If you were involved in a car accident in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, you may need a copy of the official police collision report when dealing with an insurance claim, vehicle repairs, or a personal injury case.
If the Elizabethtown Police Department (EPD) investigated the crash, you can request the accident report directly from the department either in person or electronically.
The information below is based on current Elizabethtown Police Department guidance and Kentucky law.
Quick Facts — Elizabethtown, KY Accident Reports
- Agency: Elizabethtown Police Department
- Accident report fee: $5
- Request options: In person or electronically through EPD’s records system
- Credit card convenience fee: $0.50
- Accepted payment: Cash, check, and major credit cards
- Police Department address: 300 South Mulberry Street, Elizabethtown, KY 42701
- Records hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Closed: Weekends and holidays
- Police Department phone: 270-765-4125
- Records request page: https://www.elizabethtownky.org/government/departments/police/open_records_request_.php
Elizabethtown Police does not currently publish a specific number of days after a collision when every accident report will be ready.
Kentucky State Police advises allowing 10 days when an officer responded and indicated that the officer would complete the collision report.
Who Can Request an Elizabethtown Collision Report?
Kentucky collision reports are confidential and are not ordinary public records available to anyone who requests them.
Elizabethtown Police specifically lists the following as authorized to receive accident collision reports:
- An involved person
- A parent of an involved juvenile
- An insurance company for an involved person
- Authorized legal representation for an involved party
Kentucky law under KRS 189.635 provides additional detail and requires accident reports to be made available to certain authorized people and entities, including:
- Parties to the accident
- Parents or guardians of a minor who was a party to the accident
- Insurers or their written designees handling insurance business involving a party named in the report
- Attorneys representing parties to the accident
- Certain parties to litigation who provide the required court documentation
- Other entities specifically authorized by Kentucky law
Collision reports and the information contained in them are generally confidential and exempt from ordinary public disclosure except as authorized by KRS 189.635.
Step-by-Step: How to Get Your Elizabethtown Accident Report
Step 1 — Confirm Which Agency Investigated the Crash
Before requesting a report, determine which law enforcement agency investigated the collision.
Depending on where the crash occurred, the responding agency could have been:
- Elizabethtown Police Department
- Hardin County Sheriff’s Office
- Kentucky State Police
- Another law enforcement agency with jurisdiction
If an Elizabethtown Police officer prepared the collision report, request it through EPD.
If another agency investigated the accident, contact that agency instead.
Check any paperwork or information card provided by the officer at the scene for the agency name and case or report number.
Step 2 — Gather Your Crash Information
Elizabethtown Police’s public Records page does not list a specific set of mandatory search fields for every accident-report request.
Before submitting your request, however, it is helpful to have as much identifying information as possible, including:
- Case or report number
- Date of the collision
- Approximate time of the collision
- Location or nearby intersection
- Name of an involved driver
- Name of the investigating officer, if known
- Your contact information
- Information showing that you are authorized to receive the report
If the responding officer gave you paperwork at the crash scene, keep it available when making the request.
Step 3 — Allow Time for the Report to Be Completed
Elizabethtown Police does not currently publish a fixed local turnaround such as three days, five days, or seven days for collision reports.
Kentucky State Police provides statewide guidance stating that if a police officer responded and indicated that the officer would complete the report, you should allow 10 days for the collision report to be completed and made available in the system.
If your report is not available immediately after the crash, that does not necessarily mean anything is wrong.
The officer may still be completing the report or it may still be moving through the department’s records process.
Step 4 — Choose How to Request the Report
Elizabethtown Police currently provides two ways to obtain copies of police reports.
Option A: Request the Accident Report In Person
You can request a collision report at:
Elizabethtown Police Department
300 South Mulberry Street
Elizabethtown, KY 42701
Hours:
Monday through Friday
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The department is closed on weekends and holidays.
Accident report fee: $5
EPD states that cash and checks are accepted. Major credit cards are also accepted, with a $0.50 convenience fee added to credit card transactions.
Because Kentucky restricts access to collision reports, be prepared to establish that you are an involved person or another authorized requester.
Option B: Request the Report Electronically
Elizabethtown Police also allows reports to be requested electronically through the forms on its Records page.
EPD Records page:
https://www.elizabethtownky.org/government/departments/police/open_records_request_.php
Follow the online form instructions and provide enough information to identify both:
- The collision report you are requesting, and
- Your authority to receive it
Elizabethtown’s current Records page does not direct local EPD collision-report requests to BuyCrash. For a report prepared by an Elizabethtown Police officer, use the department’s current records procedure unless EPD instructs you otherwise.
How Much Does an Elizabethtown Accident Report Cost?
Elizabethtown Police currently lists a $5 fee for accident reports.
The department accepts:
- Cash
- Check
- Major credit cards
Credit card transactions include a $0.50 convenience fee.
This fee should not be confused with fees that may apply when obtaining reports through Kentucky State Police or third-party electronic services for crashes investigated by other agencies.
What if Your Accident Report Isn’t Ready?
If you cannot obtain your report yet:
- Confirm that Elizabethtown Police investigated the collision.
- Check any paperwork from the crash for the case or report number.
- Allow time for the investigating officer to finish the report.
- Kentucky State Police recommends allowing up to 10 days for an officer-prepared collision report.
- Try the electronic records process again.
- Contact Elizabethtown Police at 270-765-4125 if you still need assistance.
Avoid assuming that a report should appear the same day or the next morning. EPD does not currently promise that kind of turnaround.
What if Another Hardin County Agency Investigated the Crash?
The agency whose officer creates the collision report is considered the originating agency under Kentucky’s traffic collision reporting regulation.
