Do I Need to Report a Car Accident to the Police?

If you’re involved in a car accident in Texas, chances are you’ll want to file a police report. Having a peace officer fill out a crash report means that you’ll have a contemporaneous and objective third-party report of what happened from an authority figure. This can be a very useful tool to have when you contact your insurance company to file a claim.

Is it always necessary to get the police involved, though? No, very minor collisions won’t require police involvement, but officers need to be called out if a more serious accident happened.

Legally, you must report an accident to the police if any bodily injuries have occurred or if damage to one or more of the vehicles involved exceeds $1,000. Failing to do so

When you request a police report, an officer will come to the scene to perform an investigation, interview the parties involved, and fill out a CR-3 form to document the crash. The crash report will often weigh in on who’s at fault for the accident and assess an estimate for damage to each vehicle involved. Again, can be very useful to have this document when you report the incident to your insurance carrier.

Car accidents, however, aren’t always so simple. Sometimes people don’t realize until days later that they’ve been injured in the accident or find out that the cost for repairs will exceed $1,000. If either is the case or if the police didn’t show up to complete a report, you should file a CR-2.

What Is a CR-2?

A CR-2 is also known as a “Blue Form” or “Driver’s Crash Report” in Texas. If your damage estimate rose above $1,000 or you realize later that someone was injured in the accident, you need to fill out a Blue Form. Whereas a police officer fills out a CR-3 at the time of the accident, you must complete and file the CR-2 on your own.

A CR-2 lets you document what happened to cause the accident, report injuries and damage, and assess who is liable for what occurred. Remember that you can file a claim with the other driver’s insurance if you are less than 51 percent at fault for what occurred, and lying on the report to conceal your liability is a very bad idea.

Here’s some of what a CR-2 will ask you to document:

  • Precise location of the accident
  • Time and date of accident (approximate time is OK)
  • Make, model, and year of all involved vehicles
  • Damage to vehicles and other property (such as someone’s landscaping, fences, a light pole, etc.)
  • Injuries sustained in the accident (you will need to report the position of each occupant in your vehicle and if/how they were injured)
  • Driver’s statement (this is essentially your story of what happened in the collision. If you need additional room to write, include a full-sized sheet of paper.)

If injuries from an accident are becoming apparent later on, you should consider reaching out to a personal injury attorney to help you with your CR-2. Filing a report that accidentally contradicts itself or leaves out important information can be detrimental to your claim, but an attorney has the experience to review your report and help you make sure what you’re recording is as accurate and truthful as possible.

If you or someone you love was hurt in a car accident, though, you should consider seeking legal representation regardless of whether or not you need help with the CR-2 report. An attorney is needed if you intend to hold accountable for the accident those responsible (or their insurance carriers) for causing it.

What We Can Do for You

If you were involved in a car accident, Rodriguez & Gimbert, P.L.L.C. can help you with your personal injury claim. We can also help if you were charged with a crime after failing to wait for a police officer to arrive and complete a CR-3 report. Both of these scenarios are incredibly difficult to deal with, but our professional advocates have the skill and experience it takes to provide our clients with representation that keeps the best possible outcomes within reach.

Learn more by contacting Rodriguez & Gimbert, P.L.L.C. online or by calling (979) 559-3599 today.

Categories