In Kentucky, drivers must report all motor vehicle accidents that injure one or more person or cause $500 or more of property damage. Your Kentucky accident report is essential to receive insurance compensation for injuries and damage. You will not be able to obtain insurance compensation for your losses, and you will not be in compliance with state law if you do not report the car accident. Even if nobody was injured and the damage was under $500, it is still wise to file a police accident report.
Insurance companies often request an accident report first when processing a claim is the official crash report. This report contains specific details about your accident that can be used as evidence when determining a settlement you could receive to cover the costs of the crash.
Drivers are required to file a written accident report within 10 days of an accident, under Kentucky law if any of the following conditions arose as a result of the accident:
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An official crash report is not required to begin a claim with the insurance company. But without an official crash report, it could be more difficult to establish fault and causation for the crash, resulting in a significantly lower settlement than you might expect. If an officer responds but does not write an accident report, they will typically hand you a Civilian Collisions Report form. Drivers will need to complete the form and send it into the state.
If the responding officer does not give you a Report form, each driver must obtain and complete a form and file it with the police authorities within 10 days of the accident. The form should be mailed to:
Kentucky State Police Records
Attn: Crash
1266 Louisville Road
Frankfort, KY 40601
You should always contact the police immediately after a crash. If an officer is not called to the scene, there will be no official record of the accident.
If the other driver insists on leaving the scene before authorities arrive, gather as much information as you can before they leave –license plate, description of car, and Details like the license plate number, make and model of the car, and a physical description could help law enforcement.
You can request a copy of your crash report at any time. That said, it usually takes ten days after the crash for the report to be made available. The accident report will cost $10. You must provide the accident number, the last name of the driver or owner of one of the vehicles and the report date.