How to recover damages from a car accident and serve court papers
Ann calls in to tell about being rear-ended in an auto accident last Easter. The uninsured driver clause in her own policy only paid out for the medical claims. It did not cover her property damage. Ann is now trying to get compensation from the other motorist (a teenager) and the owner of the vehicle (the mother) through a lawsuit. The papers must be served on the two women. Yet, the grandmother at the residence is possibly shielding the women from receiving the court papers. Ann wants to know, what are her options for getting the papers served without having to hire a private investigator?
The first thing is that Ann has not gotten all the compensation due to her from her own insurance policy. In the state of Georgia, the uninsured motorist clause must cover both medical and property damage.
Concerning her question about serving the court papers, she learns that in the case of uninsured driver or motorist, there are special allowances. Since she has been trying to serve the papers since just before last Christmas, she can now go back to the court house and file a claim that she has done everything she can to serve the defendants. Once her claim is filed, she can then “serve by publication” and present this evidence to her insurance company.
