Savannah police crash victims face $500k settlement cap despite higher accident rates
SAVANNAH, Ga. — Savannah police officers get into crashes at more than twice the rate of Atlanta police, leaving victims with limited financial recourse compared to accidents involving private citizens, a WTOC investigation found.
WTOC Investigates previously found that people are over two times more likely to get into a crash with a police officer in Savannah than in Atlanta. GDOT data shows from January 2022 to April 2025, the Savannah Police Department was involved in 469 crashes, while Atlanta Police Department was involved in 680 crashes in the same period. But Savannah is much smaller than Atlanta, meaning SPD officers get in crashes at double the rate of Atlanta PD officers.
Luther Roberts had his life forever altered after a 2019 crash in which a Savannah Police Department officer t-boned him while passing in a no-passing zone and going more than 40 miles over the speed limit. The crash left Roberts without a leg and in a coma for three months.
The 2019 crash that changed everything
Roberts was riding his motorcycle on Mills B Lane Boulevard near Derst Bakery on March 21, 2019, when he was turning into a parking lot. Officer Matthew Clay collided with him while responding to a robbery call.
“I saw the cop. He was parked further down by, like, the entrance to the, I think it’s the middle school,” Roberts said. “I started to turn, and then I saw a light, like, just light. And the next thing I know, I was in the hospital.”
An investigation by Georgia POST found Clay was driving over 80 miles per hour at the time of the crash. Clay didn’t help Roberts because he was on fire and thought Roberts was debris from the accident. A bystander saved Roberts instead.
“It was like what they call traumatic amputation. So when the car hit me, it just took my leg with it,” Roberts said.
Roberts spent four and a half months in the hospital, only conscious for the last month. He dealt with a brain injury, organ damage, burns, memory loss, headaches, damage to his hand and depression, in addition to losing his leg.
Clay was suspended from SPD for 40 hours and indicted on a misdemeanor reckless driving charge, but the case was dropped after he completed a pre-trial diversion program. He now works for the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office.
Ongoing health struggles
“They started like rehab in the hospital. And I still had like procedures weekly, like two procedures per week, at least. It was just a lot of things to deal with,” Roberts said.
Six years later, Roberts continues to face health struggles from the crash.
“I’m forever seeing the doctor for something. It’s, it’s an ongoing thing. It’s gonna be a life thing because it’s always some adjustment or, or something that needs to be done,” he said.
Settlement limitations under Georgia law
Roberts is one of 216 people the City of Savannah has settled claims with since 2019 after crashes involving SPD officers. The city has paid out close to $4 million to those 216 people. Roberts received $500,000.
“It didn’t even take care of the past medical needs. So, I still have bills from the accident, let alone the treatments that I still need,” Roberts said.
Georgia law dictates that $500,000 is the highest amount an individual involved in an accident with a police officer or another government entity can recover through the claims process, unless a municipality has higher coverage. Despite the number of claims settled, the City of Savannah does not have higher coverage.
Personal injury attorney Maria Justus, who has litigated cases like Roberts’, said victims can still try to sue but it’s not always realistic.
“A lot of times, it’s the immediacy of the need. You know, they’ve been out of work, or they have medical bills, or other things that they have to tend to financially as a result of the wreck. Waiting to go through the litigation process, you know, to its fullest extent, to a jury trial is sometimes just not viable for these people,” Justus said.
Calls for legislative change
Justus said she has seen cases where $500,000 doesn’t cover all medical bills and is calling on state legislators to make changes.
“We elect people and people, you know, in the General Assembly to determine these amounts. Our sincere hope is that the needs of the people in which that they affect are taken into account. Perhaps those numbers don’t need to be what they are today and by what we’re seeing happening,” she said.
Roberts is one of three people to receive the $500,000 maximum settlement from the city since 2019. Another recipient called the litigation process to get that money more traumatic than the crash itself.
“It’s a pretty heavy burden. It definitely causes stress. And, I mean, kind of restrictions on growth. You know, everybody wanna be at the point where they, you know, hopefully make it to an age where you retire and you can just enjoy yourself. It’s not gonna do anything but get worse when we get to that age bracket,” Roberts said.
City explains self-insurance policy
The City of Savannah says it utilizes self-insurance, which comes with the $500,000 settlement cap, as a cost-saving measure. In a statement to WTOC Investigates, a city spokesperson says the estimated cost of purchasing outside insurance for the city’s entire fleet of vehicles would cost $5 million dollars a year:
The City of Savannah remains committed to eliminating all vehicle accidents whether city-owned vehicles are involved or not while also being good stewards of taxpayer money.
State of Georgia law (O.C.G.A. 40-9-101) allows municipalities to self-insure vehicles that operate within the confines of the state. The City utilizes this legal mechanism as a cost-saving benefit to the taxpayers. Due to the volume of drivers across the City’s fleet, without the self-insured legal mechanism, purchasing outside insurance premiums has the potential to severely endanger the function of vital municipal services.
On average over the last six years, the City has paid out an estimated $650,000 in claims for SPD vehicle accidents each year. The estimated cost of purchasing outside policies for the City’s entire fleet would exceed $5 million each year.
City of Savannah
The City has spent almost $4 million dollars since 2019 settling claims with victims of police crashes alone. The number does not include claims brought after accidents with other city personnel.
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