Houston Car Accident Lawyers > Articles > Auto Accidents > How To File A Crash Report In Houston TX
How To File A Crash Report In Houston TX
How To File A Crash Report In Houston TX
The law requires the witnessing officer to fill out a crash report if an accident results in death or injury, or there is substantial property damage (worth more than $1000). It used to be a requirement for motorists to fill a crash report (CR-2 form or Blue form) and submit it to TxDOT, but not anymore. However, you should complete a CR-2 form to help you remember details of the accident. For example, that document or form may prove useful when you are making an insurance claim.
Steps To Take At An Accident Scene
You will need to call and notify the police as soon as the accident occurs even if it seems like a minor accident. This is important because a police officer will fill out the report after carrying out an investigation, which could prove useful in the future. In a situation where you believe there are no injuries and no substantial property damage, you can call the Houston police non-emergency line to report.
Make sure you exchange contact and insurance information with the other driver and collect as much information as you can while you are in the accident scene. List the Vehicle Identification Number of any cars involved in accident and also collect contact information of any witnesses to the accident. You can then contact your insurance company.
How To Get The Police Report For A Car Accident
A police officer will file a report (CR-3 Form) about your accident within ten days of the accident. You can obtain this report if you meet the following requirements:
- You were involved in the accident as a driver or passenger
- You are an authorized representative of a person involved in the accident
- You are a guardian, parent or employer of a person in the crash
- You are the owner of the car or a policy holder for the car
You can get a copy of the accident report from the TxDOT website.
Should You Fill The Driver’s Crash Report?
In the past you needed to visit the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) website and fill out the Driver’s Crash Report (CR-2 Form or blue form). But TxDOT no longer retains the form because of the 85th Texas Legislature Senate Bill 312. You can still find the form on websites such as texas-blue-form.com. You need the following information before filling the crash report:
- Location of the accident: You need to include the county or city where the accident happened. Include the highway or road where it happened if you can
- Weather conditions: Make sure you include the weather conditions if the weather played a role in the accident. Don’t into depth about the weather if it played no part in the crash.
- Date: You should include time of the crash if you know.
- Vehicles involved in the accident: Your vehicle should be the #1 vehicle
- The damages: You need to list all of the damaged property
- Injuries: List all injuries whether they are minor or significant. Include the contact information of any person that was injured and where they were positioned in the vehicle when the accident happened.