Get and understand crash reports

By Jacob Alford

Where do I get the crash report?

Start with TxDOT’s crash-report page, which links to the official Crash Report Online Purchase System. The report you usually want is the Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report, or CR-3. The investigating agency may also supply it through its own records office or approved vendor.

Have the date, location, involved person’s name, vehicle information and incident or crash number ready. An officer’s local incident number and TxDOT’s crash ID may be different. Check the agency name and identifying details before purchasing a result. A driver-history record, incident call record and crash report are different products.

TxDOT lists a regular copy at $6 and a certified copy at $8. Its online system sends the report by email after purchase. Online or credit-card processing can add to the cost, so check the selected report type and total before paying. These published base fees were checked November 11, 2026. TxDOT ordering and fee information.

Keep the downloaded report, receipt and any later supplement together. For the local route, see San Marcos and Hays County records routes.

What if it is not available or cannot be found?

A failed search does not establish that no report exists. Check spelling, date, agency and identifiers, then ask the investigating agency whether a CR-3 was prepared, submitted or is still being reviewed. Ask whether there is a local incident record if no CR-3 was made.

Texas generally requires the investigating officer to submit a qualifying report to TxDOT no later than the tenth day after the crash. That submission duty is not a guarantee that your online search will succeed on day ten. Transportation Code §550.062.

Keep your own account and evidence while you investigate. Do not miss an insurance notice, storage decision or other deadline waiting for this one document. If an agency gave you a driver-completed form, keep your copy; TxDOT no longer collects those CR-2 forms. See reports and notices, for reporting duties.

Do I need a certified copy?

Usually you can begin reviewing a claim with an ordinary copy. Ask whoever requires the report whether certification is necessary, particularly for a court filing or another formal purpose. Certification addresses the copy’s official status; it does not make every statement in it accurate or settle fault.

TxDOT offers both ordinary and certified copies, with separate fees and possible transaction charges. Check the current purchase screen rather than assuming a local vendor’s report is certified. TxDOT report options.

Can a passenger or family member request it?

A passenger involved in the crash can generally request the report as an involved person. Family members need to identify the basis for access rather than assume any relationship qualifies. Texas law lists eligible categories, including authorized representatives, certain parents or guardians, vehicle or damaged-property owners, and people who may sue because of a death. A requester who does not qualify for the full report may receive a redacted copy. Transportation Code §550.065.

Use the official process to explain the relationship and supply requested authorization. A helper should not impersonate the injured person or use that person’s account without permission. If someone has died, the report-access question is separate from who has authority to handle the estate or injury claim.

What does the report actually tell me?

It ordinarily identifies the people, vehicles, place and investigating agency and records the officer’s account of the collision. It may contain a diagram, contributing-factor entries, witness information and reported injuries. Read the narrative and codes together; one checked box can be misleading without the rest.

Separate what the officer personally observed from what someone reported. Check whether a witness is listed, whether the officer arrived after vehicles moved and whether the injury entry reflects only what was known at the scene. The report is evidence to assess, not a final court judgment about responsibility. A missing injury entry does not replace a medical evaluation.

For disputed facts, use the report-correction section. A ticket requires its own response; do not assume correcting the civil claim handles the ticket.

The contributing-factor questions below and the TxDOT’s CR-100 instructions explain the numbers, columns and important exceptions. Keep the full narrative with any screenshot of a code.

How do I read contributing factors without assuming they settle fault?

Start with the unit, the column and the narrative before deciding what a number means. This is the reading sequence Jacob Alford explains at InjuredTexan.com. A contributing factor records the investigator’s opinion about a condition or conduct connected to the crash. It does not automatically establish a ticket, conviction, percentage of fault or court finding. TxDOT expressly distinguishes a factor opinion from proof sufficient to file a charge. CR-100, page 131.

1. Match the entry to the unit. Identify the vehicle, pedestrian or other unit the row concerns. The manual recommends listing the motor vehicle considered the proximate cause as Unit 1 as a best practice, so unit order can reflect the investigator’s view. It still does not assign a percentage or replace the actual entries. Unit instructions, page 54.
2. Read the column. Up to three Contributing entries are ranked primary, secondary and additional. Up to two May Have Contributed entries describe a present condition whose contribution the officer could not determine. Neither the rank nor the numeric code is a fault percentage. Column instructions, pages 132–136.
3. Look up the complete label in the right list. Contributing factors use list 38. The same number can mean something different in another list. See the contributing-factor values on CR-100 pages 133–134.
4. Read the explanation and evidence. The narrative should explain the factor, even if information appears elsewhere. Ask what the officer observed, what a witness reported and what remains an inference. A vehicle can contribute without making contact. An arrest can occur even when the officer cannot determine whether the arrest-related condition contributed. Factor instructions, pages 136 and 143.

For example, running a stop sign may be listed before speeding if the officer considers it the primary factor. That order does not mean “70% versus 30%.” Civil responsibility still requires the evidence and applicable law. Use the report-correction section for factual disagreements and supplements, and evidence held by others and records beyond the crash report for evidence beyond the report.

Where can I look up a contributing-factor number and check its limits?

Find the number in list 38: contributing factors, CR-100 pages 133–134, then read the officer’s explanation alongside it. Match the code to the correct vehicle or person and check whether it appears under Contributing or May Have Contributed. Those columns mean different things.

Use TxDOT’s CR-100 instructions to check a contributing-factor number, its column and any limits on its use. Keep the report’s narrative with the code; the number alone does not decide responsibility. For this guide’s explanation of each number, use the InjuredTexan.com crash-report factor reference.

Use the form and law applicable to the wreck date. This explanation follows CR-100 Version 29.0 and its reproduced April 1, 2023 code sheet. The current form family applies to crashes on or after April 1, 2023. TxDOT’s current forms catalog.

An apparent coding inconsistency is a reason to investigate, not to edit the official PDF. Preserve the report and any supplement. Describe the specific entry, supporting evidence and question for the agency under the report-correction section.

Does the report’s automation entry prove the vehicle was driving itself?

No. The Autonomous Unit field concerns equipment; Autonomous Level Engaged concerns what was in use at the crash. The manual can require a Yes equipment entry for standard adaptive cruise control, lane-centering or lane-keeping features. That alone does not prove the system was active or caused the collision. CR-100, pages 63–64.

The engaged-level field distinguishes no automation, driver assistance, partial, conditional, high and full automation, with separate unknown entries. Ask what supports the reported level. Preserve settings, warnings, software information and activation or disengagement records through the automation-evidence answer.

The level can affect which contributing-factor codes the manual permits. That is a reporting constraint, not an allocation of legal responsibility. Also take care with number 14: contributing-factor 14 means Disabled in Traffic Lane, while Automation Failure is 14 in the separate Vehicle Defects list. The latter has its own level restrictions. CR-100, pages 134–135 and 147.

Attorney reviewed by Jacob Alford · November 11, 2026