A blackout, a car left on the highway, and a tow nobody arranged

Q: How is a towed vehicle released in Georgia?

Generally against proof of ownership and identification, once the agency that ordered the tow issues release paperwork. Storage charges usually accrue daily, so delay is expensive.

Q: Does leaving a vehicle to get help count as abandoning it?

Leaving a vehicle to summon assistance is not necessarily abandonment. What has actually been charged will be stated on the citation, which is worth reading before assuming.

Q: What does Georgia require after a single-vehicle accident?

O.C.G.A. § 40-6-273 requires notice immediately, by the quickest means of communication, where the accident results in injury, death, or property damage to an apparent extent of $500.00 or more.

Question

I ran off the road because I blacked out. My phone was dead and I was on the highway, so I left the car to get help. By the time I returned the car was gone. After several days I found a towing company that said the sheriff had instructed them to collect it. The police told me to bring identification for the release forms and a case number. I expect a ticket for an abandoned vehicle. Is that what this is?

A. Jason Velez · Accepted Answer

Two separate things are happening: getting the vehicle back, and whatever the citation turns out to be. The first is procedural and solvable now. On the vehicle: what the police have described is the ordinary release process. The vehicle is held by the towing company, and it is released against proof of ownership and identification once the agency issues the paperwork. Storage accrues daily, which makes this the urgent half — a delay of a week can cost more than the citation. On the citation, the duty that is most likely in play is the reporting one. O.C.G.A. § 40-6-273 sets the duty: The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person or property damage to an apparent extent of $500.00 or more shall immediately, by the quickest means of communication, give notice of such accident… Leaving a vehicle to summon help is not obviously the same thing as abandoning it, and the statute is concerned with giving notice rather than with remaining beside the car. What the charge actually is will be on the paperwork, and it is worth reading before assuming. The blackout is a medical matter first. Losing consciousness at the wheel needs investigating for your own sake, and it may bear on your license independently of anything else. Get it looked at, and do not present it as an explanation to anyone before you know what caused it. ## What you can do 1. Collect the release paperwork and retrieve the vehicle now — storage charges accrue daily. 2. Ask the towing company in writing for an itemised statement of the charges. 3. Get the case number and ask the agency exactly what, if anything, has been charged. 4. See a doctor about the loss of consciousness, for your own sake as well as the record. 5. Speak to a Georgia attorney once you have the paperwork, before responding to any citation. ⏱ Time limits apply. Georgia sets deadlines for every kind of claim and they are shorter than most people expect. Confirm the one that governs your situation with a Georgia attorney before assuming there is time. A Georgia attorney can tell you quickly how the facts here line up, and most will look at a matter like this at no cost.

A blackout, a car left on the highway, and a tow nobody arranged

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