Dunwoody Car Accident and Injury Lawyers

AFTER THE ACCIDENT

Hurt on I-285, Ashford Dunwoody Road or at Perimeter Center?

Dunwoody became a city on December 1, 2008, and about 52,000 people live there today. Before that it was unincorporated DeKalb County, patrolled by county police. Now the city runs its own police department. I-285 runs along the south edge of the city, GA 400 sits just past the west edge, and Perimeter Mall and the office towers around it pull in traffic from all over the metro every weekday.

Here’s what catches people. Perimeter Center doesn’t sit in one county. The mall and most of the towers east of the line are in Dunwoody and DeKalb, but the county line runs straight through the district a few hundred yards west of the mall, and the hospitals on Peachtree Dunwoody Road are in Sandy Springs and Fulton. A wreck on the I-285 ramps or a fall in a parking deck can land on either side, and the side decides the police, the courts and the clock. Maybe someone cut across three lanes for the Ashford Dunwoody exit, or turned left in front of you on Chamblee Dunwoody Road. Now you’re sore and an adjuster wants a statement. Our Atlanta office handles Dunwoody cases and can tell from a street name which side of the line you were on.

Don’t sign anything an insurance company sends you, whether it’s a statement, a medical release or a check, before you’ve talked with an attorney.

Where it happened	Whose ground it is	What that can mean for you
Ashford Dunwoody Road, Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Mount Vernon Road and Perimeter Mall	The City of Dunwoody, in DeKalb County	Dunwoody Police write the report. A claim against the city runs on a six-month notice clock.
West across the county line, including the hospitals on Peachtree Dunwoody Road	The City of Sandy Springs, in Fulton County	Sandy Springs Police, Fulton courts, and Sandy Springs is the city to notify
I-285 along the south edge of the city	A state interstate	A city officer or a state trooper writes the report. A defect in the road itself points to the state.
Northeast past Winters Chapel Road	Gwinnett County	A different county, with different police, courts and deadlines. Call us and we will sort it out.
Southeast along Peachtree Industrial Boulevard	Often Chamblee or Doraville	That city’s police write the report, and that city is the one to notify, on six months.
A lawsuit over any of these	Usually tied to who you sue and where they are based	Often the State Court of DeKalb County, in Decatur

So “it happened at Perimeter” leads to one more question: which county? For how the DeKalb side works, read about DeKalb County rules for Dunwoody crashes.

Car and truck accidents in Dunwoody

Most Dunwoody crashes happen on I-285, Ashford Dunwoody Road, Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Mount Vernon Road and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. The I-285 exits at Ashford Dunwoody and Chamblee Dunwoody back up every rush hour, and drivers fighting for a lane at the last second cause a lot of the wrecks we see.

A wreck with a delivery van, a contractor’s truck or a rideshare driver can bring a commercial policy and an employer into the claim. We start by finding every policy behind car wreck claims in Dunwoody. If a tractor-trailer hit you on the Perimeter, read how we handle Dunwoody truck crashes, and see our guide to I-285 wrecks along the Dunwoody stretch for how the loop splits between counties. Riding a motorcycle? Our page for riders hurt in Dunwoody explains what changes on two wheels.

People walk between Dunwoody station, the mall and the office towers all day, across wide streets and garage entrances. If a car hit you or someone you love on foot, read about pedestrians hit in Dunwoody. The other side is quick to blame the person walking. We are not.

Falls, dog bites and workplace injuries in Dunwoody

Falls in stores and parking decks, dog bites and injuries at work happen all over Dunwoody, from Perimeter Mall and the restaurants in Dunwoody Village to the office towers around the station. Who owned or controlled the spot where you were hurt decides how the claim works, and if a government owned it, the rules get stricter.

If you slipped on a wet floor or tripped in a garage, our page on Dunwoody slip and fall claims explains what an owner had to know. Hurt on the job? Workers’ comp has its own forms and deadlines, and our workers’ comp help for Dunwoody workers walks through them. A fall on a city sidewalk or in a city park puts the city’s short notice clock in play. Some claims against governments are limited by law.

