How to Report a Car Accident in Texas
There are three separate reports, they go to different places, and doing one does not discharge the others. Most people know about the police and stop there.
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Report to law enforcement at the scene
Texas requires a driver to report a collision that results in injury, death, or enough property damage to make a vehicle unsafe to drive. Call 911 from the scene and let an officer attend.
The investigating officer completes a Texas Peace Officer's Crash Report, form CR-3, where the crash meets the threshold. You do not file that report; the officer does. What you get is a reference number and, later, the ability to buy a copy.
The driver's own report, when no officer attends
This is the one almost nobody knows about. Where a reportable collision occurs and no investigating officer files a report, the driver has an obligation to submit a Driver's Crash Report, form CR-2, within a defined period.
In practice officers attend most reportable collisions, so this arises where police declined to attend a minor-looking crash that later proves to involve injury. If you were told no report would be made, ask specifically whether you need to file a CR-2.
Notify your own insurer promptly
Your policy requires it, and delay can jeopardize your own coverage, including the uninsured and underinsured motorist benefits you pay for. This obligation exists regardless of fault and regardless of whether you intend to claim.
Report the facts: when, where, who, and that you are being assessed medically. You are not required to speculate about fault, and you should not.
The other driver's insurer is a different matter
Notifying the at-fault driver's insurer opens a claim, but you are not obliged to give them a recorded statement, and the adjuster who calls in the first days is gathering material to reduce what they pay.
Be careful with medical authorizations. A blanket authorization gives access to an entire history and is routinely used to attribute the injury to something pre-existing. Authorization limited to relevant records and the relevant period is the reasonable position.
Obtaining the crash report afterwards
Texas crash reports are available through the Texas Department of Transportation's online system, usually within a week or two of the collision, and from the investigating agency.
Read it when it arrives. Reports contain errors in vehicle positions, direction of travel and contributing factors more often than people expect, and a correction is easier to pursue early than late.
Where the report is wrong
An officer's conclusion about contributing factors is an opinion formed quickly, usually without having witnessed the collision. It is not a verdict and it is regularly contradicted by scene evidence, damage geometry and witnesses.
If the report assigns you fault and you disagree, that is a problem to answer with evidence rather than a reason to abandon the claim.
Summary
| Report | Who files it | When |
|---|---|---|
| CR-3 crash report | The investigating officer | At the scene, if it is reportable |
| CR-2 driver's report | You, if no officer filed one | Within the statutory period |
| Notice to your own insurer | You | Promptly, as your policy requires |
| Claim to the other insurer | You or your lawyer | No fixed deadline, but sooner is better |
| Obtaining a copy | You, via TxDOT or the agency | Usually a week or two after |
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, where it results in injury, death, or enough property damage to make a vehicle unsafe to drive. Call 911 from the scene. The investigating officer files the crash report; you do not.
A Driver's Crash Report. Where a reportable collision occurs and no investigating officer files a report, the driver has an obligation to submit one within a defined period. It arises where police declined to attend a crash that later proves to involve injury.
Yes. Your policy requires prompt notice regardless of fault, and delay can jeopardize your own coverage including uninsured and underinsured motorist benefits.
It is not a verdict. Officers form conclusions quickly, usually without having witnessed the collision, and reports are regularly contradicted by scene evidence, damage geometry and witnesses. Read it when it arrives and raise errors early.
Talk it through with a lawyer
A free consultation covers whether you have a claim, what the deadline is, and what insurance is actually available.
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