Responsibility for providing the report to authorized parties remains with that originating agency.
That means a collision occurring near Elizabethtown might not necessarily result in an Elizabethtown Police report.
For example, a crash outside city jurisdiction could be investigated by the:
- Hardin County Sheriff’s Office
- Kentucky State Police
Check the officer’s paperwork before submitting your request so you do not spend time searching the wrong agency’s records.
If Kentucky State Police Handled the Crash in Hardin County
Kentucky State Police Post 4 serves Hardin County along with Breckinridge, Bullitt, Grayson, Jefferson, Larue, Meade, and Nelson counties.
KSP Post 4 is located in Elizabethtown:
Kentucky State Police Post 4
954 Cameron Ponder Drive
Elizabethtown, KY 42701
Phone: 270-766-5078
If a Kentucky State Police trooper investigated your accident, obtain the report through KSP rather than the Elizabethtown Police Department.
KSP states that eligible accident reports can be obtained through BuyCrash:
Eligible requesters may also submit a written request to the Kentucky State Police Official Custodian of Records according to KSP’s current procedures.
Kentucky’s access restrictions under KRS 189.635 apply to KSP collision reports as well.
What if Police Did Not Investigate the Accident?
Obtaining a police-written collision report is different from filing a Civilian Collision Report yourself.
Under KRS 189.635, if a vehicle accident results in more than $500 in property damage and the collision is not investigated by a law enforcement officer, an involved driver generally must file a written report with the Kentucky State Police within 10 days of the accident.
Kentucky State Police provides an online Civilian Collision Report system:
https://www.kentuckystatepolice.ky.gov/civilian-collision-reports
Do You Need a Civilian Report if an Officer Already Made One?
Generally, no.
Kentucky State Police states that if an officer responded and told you that the officer would complete the collision report, you are not required to file a second civilian report.
Instead, KSP advises allowing 10 days for the officer’s report to be completed and made available in the system.
A Civilian Collision Report is therefore different from requesting a copy of a report prepared by Elizabethtown Police or Kentucky State Police.
What Does Kentucky Law Require After a Serious Crash?
Kentucky law also requires immediate notification of law enforcement after certain vehicle accidents.
Under KRS 189.635, a driver involved in an accident resulting in:
- Fatal or nonfatal personal injury, or
- Damage that renders a vehicle inoperable
must immediately notify a law enforcement officer having jurisdiction.
The responding officer is required to investigate the accident and file a written report with the officer’s law enforcement agency.
Kentucky law then requires the law enforcement agency to submit the applicable report to the Kentucky State Police reporting system within 10 days after its investigation.
Police Collision Report vs. Civilian Collision Report
Knowing which type of report you need can prevent unnecessary delays.
Police Collision Report
A police collision report is prepared when a law enforcement officer investigates the crash.
If Elizabethtown Police investigated the accident, request the report:
- In person from EPD, or
- Electronically through EPD’s records system
If Kentucky State Police investigated it, obtain the report through KSP or BuyCrash.
Civilian Collision Report
A civilian collision report is submitted by an involved driver when a qualifying accident was not investigated by law enforcement.
Kentucky State Police maintains the online civilian collision reporting system.
Why Your Elizabethtown Accident Report Matters
A police collision report can contain useful information about the crash and the responding officer’s investigation, including:
- Names of drivers and other involved parties
- Vehicle information
- Date, time, and location of the collision
- Insurance information documented at the scene
- Reported injuries
- Vehicle or property damage
- Witness information, when available
- Officer observations
- Citations issued, when applicable
- Other circumstances documented during the investigation
The report may be useful when:
- Reporting the accident to an insurance company
- Handling a vehicle damage claim
- Identifying drivers, vehicle owners, and insurers
- Investigating how the collision occurred
- Pursuing a personal injury claim
- Handling a truck, commercial vehicle, rideshare, or multi-vehicle accident
A police collision report can be important evidence, but the report itself does not necessarily make the final legal determination about who was at fault for the crash.
If you were injured, keep a copy of the report with your other accident-related records, including photographs, medical records, repair estimates, insurance correspondence, and receipts.
Injured in an Elizabethtown Car Accident?
Obtaining the police collision report is one part of documenting what happened after a serious crash.
If you were injured in an Elizabethtown or Hardin County accident, a Kentucky car accident lawyer from Morrin Law Office can review the circumstances of the crash, available insurance coverage, your injuries, and other evidence involved in your claim during a free case evaluation.
Related Morrin Law Resources
- Kentucky Car Accident Lawyer
- Kentucky Car Accident Guide
- Attorney for Accidents Involving Injuries in Kentucky
- Kentucky Passenger Injury Attorney
- Kentucky Rideshare Vehicle Accidents
Sources
- Elizabethtown Police Department — Records / Accident Reports:
https://www.elizabethtownky.org/government/departments/police/open_records_request_.php - Elizabethtown Police Department — Administration / Records Division:
https://www.elizabethtownky.org/government/departments/police/administration.php - Kentucky Revised Statutes — KRS 189.635, Vehicle Accident Reports:
https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=54793 - Kentucky Administrative Regulations — 502 KAR 15:010, Traffic Collision Reports:
https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/502/015/010/ - Kentucky State Police — Civilian Collision Reports:
https://www.kentuckystatepolice.ky.gov/civilian-collision-reports - Kentucky State Police — Post 4:
https://www.kentuckystatepolice.ky.gov/post4 - Kentucky State Police — Open Records Requests:
https://www.kentuckystatepolice.ky.gov/open-records-requests - BuyCrash:
https://www.buycrash.com/
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