OWENSBORO, Ky. — A historic hailstorm battered western Kentucky in March, leaving thousands of residents with damaged vehicles and homes.
The storm has created an unprecedented demand for vehicle inspections and title updates under a new Kentucky law. The Daviess County Sheriff’s Office tried to ease the burden with a remote inspection site.
Few cars were spared from the hail, which damaged more than half of the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office fleet.
“My grey one over there is pretty beat up,” said Sheriff Brad Youngman. “The amount of damage we’ve seen is just amazing. There are many, many vehicles that were affected by that event. It’s pretty widespread throughout the entire county and city.”
Youngman, a lifelong Daviess County resident, said he has seen nothing like it.
“Worst one I’ve ever seen. That hailstorm, I think we’ll come to realize over time if we haven’t already that it was pretty historic,” he said.
The Daviess County Courthouse has been overwhelmed by people seeking vehicle inspections. Limited parking downtown has made it challenging for residents. Typically, the sheriff’s office handles 35 inspections daily.
“We have not done less than 250 a day since March 20. We’ve done as many as 480 in one day. Currently at this remote site, we’ve already done 125 as of the time you and I started talking, and it’s about 10:30 a.m.,” Youngman said.
A remote inspection site at the old Malco 16 on south Frederica Street helped ease the load. People were trying to take advantage of a new Kentucky law that allows owners to keep totaled vehicles with cosmetic hail damage by obtaining a “hail-damaged” title, which saves them money by buying the vehicles back at salvage value after an insurance payout.
But first, they must pass a sheriff’s inspection to ensure they’re roadworthy. Freddie Beauchamp was there for his daughter and son-in-law.
“It’s their vehicle, and I’m gonna purchase it. They bought it back,” Beauchamp said.
He said he appreciates the sheriff’s office for trying to help people who’ve been through a lot in recent weeks, including historic flooding on top of the hail.
“This is probably a big help on this part of the procedure, just because of everybody going downtown at the courthouse. It’s pretty crowded in that area, so yeah, this looks like a good setup to me,” he said.
Youngman said his office wanted to make people’s lives a little easier.
“No one asked for this to happen to them. It’s frustrating enough, because we’re not just talking about cars. Houses have been damaged, people’s personal property, their livelihood. So it’s been a pretty significant event for everyone around here, so if there’s a way that we can help by doing this and making it a little bit easier on people, then we want to,” he said.
Youngman said the latest hail storm may change how residents view weather warnings.
“I do think that going forward, people will probably, when they hear weather stations talk about a chance of hail, they’ll probably heed that warning a little more. I know I will,” he said.
This was the second of two inspection events at the remote site. A third event may be scheduled.
People must be in the car that needs to be inspected with glass already repaired and must have: Drivers License, Vehicle Title, Insurance Company Letter on Letterhead (hard copy/not digital). Letter must include “totaled due to hail damage” and VIN number. This is a cash or check only site. Credit cards will not be accepted.
After inspection, owners still need to visit the courthouse to update their title.