Kansas Crash Reports: Highway Patrol, City Police and Rules
Who has your crash report, what drivers must report, insurance rules and traffic deaths in Kansas.
Who Has Your Kansas Crash Report: Highway Patrol or City Police
A Kansas Highway Patrol crash report costs $5, and each witness statement costs $2. The agency whose officer worked the crash keeps the report, so a crash handled by a city police department is requested from that city, and a crash the Highway Patrol worked is requested from the Patrol’s Records Department in Topeka.
Highway Patrol reports for crashes since May 2013 can be bought online through the Patrol’s Kansas.gov accident report site. You need a Kansas.gov account and a Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover card, and you can search by name, case number or crash date. Kansas.gov charges a fee for downloaded reports, and buyers certify they will not use the report’s names and addresses for sales or marketing.
For crashes before May 2013, or without computer access, send a written request to the Records Section in Topeka or ask in person, paying when you request; the Patrol lists (785) 296-6800 for these requests. Its Records Department takes requests from members of the public, attorneys, insurers, courts and other agencies, and asks for the case number, crash date, location and names.
Kansas Turnpike crashes are worked by the Highway Patrol’s Turnpike troop, which patrols the road under a contract with the Kansas Turnpike Authority. The Patrol’s online crash log lists preliminary details of injury and fatal crashes it worked for 14 days after the crash, or up to 30 days if updated, and those entries are not the official report. Turnpike crashes are left off the log; the Patrol’s homepage links to Turnpike crash reports.
Don’t want to deal with the forms, or not sure which agency took your report? We can get a copy of your report for you at no cost.
Police Reports From Kansas Cities
Overland Park and Olathe offer crash reports free online, while Kansas City, Kansas, and Topeka sell theirs online through LexisNexis BuyCrash. Five examples:
| Department | How to request | Fee |
| Wichita Police | Online at wichita.gov/accident with the case number, driver name and crash date (reports over a year old or tied to a criminal case excluded); in person at Police Records, City Hall, 455 N. Main, 5th Floor; or by mail to WPD Accident and Theft at that address with a stamped self-addressed envelope and a check to “City of Wichita.” Allow 10 to 15 working days | $16 |
| Overland Park Police | PDF download from the city’s crash report page with the driver’s legal name and the case number, usually within 10 business days (up to 30 for hit-and-run crashes); or Police Records, 12400 Foster Street. Pre-2015 reports are not online, and fatal crash reports need an open records request | Free |
| Kansas City, Kansas, Police | City-street crashes online through BuyCrash; private property crashes through a free online form; or the Records Unit, Police Headquarters lobby, 700 Minnesota Ave. | $15 online; in person, first 5 pages free, then $0.25 a page |
| Olathe Police | Online through the city’s Police Accident Reports service; or in person or by mail at the Records Division, 501 E. 56 Hwy., Olathe, KS 66061. Copies take 8 to 10 working days | Free online; copies $1.80 for the first page and $0.60 for each added page |
| Topeka Police | BuyCrash online under the Topeka Police Department; or the Law Enforcement Center, 320 S. Kansas Ave., Suite 100. Allow at least 10 to 12 business days | Base price not posted; a convenience fee applies online only. People involved who give their name and date of birth pay no fee |
What Kansas Drivers Must Report
When no police officer is at the scene, K.S.A. 8-1604(b) requires the driver, or an occupant 18 or older, to report the crash immediately by the quickest means available to the nearest police office if anyone is hurt or killed, apparent property damage reaches $1,000, or the drivers cannot exchange information. Every driver in a crash that hurts someone or damages an attended vehicle or property must also stop and stay at the scene (K.S.A. 8-1602), exchange names, addresses and registration, show license and insurance details on request, and give reasonable aid to anyone hurt.
Kansas has no routine written crash report for drivers. The investigating officer sends the report on any crash with an injury, a death or $1,000 or more in damage to the Kansas Department of Transportation within 10 days (K.S.A. 8-1611), and the state asks a driver or owner for a written report only in specific cases (K.S.A. 8-1607).
How No-Fault Insurance Works in Kansas
Kansas is a no-fault state: every auto policy must carry personal injury protection (PIP), which pays the covered person’s own crash costs whoever caused the crash (K.S.A. 40-3107). Motorcycle owners may reject PIP in writing. Under K.S.A. 40-3103, PIP covers at least $4,500 for medical care and $900 a month in disability for up to a year, plus up to $2,000 for funeral costs and up to $25 a day for household help for up to 365 days.
Liability coverage must be at least $25,000 for injury to one person, $50,000 per crash and $25,000 for property damage. Every policy on a Kansas vehicle must also include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage at the policy’s bodily injury limits, and only the part above those $25,000 and $50,000 minimums can be turned down in writing (K.S.A. 40-284).
