§33-5-25. Collisions, accidents, and casualties.

(a) It shall be the duty of the operator of a vessel involved in a collision, accident, or other casualty, so far as he or she can do so without serious danger to his or her own vessel, crew, and passengers, if any, to render to other persons affected by the collision, accident, or other casualty assistance as may be practicable and as may be necessary in order to save them from or minimize any danger caused by the collision, accident, or other casualty, and also to give his or her name, address, and identification of his or her vessel in writing to any person injured and to the owner of any property damaged in the collision, accident, or other casualty.

(b) In the case of collision, accident, or other casualty involving a vessel, the operator thereof, if the collision, accident, or other casualty results in death or injury to a person or damage to property in excess of two thousand dollars ($2,000), shall within 10 days file with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources a full description of the collision, accident, or other casualty, including such information as the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources by regulation may require.

(c) All accident reports required by this section made by persons involved in accidents shall be without prejudice to the individuals so reporting and shall be for the confidential use of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources or other governmental agencies having use of the record; except, that the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources may disclose the identity of a person involved in an accident when the identity is not otherwise known or when the person denies his or her presence at the accident. No report shall be used as evidence in any trial, civil or criminal, arising out of an accident; except, that the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources shall furnish upon demand of any person who has made, or claims to have made, such a report, or upon demand of any court, a certificate showing that a specified accident report has or has not been made to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources solely to prove a compliance or a failure to comply with the requirements that a report be made to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

(Acts 1959, No. 576, p. 1442, §22; Act 2009-151, p. 306, §1.)