A Spalding County judge dismisses Snapchat from a lawsuit filed after an injury wreck on Tara Boulevard in Lovejoy in September, 2015.
CBS News reports State Court Judge Josh Thacker finds Snapchat immune under the Communications Decency Act.
The lawsuit filed by Wentworth and Karen Maynard may proceed against the teen driver faulted in the wreck.
According to the lawsuit, 19-year-old Crystal McGee of Griffin struck Maynard's vehicle as she attempted to reach 100 miles per hour while using a Snapchat speed filter. She continued to Snapchat as she was being treated after the accident.
Maynard's attorney asserts he spent weeks in a coma and his traumatic brain injury prevents him from working as an Uber driver.
An attorney representing Snapchat considers the judge's ruling appropriate.
"A loss for Snapchat would have been dangerous, opening a floodgate of lawsuits for everyone from cell phone manufacturers to billboard advertisers to makeup brands — virtually anyone that can potentially cause a distraction from driving," Snapchat attorney Mark Trigg writes in an e-mail to Associated Press.
He argues the onus is on the driver to use technology responsibly. The Snapchat app includes a warning not to use it while driving.
Criminal charges filed against McGee in 2016 include felony injury by vehicle.
Maynard's attorney does not rule out an appeal.
- CBS News and the Associated Press contributed to this report