After a traffic accident on a Kentucky roadway, you may be in need of urgent medical care. And in the days that follow you could also be frantically trying to work out how to get an at-fault driver to take responsibility for your medical bills.
There’s another task you could have to worry about in the week after your accident. In some instances, you must alert the Kentucky State Police (KSP) as to what happened. Knowing when and how to file a civilian collision report can help you secure an insurance settlement and save you from paying a fine.
When Do I Need to Fill out a Civilian Collision Report?
In most cases, when you are involved in a traffic accident on a Kentucky interstate, highway, or street, an officer of the law will be responding. When a police officer, a sheriff’s deputy, or a Kentucky State Police trooper is present, that officer will be filing an accident report for you. You won’t need to file a report yourself.
The Civilian Traffic Collision Report is necessary when an officer is not called to the scene of an accident or can’t make it to the scene for whatever reason. When the accident involves at least $500 worth of damage to one vehicle (or expected to be $500 or more) a report must be filed. If an accident involved an injury or death a report must be filed. You’ll have ten days from the date of the incident to file.
Kentucky revised statutes state the obligation this way:
“Any person operating a vehicle on the highways of this state who is involved in an accident resulting in any property damage exceeding five hundred dollars ($500) in which an investigation is not conducted by a law enforcement officer shall file a written report of the accident with the Department of Kentucky State Police within ten (10) days of occurrence of the accident upon forms provided by the department.”
The original wording says “written report,” but in 2020, the KSP stopped accepting written forms. All civilian collision reports must be submitted electronically through the KSP website. The form can be found here.
Filling Out a Kentucky Collision Report
You should have the names and birth dates of the drivers involved handy when you fill out your Civilian Collision Form. The form will be asking for driver’s license numbers as well.
Information about the makes and models of cars, registration numbers, and license plate numbers will also be sought. You’ll be asked to describe the damage to vehicles and provide any repair estimates.
You’ll need to fully describe what happened and where it happened and include the weather at the time of the crash.
What If I Don’t Know When or Where My Kentucky Accident Occurred?
If you aren’t sure of when or where your accident or damage occurred, you should still fill out a form once you’re aware. This can apply to hit-and-run damage while your car is parked. You could fail to notice what happened until days later.
You’ll be asked questions about the date and time of your collision. When you aren’t sure when it happened, you can answer “unknown.”
For more questions about when you should fill out the form, you can check out the FAQs section of the Kentucky State Police website.
Getting a Copy of Your Civilian Collision Report
After you complete your Kentucky Civilian Traffic Collision Report you are able to download it and save it. If you forget to save a copy, you can request a paper copy from the Kentucky State Police Headquarters.
You may mail in a written request for a copy of your report, including your name, the date of the collision, and the county or city the collision occurred in. Please allow 3 business days for this request to be processed.
This request can be mailed to:
Kentucky State Police Headquarters
ATTN: Open Records
919 Versailles Rd
Frankfort, KY 40601
Finding Support After a Kentucky Traffic Accident
After an accident involving serious injuries, it’s important that victims and their family members speak with an experienced Kentucky Car Accident Lawyer before talking with an insurance company. Insurance adjusters can question every aspect of an accident claim, even when the fault clearly lies with their policyholder. Don’t let them limit the injury support you receive simply so they can save money.
The attorneys at Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, offer a free, no-obligation case consultation to all Kentucky accident victims. It’s a no-risk opportunity to find out what your injury is worth and how much you should be demanding in compensation. Contact Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC today to schedule a case evaluation.
