You can get an accident report in Texas by requesting one through the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) Crash Report Online Purchase System. As long as the online system can recognize your identifying information and locate your crash report, it is made available to you immediately for a small fee.
You Must Report a Car Accident in Certain Circumstances
According to Texas Transportation Code §550.062, filing a crash report is mandatory if:
- Anyone in the accident is injured.
- Anyone in the accident is fatally injured.
- More than $1,000 of property damage is apparent to either vehicle.
The report must be filed within 10 days after the motor vehicle crash occurs, whether an involved party or a police officer files it. There are penalties for failure to report a crash. People who do not comply could have their driver’s license suspended.
How Much Does a Copy of an Accident Report Cost in Texas?
In Texas, accident reports are officially called CR-3 Peace Officer Reports or CR-3 reports for short. An official copy of your accident report will cost:
- $6 for a regular copy
- $8 for a certified copy
You can also order an accident report by mailing the correct payment amount along with the required forms.
Who Can Obtain a Copy of an Accident Report in Texas?
Because an accident report is a confidential document, according to TxDOT guidelines, only the following individuals may request a copy:
- Any party involved in the accident
- Anyone authorized by a person involved in the accident
- An employer of an involved party
- The parent (or guardian) of an involved party
- The registered owner of an involved vehicle
- The vehicle owner’s insurance company
- Anyone pursuing legal action due to the accident
An accident report is an important document that captures details of an accident and can help tell the objective story of a car collision.
Types of Accident Reports in Texas
When you request an accident report after a vehicle collision in Texas, you can receive a regular copy of the report for a $6 fee. For an additional $2 in fees, you can request a certified copy of the report. A certified report is an official document – the type that might be used as part of a legal proceeding.
Your lawyer might use a certified copy of your official crash report in a personal injury insurance claim or lawsuit when you request financial compensation from the driver who caused the accident. The crash report will contain important information that bolsters and supports your version of the events leading up to, during, and after the collision.
It May Take Time to Process Your Accident Report
Accident reports may not be immediately available through the TxDOT website. It takes time for law enforcement officers to process them. The officer who wrote the report first must submit it. If you cannot locate your accident report, keep checking the website in the following weeks.
If you believe there is an issue with your report, contact the TxDOT directly. If you wrote down the ID number of the report at the accident scene, you can use this information to help the department locate your report. The name of the police officer who wrote the report may also help.
Information Your Lawyer Might Collect From Your Crash Report
When you’ve been in a car accident in Texas, you, the primarily at-fault driver, and any passengers in the involved vehicles might have varying recollections of the details of the collision. Objective (unbiased) details of the collision can help your lawyer prove fault and assign financial liability in the aftermath of a collision.
Information your lawyer might glean from the crash report includes:
- Date, time, and location of the accident
- Road and weather conditions
- Alcohol involvement and BAC testing details
- Vehicle descriptions and identifying information
- Contact information for each driver
- Contact information for all passengers
- Contact information for accident witnesses
- The investigating officer’s narrative
- Descriptions of injuries
- Accident scene diagrams
Obtain a copy of the crash report as soon as it becomes available. Share a copy with your legal team right away and retain a copy for your personal records and files.
How an Insurer May Use Your Accident Report
Insurance adjusters use injury accident reports when determining which negligent driver bears fault for an accident. They may also use each party’s official statement. An adjuster may try to undervalue or deny your claim if the accident report contradicts your statement.
How an Accident Lawyer from Our Firm Can Help When This Happens
If an insurer tries to shift the fault for a bad accident onto you, our lawyers can help. They can conduct an independent investigation and counter an adjuster’s determination of fault.
They may also help you submit an addendum to your car accident report if it contains errors or contradicts the statement you gave to the police officer on the scene. The officer ultimately has the final say on whether to accept your addendum.
Obtain a Copy of Your Accident Report As Soon As Possible
The official accident report of your accident can be used to establish the date of the accident and to ensure compliance with the statute of limitations. In Texas, you are generally entitled to two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit, according to Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code §16.003.
If you fail to meet this deadline, the court could dismiss your case. You could lose your last chance to seek fair compensation from a liable party. Do not let someone get away with causing your injuries. Obtain a copy of your accident report as soon as possible.
Our legal team can also help gather evidence and submit your lawsuit before the statute of limitations passes. We can begin working on your case immediately after you call for your free consultation.
Obtain These Additional Records Along with Your Accident Report
While your accident report is an important part of a comprehensive case file, it is only one of many building blocks of a successful compensation claim. Members of our legal team might also request:
- Medical records and photos of your injury that show the extent of your injuries and medical treatments. Your prognosis can also detail your treatment plan and give an estimate of ongoing medical costs.
- Medical bills, receipts, and insurance forms that demonstrate the current and future cost of your medical care
- Employment records, direct deposit forms, or tax forms that demonstrate your accident-related income loss. These statements can also illustrate missed bonuses, benefits, paid sick leave, and vacation time.
- Testimonies from medical and economic experts that can speak to your ability to return to work. These statements can also illustrate the difference between your pre-injury income and what you can now earn.
- Eyewitness statements that can support your version of what happened at the crash scene.
- Traffic camera footage that can show how the accident occurred and prove the liability of any third parties involved in the crash.
Our team might be able to obtain many of the items on your behalf, which could enable you to focus on your physical recovery. During this time, we will focus on building a solid case backed by objective evidence to determine who has the financial responsibility to cover your accident-related losses.
Proving Negligence and Liability in a Traffic Crash Case
When an injury attorney handles your case, they will use evidence from the crash to prove who was the negligent party and why. When they review the situation, they will look for four elements that prove carelessness occurred, which are:
- Duty of care: The party that hit you must have owed you a duty of care to act responsibly on the road and keep you safe from harm.
- Breach of duty of care: The party’s actions or inactions violated the duty of care they owed you by jeopardizing your safety.
- Causation: As a result, they caused the accident.
- Damages: You suffered compensatory damages, such as medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering, because of the accident.
Our car accident lawyers will advise you of the damages you could recover and the maximum compensation you could request from the liable party.
Call in the Strong Arm After a Motor Vehicle Accident in Texas
When you or someone you love is injured in a car accident in Texas, our team is committed to helping you get the compensation you deserve. We are equally committed to helping your family if you have lost someone you love because of another person’s negligence. You deserve to focus on your health right now; we can handle everything else.
If you were injured in a car accident, contact the personal injury team at Loncar Lyon Jenkins to find out how to get an accident report in Texas. Learn more about how valuable your motor vehicle crash report is to your compensation claim.
