Horst Shewmaker Expands Car Accident Representation for Augusta Residents Navigating New Legal Framework

AUGUSTA, GA - May 11, 2026 - PRESSADVANTAGE -

Horst Shewmaker, LLC has announced expanded legal representation services for Augusta and Richmond County residents affected by car accidents, as Georgia Senate Bill 68 creates significant changes to how injury claims are valued and litigated throughout the state.

Richmond County ranked among the top ten Georgia counties for traffic fatalities in recent data from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, reflecting Augusta's role as a regional hub where Interstate 20, Gordon Highway, and Wrightsboro Road carry both commuter and interstate freight traffic at volumes that generate recurring serious injury crashes. Augusta averages approximately 24 traffic collisions daily based on Georgia Department of Transportation crash data, with overall crash volume declining in recent years but fatal crash frequency rising.

The expanded services from Horst Shewmaker Augusta car accident lawyer teams address two critical changes under Senate Bill 68, signed April 21, 2025. The law's apportionment modification allows defendants in multi-vehicle crashes to shift blame to unnamed non-parties, giving defense attorneys in Augusta's high-volume Interstate 20 corridor crashes involving commercial trucks, delivery vehicles, and commuter traffic a new tool to dilute individual defendants' liability percentages and reduce what any single insurer owes.

Additionally, the phantom damages provision eliminates Augusta car accident victims' ability to claim the full billed amount from Augusta University Medical Center or Doctors Hospital. Victims with health insurance can now only recover what the insurer actually paid, which at negotiated rates may be 30 to 50 percent below the billed charge, directly reducing medical damages in claims where hospital treatment was the primary injury cost.

"The phantom damages change creates an inequitable situation where Augusta car accident victims with good health insurance may recover dramatically less in medical damages than uninsured victims who were billed at full rates," said Michael Horst, Attorney at Horst Shewmaker, LLC. "Building medical documentation under the new framework from the first treatment visit, before the insurer's records show only the paid amount, represents the key strategic difference between a fully compensated claim and one that falls short under the new rules."

Intersection-related crashes and distracted driver incidents account for the highest share of Augusta car accidents, according to state traffic safety data, with Washington Road, Gordon Highway, and Bobby Jones Expressway identified as recurrent high-crash corridors in Richmond County. Georgia recorded 367,523 total traffic crashes in 2024, resulting in 1,596 fatalities and more than 143,000 injuries.

The Augusta Car accident injury firm brings over 50 years of combined experience and has recovered more than $30 million for clients throughout Georgia. The firm's attorneys understand both the new Senate Bill 68 framework and the specific insurance carriers operating in Augusta's regional market, building claims that account for the phantom damages cap from the first treatment visit and that preserve evidence of all at-fault parties before apportionment arguments are raised in litigation.

Horst Shewmaker, LLC is a personal injury law firm representing car accident victims, injury clients, and Augusta-area residents throughout Georgia. The firm's attorneys have been voted Best of Georgia 2025 and handle car accident claims, motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, rideshare collisions, and catastrophic injury cases on a contingency fee basis, with no upfront costs and free case reviews available 24 hours a day.

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For more information about Horst Shewmaker, LLC Augusta, contact the company here:

Horst Shewmaker, LLC Augusta
Michael Horst
7065285920
info@horstshewmaker.com
930 Stevens Creek Rd Suite 1, Augusta, GA 30907