Wilmington Island car accident and injury lawyers.

HURT ON WILMINGTON ISLAND

An island community with no city hall

Wilmington Island sits east of Savannah, between Thunderbolt and Tybee Island, and about 15,000 people live here. It feels like part of Savannah, and many addresses here even say Savannah. But the island isn’t part of any city. That one fact shapes who writes your crash report and how long you have to act.

You don’t have to sort that out alone. Kenneth S. Nugent, P.C. handles Wilmington Island injury cases through the Savannah office that covers the islands. Across Georgia we’ve recovered more than $5 billion for over 300,000 clients in 45 years, from 9 offices. There’s nothing to pay up front, and zero fee unless we win.

Most days, getting on and off the island means Johnny Mercer Boulevard and Highway 80. When traffic backs up there, or a driver pulls out without looking, a short trip home can turn into weeks of doctor visits and calls from an adjuster who wants a quick answer.

Don’t sign anything an adjuster sends you, and don’t give a recorded statement, before we talk. The call is free, and it can keep you from a mistake you can’t take back.

Wrecks on Johnny Mercer Boulevard and Highway 80

Johnny Mercer Boulevard is the main road on Wilmington Island. It crosses Turner Creek from Whitemarsh Island and ends at US-80, the highway between Savannah and Tybee Island. A lot of island crashes happen along that corridor. Our lawyers who take car crash cases handle the report, the bills and the adjuster for you.

The intersection of Johnny Mercer and Highway 80, on the Whitemarsh side, sees some of the worst of it. In January 2020 a crash there killed one person, and the Georgia State Patrol led the investigation with county police on scene. In March 2020, Chatham County police worked a crash where one driver hit several cars along half a mile of Johnny Mercer near the highway.

People walk and ride bikes here, too, often on roads with little room at the edge. In June 2026 a man riding a bicycle on Wilmington Island Road was struck from behind at night and killed, and the driver left the scene. If a driver hit you while you were walking or riding, our attorneys for people hit on foot or on a bike can explain your options.

Summer weekends bring beach traffic through on US-80. A crash past the Bull River bridge, on the road out to Tybee or on the island itself, can involve different police and different deadlines, and what changes once you reach Tybee is covered on its own page.

Which police agency writes the report on the island?

On Wilmington Island, the Chatham County Police Department usually writes the crash report. The island is unincorporated, which means it sits outside any city’s limits, so there’s no city police department here. The Georgia State Patrol sometimes takes over serious or fatal crashes. Savannah police don’t cover the island.

For a county police report, the Records Unit is at 295 Police Memorial Drive in Savannah. Reports are generally ready within three business days, or you can buy a copy online right away through the county’s crash report service. Bring your driver’s license if you pick it up in person, along with the case number from the card the officer handed you.

The agency that shows up isn’t always the one you’d guess. After the June 2026 bicycle crash on Wilmington Island Road, county police went to the driver’s home, and a State Patrol crash reconstruction specialist handled the investigation. Write down the officer’s name and agency if you can, or let us find out.

Where it happened	Who usually has your report
Wilmington Island, Whitemarsh Island or Talahi Island	Chatham County Police Department Records Unit, 295 Police Memorial Drive
A serious or fatal crash, often on US-80	Sometimes the Georgia State Patrol
Inside Savannah city limits	Savannah Police Department
Inside the Town of Thunderbolt	Thunderbolt Police Department
On Tybee Island	Tybee Island Police Department

Got a ticket from county police? Tickets written in unincorporated Chatham County generally go to Recorder’s Court of Chatham County, in the courthouse at 133 Montgomery Street. That case is separate from your injury claim, so talk to us before you pay it. For the bigger picture, here is every agency that writes crash reports in Chatham County.

Not sure who has your report? Call 912-715-9288. Give us the date and the nearest cross street, and we’ll track it down.

Falls, dog bites and job injuries on the islands

Not every injury on Wilmington Island involves a car. People get hurt falling at grocery stores, restaurants, docks and vacation rentals. When an owner knew about a hazard and didn’t fix it, our lawyers for falls at stores and rentals can tell you whether you have a claim, and what it may be worth.

Hurt at work? Georgia workers’ comp usually covers people injured on the job, whether you work at a marina, a restaurant or a job site across the river. Our lawyers for people hurt at work can help with the claim and any dispute over your benefits.

If a dog bit you or your child at a neighbor’s house or in a park, our attorneys for dog bite cases can explain what Georgia law expects from the owner. A fall caused by a county sidewalk or county property can bring in the county notice deadline below.

Is there a shorter deadline when the county is involved?

Most Georgia injury lawsuits must be filed within two years. Claims against a government move faster. Because Wilmington Island has no city government, there’s no six-month city deadline for a crash here. If Chatham County played a part, written notice is generally due within twelve months. The State of Georgia generally allows twelve months as well.

That written notice is called an ante litem notice, which is Latin for “before the suit.” It’s a formal letter you must send the county or the State before you’re allowed to sue. Miss the deadline or leave out a required detail, and the claim can be lost.

Who caused the harm	Deadline to send notice	Georgia law
Chatham County (a county vehicle, a county worker or a county road)	Generally 12 months	O.C.G.A. § 36-11-1
The State of Georgia or GDOT (US-80 and other state routes)	Generally 12 months	O.C.G.A. § 50-21-26
A private driver, business or property owner	Generally 2 years to file suit	O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33

A crash just across the water can change the rules. Tybee Island and Thunderbolt each have their own local government, so a claim against either one can carry the shorter six-month city deadline. We keep the county and state notice rules on one page, along with the courts that hear these cases.

Was a county vehicle or a county road involved? Call 912-715-9288 this week. Twelve months goes by faster than most people expect.

Injuries that change a family’s whole life

Some crashes leave injuries that never fully heal. A brain injury, a spinal cord injury or the loss of a loved one means the claim has to cover years of care, lost income and a family’s future, not only the first stack of bills. We bring in doctors and life care planners early, so nothing gets left out.

A head injury can hide at first, and a normal scan in the ER doesn’t always rule one out. Our lawyers for serious head injuries know what to watch for. If you lost someone, our lawyers who help families after a death will explain who can bring a claim in Georgia and move at a pace your family can handle.

The drive from the islands to downtown Savannah

Our office is at 1 Bull Street, Suite 400, in downtown Savannah. From Wilmington Island, take Johnny Mercer Boulevard to US-80 and head west onto Whitemarsh Island. Pick up the Islands Expressway there, cross the Wilmington River, and follow it onto President Street into downtown. Bull Street is a few blocks away.

Office hours and a map are on the Savannah office’s main page. A lot of the early work can happen by phone, so you may not need to make the drive at all. Too hurt to travel? Tell us, and we’ll come to you.