A “crash report” is a form filled out by the Houston Police Department officer who investigated your collision. The report contains a lot of information, including the insurance company and policy number for the other driver (assuming the other driver was insured). The report will also include the officer’s opinion of what caused or contributed to the collision, and who got a citation (if anyone). Police crash reports are filed with the central records division of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) in Austin, TX. Police officers are required to complete a report when there appears to be more than $1,000 in damage to one or more person’s property. Accident reports typically require 5-8 days processing time from the date of the collision until they are ready. A copy of the report can be purchased for $6.00 from the HPD records division or can be bought online from www.vectrareports.com for $7.50. Information on requesting a report from the records division is available on HPD’s web site here. If you are making a claim under another person’s automobile insurance policy, having a copy of the police report is extremely important: the other driver’s insurance company will have a copy, and you may be at a disadvantage if you don’t.
As part of representing injured clients, Smith & Hassler orders police accident reports for clients’ automobile accidents. If you have a question either about your accident or about the police crash report for your accident, you are welcome to call Smith & Hassler for a free consultation or visit us online at www.smithandhassler.com
