How to Get a Houston Accident Report
Houston has more car accidents than any other city in the state of Texas. The Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) reported over 58,000 crashes in the city, and that number doubled in the Houston area. Do you need a Houston crash report? Here’s how to obtain a Houston accident report.
If you have been in a Houston car accident with injuries or property damage exceeding $1,000. The odds are that an accident report will be part of a claim.
Understanding how to obtain and interpret a crash report is crucial. It can be helpful when filing a claim for an accident.
This guide will show you how to get your Houston accident report, understand it, and use the information. It also covers costs.
How to Get a Houston Accident Report
What information is needed to get a Houston accident report?
To get a copy of a Houston car accident report, you must provide the Houston Police Department or the DOT with as much of the information below as possible.
Here is the form you must fill out.
- The ID number you received from the investigating officer
- Your name and the name of the other drivers
- Date of the accident
- The location where the crash occurred
How Much Does an Accident Report Cost?
The cost for an accident report is $6 for a regular copy or $8 for a certified copy. Our personal injury law firm recommends obtaining a certified copy if you anticipate filing an injury claim. Obtaining a Houston accident report online is easy today if the police report is ready.
Why get a certified copy of the Houston accident report?
If your case gets to court, some parts of the crash report may be admissible as evidence. Obtaining a certified copy is helpful in such an event.
Where can I purchase an Accident Report in person in Harris County?
In-person
To purchase an accident report in Harris County in person, you have a few options.
To purchase an accident report in person in Harris County, you have several options for locations:
- District 1 Substation: Located at 6831 Cypresswood, Spring, Texas 77379. You can contact them at 281-376-2997
- District 2 Substation: Situated at 7900 Will Clayton, Humble, Texas 77338. Feel free to reach out to them at 281-446-9155
- District 3 Substation: Found at 14350 Wallisville, Houston, Texas 77049. You can contact them at 713-455-8050
- District 4 Substation: Located at 16715 Clay Rd., Houston, Texas 77084. You can contact them at 281-463-2648
- District 5 Substation:Situated at 23828 Tomball Pkwy., Tomball, Texas 77375. You can contact them at 281-290-2100
- Vehicular Crimes:Situated at 3540 W. Dallas, Houston, Texas 77019. You can contact them at 713-274-7400
These locations will be able to assist you with purchasing a Harris County accident report in person.
By Mail
Mail in the request form and include a $6 money order and a self-addressed, pre-stamped envelope. Send the filled-out form and the $6 money order to:
Houston Police Department, Attn: Records Division
1200 Travis, Houston, TX 77002
Online
You can buy the HPD crash report online from the Texas Department of Transportation by following this link https://cris.dot.state.tx.us
How Do I Get a Report From the Harris County Sheriff’s Office?
To obtain a crash report from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, there are two available options:
- In-person: You can visit a district substation or the county office in Harris County. You can request a crash report directly from the Sheriff’s Office by going there personally.
- Online: Another convenient way to access a crash report is through the LexisNexis Police Reports portal. You can search and obtain the required crash report electronically by visiting this online portal.
Please note that there are associated fees for obtaining crash reports. In Harris County, the cost is $6.00 per report. However, the fee increases to $8.00 if you require a certified copy.
Please note that this response provides a comprehensive answer to the question and is not a direct quote from any specific source.
Are There Special Situations That May Delay an Accident Report?
Fatal Crash
In certain situations, accident reports may not be readily accessible to the public due to specific circumstances. One such circumstance may arise if there is a fatality involved in the accident. In these cases, authorities often prioritize notifying and communicating with the deceased individual’s family and loved ones before releasing any information to the public.
Ongoing Criminal Investigations
Accident reports may not be available immediately if a criminal investigation is ongoing in connection with the incident. In these situations, police need time to investigate, collect evidence, and thoroughly examine the circumstances of the accident. This investigation process is necessary to determine potential criminal liabilities and safeguard the integrity of the legal proceedings. Crashes with drunk drivers can fit into this category.
Accident reports may be delayed in both cases. Authorities prioritize ensuring that accurate and complete information is provided. Waiting gives them time to finish their investigations and give a detailed report to the public.
If you can’t find accident reports easily, be patient. There may be special reasons, such as a death in an accident or investigations, that require more time before the reports can be shared with the public.
When are Houston accident reports required?
In Texas, if the crash results in an injury or death or where the vehicle involved has more than $ 1,000 in damages. According to Texas law, the investigating officer should turn in the written crash reports within ten days of the wreck. If you are injured in an accident, it is essential to wait for the police to arrive. Harris County Sheriff’s Office or Harris County law enforcement may write up the police report.
