Kentucky Car Accident Settlement Calculator

Kentucky's pure comparative fault system means you can recover damages from a car accident even if you were mostly at fault. If you are found 70% responsible for a collision and your damages total $100,000, you would still receive $30,000. This makes virtually every motor vehicle accident claim worth evaluating, regardless of the fault split.

The statute of limitations for this type of claim in Kentucky is 2 years — in line with the national average of 2.7 years. This is a standard timeframe, but acting sooner preserves evidence and strengthens your position. Importantly, Kentucky recognizes a discovery rule, which can extend the filing window in cases where the harm was not immediately apparent.

Kentucky is a choice no-fault state. Your own personal injury protection (PIP) coverage generally pays medical bills first, whoever caused the accident, and whether a lawsuit for pain and suffering is limited depends on the option that applies to you. Kentucky treats every driver as having accepted the limit on lawsuits unless the driver filed a written rejection with the Kentucky Department of Insurance before the crash (KRS 304.39-060). A driver who has not rejected it can claim pain and suffering only when medical expenses exceed $1,000 or the injury is one the statute lists, such as a fracture, permanent disfigurement or a permanent injury. A driver who rejected it keeps the full right to sue and generally cannot collect basic PIP benefits.

Kentucky requires all drivers to carry minimum liability insurance of $25K per person / $50K per accident in bodily injury coverage and $25K in property damage coverage (commonly written as 25/50/25). These minimums are below the national average, meaning many drivers in Kentucky may carry only enough insurance to cover a fraction of the costs from a serious accident. A Kentucky liability policy includes uninsured motorist coverage at the state's minimum bodily injury limits unless a named insured rejects it in writing (KRS 304.20-020). As a no-fault state, Kentucky also mandates personal injury protection (PIP) coverage of at least $10K.

Kentucky lets a vehicle owner recover diminished value, the resale value a properly repaired car loses because of its accident history, from the at-fault driver on top of the cost of repairs. Under your own collision coverage, the answer in Kentucky turns on the wording of your policy. Kentucky's insurance regulation 806 KAR 12:095 sets the third-party measure of damages as the vehicle's fair market value before the crash minus its value after, and leaves first-party claims to whatever the owner's own policy provides. The diminished value guide in the related reading below carries the rule for every state and how to document the loss.