Car accidents in Kentucky: what to do and who pays

At the scene and reporting a crash in Kentucky

Always stop and help anyone who is hurt. Leaving the scene of a crash is a crime in every state.

When to call the police

Stop, help anyone hurt, and give your plate number and names and addresses of the owner, occupants and driver if asked. Call 911 or police right away if anyone is killed or visibly hurt, or a vehicle cannot be driven. If you hit an unattended car, find the owner, leave a note with your name, address and plate number, or report it to local police.

Damage amount

$500

Report to the state

If anyone was hurt or killed, or total property damage is $500 or more, and no officer investigated, you must file a written report with the Kentucky State Police within 10 days. You can use KSP's online Civilian Collision Report: https://kentuckystatepolice.ky.gov/civilian-collision-reports/ (questions: [email protected]).

Deadline for your report

10 days

Law

KRS 189.580(1), (2), (6), (7); 502 KAR 15:010

Official text

Read the official text

First 24 hours after a crash in Kentucky

Tick the boxes as you go, or print the list and keep it in your glove box.

Insurance system in Kentucky

Kentucky uses a choice system: drivers choose options that decide how injury claims work, such as no-fault benefits or limits on suing for pain and suffering. The details are below.

System

Choice no-fault

PIP, benefits and when you can sue

Choice no-fault. Your policy must include $10,000 of basic reparation benefits (PIP) per person. Unless you filed a written rejection form with the Department of Insurance before the crash, you can sue for pain and suffering only if medical expenses exceed $1,000, or there is a broken bone, permanent disfigurement, permanent injury, loss of a body member, permanent loss of bodily function, or death. Car damage is still claimed from the at-fault driver.

Law

KRS 304.39-060(2), (4); KRS 304.39-020; KRS 304.39-110(1)(c)

Official text

Read the official text

Compare every state in the no-fault states table.

Who pays: comparative fault in Kentucky

Rule

Pure comparative

What it means

In Kentucky, you can recover damages even if you were mostly at fault, but they are reduced by your share of the fault.

Law

KRS 411.182 (fault is split by percentage among all parties; your own fault reduces but does not bar recovery)

Compare every state's rule in the comparative negligence table.

Who pays in Kentucky: fault and payout explainer

If both drivers share the blame, your state's comparative-fault rule decides whether you can recover and how much. Enter your share of the fault and your total damages to see what the rule means. This is an illustration, not a prediction: insurers, juries and judges decide the percentages.

Minimum insurance in Kentucky

Liability minimum

25/50/25 (or a $60,000 single limit) plus $10,000 basic reparation benefits (PIP)

Uninsured / underinsured motorist (UM/UIM)

Uninsured motorist coverage must be included unless you reject it in writing. Underinsured motorist coverage must be made available if you ask for it.

Official text

Read the official text

Numbers like 25/50/25 mean $25,000 for injury to one person, $50,000 for all injuries in one crash and $25,000 for property damage. Compare every state in the minimum insurance table.

Getting the police report in Kentucky

The agency whose officer wrote the report provides copies. Collision reports are released only to people allowed by law, such as the parties involved, their lawyers and insurers (KRS 189.635). Kentucky State Police reports cost $10 online (KSP links to BuyCrash.com for this) or $5 for a paper copy (502 KAR 15:010). For a paper copy or other records, send a written open records request to the KSP Public Records Branch, 1266 Louisville Road, Frankfort, KY 40601, 502-782-1873. https://kentuckystatepolice.ky.gov/open-records-requests/

You can also ask by mail with our free police report request letter.

Filing a claim and insurer deadlines in Kentucky

How fast insurers must act

Your own insurer must pay a claim under your policy within 30 days after it gets notice and proof of claim; late settlements earn 12% yearly interest, and you may get attorney fees if the delay had no reasonable basis (KRS 304.12-235). Every insurer must acknowledge a claim within 15 days, reply to your communications within 15 days, and offer payment due within 30 calendar days of proof of loss, or tell a first-party claimant within 30 days why it needs more time (806 KAR 12:095, Sections 5-6). Unfair claims practices are banned (KRS 304.12-230).

Put your claim in writing. Our free insurance claim letter lists your damages and asks for a written answer, within 15 days for Kentucky where our data gives a day count.

If the other driver has no insurance in Kentucky

An owner without required insurance faces a $500–$1,000 fine and/or up to 90 days in jail, and loss of registration and plates for up to 1 year (KRS 304.99-060). If the other driver is uninsured, your own PIP pays medical bills first; your uninsured motorist coverage (unless you rejected it) can pay for injuries; collision coverage can pay for your car.

Read what to do if you are hit by an uninsured driver.

Deadlines to sue in Kentucky

Property damage (your car)

2 years

Injury

2 years

Notes, including claims against a government

Negligence claims against Kentucky state agencies go to the state's claims board (Kentucky Claims Commission), not regular court, and must be filed within 1 year after the claim arises (KRS 49.120).

Law

KRS 413.125 (personal property, 2 years); KRS 304.39-230(6) (injury tort claims from a car crash: 2 years after the injury, death, or last PIP payment, whichever is later)

The deadline is the statute of limitations. Insurance claims and talks with an adjuster don't stop it. Compare every state in the deadlines table.

Deadline to sue in Kentucky

Every state limits how long you have to file a lawsuit after a car crash. This is the statute of limitations. Choose your state, the type of claim and the date of the crash to see the usual deadline and the last day to file. Nothing you type here is sent anywhere.

Small claims for property damage in Kentucky

Small claims limit

$2,500.

Kentucky small claims guide on Small Claims Map

Small claims court can be a way to recover the cost of repairs from the driver who caused the crash. Read how to use small claims for car damage.

Insurance complaints in Kentucky

If an insurer delays, underpays or denies a claim without a good reason, you can file a complaint with the state insurance regulator:

• Kentucky Department of Insurance, Division of Consumer Protection · 502-564-3630 (toll-free 800-595-6053)

Free help in Kentucky

• Kentucky Department of Insurance – consumer complaints · 800-595-6053
• Kentucky State Police – open records · 502-782-1873

Good to know in Kentucky

• You can opt out of the no-fault limits on suing by filing a written rejection form with the Department of Insurance before a crash (KRS 304.39-060(4)).
• If no officer investigates a crash with injury or $500+ damage, the driver must report it to KSP within 10 days (KRS 189.580(7)).
• On interstates and parkways, you must move a drivable car off the road after a crash with no death, visible injury or hazardous material (KRS 189.580(1)(b)).

Changes in 2024–2026

2026 Ky. Acts ch. 149 (effective July 15, 2026) amended KRS 304.39-020: for PIP (basic and added reparation benefits) under policies issued or renewed on or after July 15, 2026, payments for medical expenses are tied to the workers' compensation fee schedule (KRS 342.035). The $10,000 PIP amount and the tort threshold did not change. KRS 304.39-320 (underinsured motorist coverage) was amended by 2024 Ky. Acts ch. 27 for policies issued or renewed on or after April 2, 2024; underinsured coverage still must be made available on request.

Free letters

Questions about car accidents in Kentucky

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