You can sue the other driver for pain and suffering only if your medical treatment is reasonably worth $2,000 or more, or the injury is a permanent disfigurement, a fracture of a weight-bearing bone, a compound, comminuted, displaced or compressed fracture, the loss of a body member, a permanent injury or permanent loss of a body function, or death (K.S.A. 40-3117). Under K.S.A. 60-258a, a person who was partly at fault can recover only if their share of the fault is smaller than the other side’s, and the award shrinks by their own share, so a driver found 50% at fault recovers nothing.
Kansas Traffic Deaths by the Numbers
| Measure | Figure | Year | Source |
| People killed in traffic crashes | 361 (preliminary as of Jan. 6, 2026) | 2025 | KDOT |
| People killed and seriously injured over five years | Nearly 1,920 killed and more than 7,500 seriously injured | Five years to Jan. 2026 | KDOT |
| People killed in traffic crashes | 339, a record low | 2024 | KDOT |
| Deaths in crashes with an alcohol-impaired driver | 117 (35%) | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Motorcyclists killed | 56 | 2024 | NHTSA |
Kansas traffic deaths fell every year from 426 in 2020 to the 2024 low, then rose in the preliminary 2025 count, which KDOT says may change as trauma and investigation results come in. Of the 56 motorcyclists killed in 2024, 25 were not wearing a helmet.
Kansas Crash Guides by City and County
Local guides and day-to-day crash coverage for Kansas, sorted by city and county:
County accident news: Sedgwick County · Shawnee County · Johnson County · Wyandotte County · Riley County · Douglas County · Cherokee County · Montgomery County
Intersection and road-stretch lists for the state are on our Kansas dangerous intersections page.
Help After a Crash
- Local Accident Reports. After a crash, we can connect you with local help, from doctors and body shops to injury attorneys. Contact our team.
- Kansas Crime Victims Compensation. The Attorney General’s program helps victims of violent crime, including crashes caused by drunk or impaired drivers, drivers who leave an injury or death crash, and vehicular homicide. File within five years; the crime must be reported to police within 72 hours unless the board excuses the delay. (785) 296-2359. Program details
- MADD. Free support for victims and survivors of drunk and drugged driving crashes. 24-hour help line: 877-MADD-HELP (877-623-3435).
- 988. Call or text 988 any time for crisis support.
- Trauma centers. The Kansas Hospital Association lists Level I trauma centers at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis and Wesley Healthcare in Wichita and The University of Kansas Health System in Kansas City, with Level II care at Overland Park Regional Medical Center and Stormont Vail Health in Topeka.
Kansas Crash Questions
How do I get a Kansas Highway Patrol accident report?
Buy it online at kansas.gov/accident-reports with a Kansas.gov account and a credit card, searching by name, case number or date, for crashes since May 2013. Older reports go by written request to the Records Section in Topeka or in person. The Patrol charges $5 per report and $2 per witness statement, and its records number is (785) 296-6800.
Do Kansas drivers have to file their own crash report?
No routine driver report exists in Kansas. When no officer comes to the scene, a driver must report the crash to the nearest police office right away if anyone is hurt or killed, damage looks like $1,000 or more, or information cannot be exchanged (K.S.A. 8-1604). The investigating officer’s report goes to KDOT within 10 days.
Is Kansas a no-fault state?
Yes. Every Kansas policy carries PIP, which covers at least $4,500 in medical costs and $900 a month in lost income whoever caused the crash. A suit against the other driver for pain and suffering needs $2,000 in medical treatment or a listed serious injury, and recovery requires being less at fault than the other side.
How long do I have to file a car accident claim in Kansas?
Two years for injury, property damage and wrongful death claims under K.S.A. 60-513. Before suing a city, county or other local government, you must file a written notice of claim with its clerk or governing body under K.S.A. 12-105b. The government then has 120 days to act. Suit is still due within the two-year limit, or within 90 days after a denial if that is later.
Recent Kansas Crash Coverage
Pedestrian Struck and Killed on Solomon Rd in Solomon, KS
Collision with Injuries on SW 22nd Park St in Topeka, KS
Fatal Pedestrian Crash on Solomon Rd Near Solomon, KS
Rear-End Crash on US-54 Near Plains, KS, Injures Two
Woman Hospitalized After Two-Vehicle Crash on Tuttle Creek Blvd in Manhattan, KS
Older stories are in the Kansas accident news archive, and recent accident alerts follow new crashes nationwide as they are reported.
Local Accident Reports compiles this information from public agency sources and published reports for general reference. It is not legal advice and is not an official police record. Fees, forms and deadlines change, so confirm with the agency before you send a request. Last updated October 2026.