The police can be a huge help after a bad car accident. Not only can they redirect traffic away from the crash and give emergency first-aid while paramedics are en route, but they can also create reports that detail everything they saw.
But the police don’t always show up at the scene of a crash, especially when no one is badly injured. Can you still file an insurance claim without a police report? Not always. Most states require you to have some sort of police report filed in order to validate your insurance claim. If the police didn’t show up and create their own report, then you need to think about filing one of your own sooner than later.
Accident Reports in Kentucky
If you’re in a car accident in Kentucky and the police do not show up and file their own report, you need to file one yourself. You have 10 days from the date of the crash to file a car accident report with the Kentucky State Police.
You only need to file your accident report if:
- Someone was injured or passed away
- Damage to at least one vehicle exceeds $500 to repair
It is also important to not just assume that a responding police officer is going to file a usable accident report for you just because they showed up at the scene of your crash. You should check with the police station within the next few ways to see if a report was filed and to request a copy of it. You might be charged a small service fee for getting the copy, but it should be around $10 or less.
There’s a chance the responding officers didn’t understand the full context of what happened and might have inadvertently reported you as the liable party. You’ll want to contest that if you can.
Why Does a Police Report Matter?
A police report is important because it validates to an insurance company that your car accident actually happened. Without a police report accompanying your claim, the insurer will be much more likely to deny it. You can still prove that it happened with other forms of evidence, but you will be setting yourself up for an uphill battle that could’ve been made much easier had you just reported the accident to the police in the first place.
Were you in a car accident in Kentucky and need help figuring out what to do about the police report? Why not let the highly experienced and reputable team of attorneys from Kentucky Injury Law Center lend a hand? Call (270) 423-0023 or contact us online right away.