How to Get Your Texas Crash Report — or Let Us Handle It Free
The official record of a Texas traffic crash is the Texas Peace Officer's Crash Report (Form CR-3). You can order it yourself from Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), or fill out the form on this page and we'll obtain it for you at no cost and deliver it to your email.
The Texas crash report: Texas Peace Officer's Crash Report (Form CR-3)
When police respond to a crash involving injury, death, or significant damage, the investigating officer files a Texas Peace Officer's Crash Report (Form CR-3). It records the drivers, vehicles, and insurance details; the officer's diagram and narrative; citations; road conditions; and — critically in a truck crash — the motor carrier operating the truck. That single page identifying the carrier and its insurer is often the starting point of the entire claim.
Ordering it yourself
Direct from the state: use the TxDOT Crash Report Online Purchase System (CRIS) — $6 for a regular copy or $8 for a certified copy. The police department that worked the crash (for example Houston PD, Dallas PD, or San Antonio PD) can usually also sell you a copy directly, and many Texas departments use third-party portals for online orders.
The investigating officer has 10 days to file the CR-3 with TxDOT, so most reports become available roughly 5 to 14 days after the crash — complex or fatal crashes can take longer.
Who can get a copy
Texas law (Transportation Code § 550.065) limits crash reports to people directly concerned: anyone involved in the crash, their legal representative or attorney, immediate family or next of kin, and insurers with a claim on file.
Or let us do it — free
- Fill out the form on this page — about two minutes. A report number helps but isn't required; the crash date, location, and a name on the report are usually enough to find it.
- We request the report from Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) or the local department and cover the fee.
- The report lands in your inbox as soon as the agency releases it.
Frequently asked questions
Ordered directly from the state, $6 for a regular copy or $8 for a certified copy through the TxDOT Crash Report Online Purchase System (CRIS). The police department that worked the crash (for example Houston PD, Dallas PD, or San Antonio PD) can usually also sell you a copy directly, and many Texas departments use third-party portals for online orders. Requested through us, the report costs you nothing — a participating law firm covers the fee as part of a free case evaluation.
The investigating officer has 10 days to file the CR-3 with TxDOT, so most reports become available roughly 5 to 14 days after the crash — complex or fatal crashes can take longer. We monitor the request and deliver the report to your email as soon as it is released.
Hurt in the crash? While you wait for the report, two pages worth reading: what to do after an 18-wheeler accident and how truck crash evidence disappears. Or start a free Texas case review.
Need more than the report?
If a commercial truck was involved and someone was hurt, a Texas truck accident attorney can review your situation for free — and the report fee is covered either way.
Or call (713) 800-4448 — available 24/7 · Se habla español