How long does it take to get a Houston accident report?
The average wait for a report to be completed and available is six to eight days. The Texas Department of Transportation gets reports from all over the state of collisions on public roads in Texas. Usually, you must wait at least a week before the crash report is ready. HPD incident reports are available through TXDOT.
If the accident involved a fatality, the reports would always take longer, as the investigation is more thorough. In some cases, the accident report may be ready in five days. But, for non-fatal accidents, the reports should be ready in a week or less.
What is in a Texas Crash Report?
Texas crash reports and Houston police incident reports contain much helpful information if you make a personal injury claim. The basic information includes the vehicles, people, insurance, date, and location. Car wrecks, 18-wheeler and motorcycle accidents are all recorded on the same forms.
Texas law limits the amount of punitive damages, but they can significantly increase the total value of a personal injury claim in qualifying cases.
Factors Commonly Cited By Officers
A crash report can include witness comments, scene details, tickets issued, and the officer’s opinion on the cause of the crash. This information can be found under the section labeled “factors and conditions.” For instance, if you were in a rear-end accident, the officer would likely list failure to control speed as a factor.
A t-bone accident occurs at an intersection when a driver ignores right-of-way rules or traffic signals. Disregarding a signal can be written up as:
- Disregard Stop and Go Signal (no 15)
- Disregard Stop Sign or Light (no 16)
- Disregard Turn Marks at Intersection (no 17)
Distracted driving is another common factor listed as a potential cause of a collision. The factors are driver inattention (no 20) or distraction in a vehicle (no 19).
Hit-and-run accidents are common and can result in citations and serious injuries.
Head-on accidents are reported on the crash report as either “no.” 69 to 71 as wrong-way accidents.
Speeding is a very common infraction and is listed as No. 60, unsafe speed, or No. 61, speeding over the limit.
How to Read a Texas Crash Report
A Guide to a Texas Peace Officer’s Report
Texas has a standard form used to report all accidents in the state. The form is called CR-3.
The crash report contains information about the accident, including details about the people involved, the cars involved, insurance information, and who is at fault, among other details.
The images below highlight what to look for in the accident report and where that information is listed.
If a police officer gives you a ticket or finds you at fault in an accident, it doesn’t mean your insurance company will agree. Your insurance company will make its own decision when you file a claim for injury or damage. They will make their own decision when you file a claim for injury or damage.
How Insurance Adjusters Use Texas Crash Reports
If you were in a car accident that wasn’t your fault or your vehicle was damaged, the insurance company will review the crash report. This report helps them understand what happened and determine who is at fault.
Based on this information, they will decide how to handle your claim. It is important to provide accurate and detailed information to the insurance company. Although you can make a car accident claim without a Houston crash report, having one helps.
If the crash report blames you for the accident, the other party’s insurance adjuster might deny your claim. This could happen even if the report is wrong.
However, a Houston crash report may also have enough admissible evidence that an adverse adjuster may accept the claim. The adjuster will usually accept a claim when the crash report contains the following:
- Drinking or drug use by the other driver
- Independent witnesses to the crash who fault their insured
- Statements made by the insured to an officer admitting fault.
- Crystal clear liability like a rear-end accident.
How are crash reports used in a Houston auto accident lawsuit?
If you are denied compensation for injuries from a car or motorcycle accident or cannot agree on a fair settlement, you may need to go to court to settle the matter. In this case, Texas crash reports may be admissible into evidence, but they may be partially redacted.
Insurance is almost always redacted before a jury sees a report in a trial.
Whether an officer’s opinion on the cause of a crash in a report is accepted depends on their qualifications and the thoroughness of the investigation they conducted.
Consult a Houston personal injury law firm for more information about crash reports and trials.
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Related Resources
- Admissibility Of Police Officer Opinions In A Crash Report
- What are Factors and Conditions in Texas Crash Reports
- Texas Car Accident Report Basics
- Do I Need to File a Police Report After a Houston Truck Accident?
- When Are Crash Reports Required in Texas: Car Accident Report Basics
- Can You Make a Car Accident Claim Without a Houston Crash Report?
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- 6 Mistakes to Avoid When Filing a Truck Accident Claim
About Our Law Firm in Houston
Houston personal injury lawyer Greg Baumgartner heads the Baumgartner Law Firm.
Our firm was established in 1985 and has helped thousands of injury victims get maximum compensation for their cases. If you have been injured in an accident in Houston, TX, contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation. (281) 587-1111.
Since 1985, Baumgartner Law Firm has limited our law practice to serious personal injury cases. Our legal team has won maximum compensation for thousands of accident victims and recovered millions of dollars for real people like you.
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