Georgia’s Crash Victims Wait Nearly 44 Minutes for Help

If you get into a car crash in Georgia, the ambulance that is your life line will be slower getting to you than it would be in 47 other states.

🚨 Why It Matters: The difference between a 30-minute ambulance ride and a 44-minute one isn’t just inconvenience — it’s the difference between the “golden hour” that saves lives and the leaden minutes that end them.

📊 By the Numbers: Georgia ranks second-worst in the nation for emergency medical response times following fatal vehicle crashes, according to new research from personal injury law firm H&P Law that analyzed National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data from 2018 to 2022.

The average time from crash to hospital arrival in Georgia: 43.98 minutes. That’s 44% longer than the national average of 30.62 minutes.

⏱️ The Timeline: Georgia’s response times fluctuated over the five-year study period. The state hit its slowest mark in 2020 at 44.89 minutes — perhaps unsurprising given that year’s particular chaos — and managed its fastest response in 2019 at 42.68 minutes. Still slower than most of America, and like most stats in Georgia, nothing to brag about.

🏥 What Doctors Know: Medical professionals call the first 60 minutes after a traumatic injury the “golden hour.” It’s not poetic language. It’s the window when intervention can prevent shock, organ failure, and death. Georgia’s average response time eats up nearly three-quarters of that window before a victim even reaches a hospital door.

“These extended response times put accident victims at significant risk,” a spokesperson for H&P Law said. “When medical assistance is delayed, the likelihood of fatal outcomes increases dramatically.”

🔧 The Fix: The law firm’s analysis suggests several potential remedies: enhanced emergency response systems, strategic placement of emergency medical units, improved rural road infrastructure, addressing staffing shortages, and advanced training for first responders.

All sensible solutions. All requiring funding, coordination, and political will — three resources that tend to arrive even slower than Georgia’s ambulances.

🗺️ The Bigger Picture: Georgia isn’t alone in its sluggish response times, though it’s near the top of the wrong list. The study examined urban areas across all 50 states, measuring total elapsed time from crash to hospital arrival. The data reveals a patchwork of emergency medical systems across America, some functioning smoothly and others leaving victims waiting while the clock — and their chances — tick away.

In case you were wondering, the only state with a slower response time than Georgia is Alabama, with a response time of 44:53. Seven of the 10 worst states for response times were in The South. Maryland had the best response time in the nation with 23 minutes.

📚 The Sources:

• H&P Law study analyzing NHTSA data (2018-2022)
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash data
• H&P Law spokesperson statement