How to get a Houston crash report: the CR-3, who can order it and when

The crash report is usually the first document an adjuster pulls after a Houston wreck, and it should be one of the first you see too. Here is how the Texas report works, who can get a copy and what to check once you have it.

The Houston office of LAWBOSS – Harris, Nelsen & Uvalle, PLLC wrote this guide because the crash report comes up early in nearly every claim we take on. We order crash reports for our clients as part of every car wreck claim, but you are free to get one yourself.

First, the crash has to be reported

Texas Transportation Code section 550.026 says a crash that causes an injury or a death, or leaves a vehicle unable to be driven, must be reported right away. Inside a city, the report goes to the local police department. Outside city limits, it goes to the county sheriff. In practice, that usually means calling 911 from the scene and waiting for an officer.

The CR-3 and the ten-day filing rule

The officer’s written report is the Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report, known as form CR-3. Under section 550.062, an officer who investigates a crash that caused an injury, a death or apparent property damage of $1,000 or more must file the report electronically with TxDOT within 10 days. That is why a report is rarely ready the day after a crash. Give it about a week and a half before you start looking.

Who can get the full report

The complete CR-3 is not open to just anyone. Section 550.065(c)(4) limits it to people with a real connection to the crash, including:

• a person involved in the crash,
• that person’s authorized representative, such as their lawyer,
• the owner of a vehicle involved,
• an insurance company involved in the claim, and
• others the law treats as directly concerned in the crash.

If you hire us, we are your authorized representative and can order it for you. The other driver’s insurer can get it too, which is one more reason to know what it says.

How to order it through TxDOT CRIS

TxDOT sells copies of crash reports through its Crash Report Online Purchase System, part of CRIS, at cris.txdot.gov. To search, it helps to have:

1. the date of the crash,
2. the county (Harris County for most Houston crashes) or the city,
3. the name of a driver involved, and
4. any report number written on the card or paper the officer handed you.

There is a small fee for a copy. If the system cannot find your report, it may not have been filed yet, or a detail you entered may not match how the officer wrote it. Try again with fewer details, or call us and we will track it down.

What to check on your report

• Your name, address, vehicle and insurer are listed correctly.
• The other driver’s name and liability insurance are on it.
• The location, time and direction of travel match what happened.
• The narrative and diagram describe the crash the way you remember it.
• Witnesses and any citations are listed.
• Injuries are noted, including yours if you were hurt at the scene.

An error on the report does not decide the claim. The officer’s opinion is evidence, but fault in a Texas claim is weighed on all the evidence, and under Civil Practice and Remedies Code section 33.001 you can recover if you are 50 percent or less at fault. Still, a mistake on the report is something an adjuster will use, and it is easier to deal with early. If something is wrong, tell us, and do not argue the point with the other driver’s insurer yourself. Our post on recorded statements after a Houston crash explains why we handle those calls for clients.

What the report means for your deadline

Waiting on a report does not stop the clock. A Texas injury suit must be filed within two years under section 16.003(a), and if a city or county vehicle was involved, written notice may be due within six months (section 101.101). Our accident lawyers in Houston page covers the rest of the claim, and the FAQ answers other common questions.

LAWBOSS represents injured people on a No Fees or Costs Unless We Win basis. The firm advances the case costs, the report and records among them, and you owe no attorney’s fee and no case costs if the case brings in no money.