Like car accidents, boating accidents can result in severe, costly and life-altering injuries and damages. However, unlike in car accident cases, the procedures for reporting a boating accident in Kentucky are not well known. Many people are at a loss as to how to report an accident or even if they should file a report. Boat-Ed.com explains what boaters in Kentucky need to do in the aftermath of an accident.
The first question many accident victims have is, do they need to file a report? According to Boat-Ed.com, which cites the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources, you must file a report if the incident caused the death or injury of any person, the disappearance of any person after an incident that leads the other parties of the accident to believe the person is dead or injured or in the event that a party of the accident requires medical attention or becomes incapacitated for 24 hours or more post-accident. You should also report the accident if the cost of property damage exceeds $500.
You must make the report within five days of the incident unless the accident results in the injury or death of another person. In that case, you would need to report the incident within 48 hours. The Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources mandates that the owner of the vessel make the report, even if the owner was not the operator at the time of the incident. You can make the report by calling the 24-hour emergency number at the department’s Division of Law Enforcement.
This article is not meant to serve as legal advice. It is for your educational purposes only.