Every law enforcement officer who investigates a vehicle accident resulting in injury to or death of a person, or total property damage to an apparent extent of five hundred dollars or more to one person, or who otherwise prepares a written or computer-generated report as a result of an investigation either at the time of and at the scene of the accident or thereafter by interviewing the participants or witnesses, shall forward a report of such accident to the superintendent of the Missouri state highway patrol within ten days after his or her investigation of the accident, except that upon the approval of the superintendent of the Missouri state highway patrol the report may be forwarded at a time and/or in a form other than as required in this section.