Serious injuries and wrongful death

A serious wreck on I-285 can change a family’s life in one afternoon. Dunwoody has no trauma center of its own. The hospitals at Perimeter Center sit across the county line in Sandy Springs, and the worst injuries are often sent on to a designated trauma center. A brain injury, a spinal injury or a death means years of care.

Early offers arrive before anyone knows those costs. If your family lost someone, read about wrongful death claims after a Dunwoody crash. If the harm happened during treatment afterward, our page on when hospital care after a Dunwoody wreck makes things worse explains the extra steps Georgia requires. Our guide to trauma care after a Dunwoody crash explains where the ambulance goes and why. Kenneth S. Nugent, P.C. has helped injured Georgians since 1980. You pay nothing up front, and there’s zero fee unless we win.

How long do you have to file a claim in Dunwoody?

A claim against a driver or a business in Georgia generally has a two-year deadline to file suit. If a government played a part, written notice can be due much sooner. For the City of Dunwoody, that’s generally six months. For DeKalb County or the state, generally twelve. Near the county line, the rules can change fast.

Who you’re claiming against	What usually comes first	How long, generally
The driver, or the company the driver worked for	A claim with their insurer, then a lawsuit if needed	Two years to file suit, under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33
The City of Dunwoody, including a Dunwoody police car or a city street	A written ante litem notice to the city	Six months, under O.C.G.A. § 36-33-5
A neighboring city, such as Sandy Springs, Chamblee or Doraville	A written ante litem notice to that city	Six months, under O.C.G.A. § 36-33-5
DeKalb County, for a county vehicle or a county facility	A written notice to the county	Twelve months, under O.C.G.A. § 36-11-1
The State of Georgia, for a defect on I-285 or Peachtree Industrial Boulevard	A written ante litem notice to the state	Twelve months, under O.C.G.A. § 50-21-26

Ante litem is Latin for “before the lawsuit.” It’s a letter a government must get before it can be sued. Here’s where Dunwoody catches people. Before 2008, a broken signal on a Dunwoody side street was DeKalb County’s to answer for, on twelve months. Now most of those streets belong to the city, and the city clock is six. Cross into Sandy Springs and it’s a different city, in a different county.

Hurt in Dunwoody in the last few weeks? Call us today at 404-609-1075. We’ll work out which side of the county line you were on and which clock applies to you.

Who has your crash report in Dunwoody?

Inside the city, Dunwoody Police answer calls and write crash reports. West across the county line, Sandy Springs Police do. Southeast in Chamblee or Doraville, that city’s police do. On I-285 it may be a Dunwoody officer or a Georgia State Patrol trooper. Check the agency printed on the officer’s card.

Where it happened	Who usually responds	Who to ask for the report
Anywhere inside Dunwoody	Dunwoody Police	Dunwoody Police, 4800 Ashford Dunwoody Road, or the city’s online records request
I-285 along the south edge	A Dunwoody officer or a Georgia State Patrol trooper	The agency named on the officer’s card
Across the line in Sandy Springs	Sandy Springs Police	Sandy Springs Police records
Chamblee or Doraville	That city’s police	That city’s police department
A MARTA bus, or Dunwoody station	MARTA Police	MARTA Police

The city says open records requests, crash reports included, get a response within three business days, and you can also ask in person at City Hall on weekdays. Tickets written by Dunwoody officers go to the city’s municipal court, which doesn’t decide your injury claim. Lost the card? Our crash report help for Dunwoody drivers walks through each agency and what to bring.

Getting to the Atlanta office from Dunwoody

Our office is at 1355 Peachtree Street NE in Midtown. By car, take I-285 west to GA 400 south, stay on it as it joins I-85 south, and exit for 14th Street and 10th Street in Midtown. By train it’s simpler. Dunwoody station, next to Perimeter Mall, is on the Red Line. Ride south to Arts Center station, a short walk from the office. Our guide to MARTA claims for Dunwoody riders covers a fall at the station or a crash on a bus. Can’t make the trip? Call the Midtown office that serves Dunwoody and much of the early work can happen by phone.