springs and left. What should I do?
Call 911 and report it to Sandy Springs Police right away, even if you're already home. Georgia's UM law can cover a hit-and-run, but it has requirements about reporting and proof, so a prompt police report matters. Write down anything you remember about the car, keep the clothes and shoes you were wearing, and ask nearby businesses to save their video. If police identify the driver later, that driver's insurance may come into play.
Does it matter that I was hit in a parking lot?
The driver still had to take care around you, so the claim against the driver and his or her insurer works much the same way. A parking lot or deck, like those at Roswell Road shopping centers or the Pill Hill hospitals, can add another possible defendant. Georgia property owners must use ordinary care to keep their premises safe for customers and visitors (O.C.G.A. § 51-3-1), so a known hazard, like a broken light, may matter.