Person writing truck accident police report. | Patrick Daniel Law

Step One: Find Out Who Has Your Houston Truck Accident Police Report (HPD or TxDOT)

Before you can purchase a copy of your Houston truck accident police report, you’ll need to confirm who created it so you can better determine where and how to access it.

If your accident happened within Houston city limits, crash reports are available through HPD or TxDOT. Often, when HPD responds to accidents, reports are initially available through their Records Division.
If a different agency responded to the accident, such as the Harris County Sheriff’s Office or Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), then it is more likely your report will be filed with TxDOT.

Ultimately, all finalized crash reports are archived by TxDOT, as mandated by Texas Transportation Code § 550.062, which requires reporting officers to file CR-3 crash reports electronically no later than 10 days after the date of the accident.

Option A: Order from TxDOT (CR-3)

If your report has been filed with TxDOT, you can purchase a copy through the Crash Records Information System (CRIS). To locate your report in the portal, you need to be able to provide at least two of the following pieces of information:

Date of the crash
Location of the crash
Names of persons involved

Note that only certain parties are legally entitled to purchase crash reports, according to Texas Transportation Code § 550.065:

Individuals involved in the accident
An employer, parent, or legal guardian of a driver or any person involved in the collision
A vehicle owner or someone whose property was damaged in the collision
Legal representatives of any person involved in the collision
Insurance carriers

Option B: Request from HPD

If HPD responded to the accident, you can file a records request. To purchase a report, you must be able to provide at least two of the following:

Date of the accident
Location of the accident
Name of the drivers or parties involved
The incident number (if available)

There are three ways you can request reports:

Online through the HPD reporting portal
In person at the Houston Police Department (Edward A. Thomas Building, 1200 Travis St., 1st Floor)
By U.S. mail

The City of Houston has also launched a new open records portal through GovQA, where you can submit requests directly to the police department.

How Long Until It’s Available?

Reports are generally available within 7–10 days after the accident, depending on how it was filed. Other factors may create additional delays, such as in crashes involving fatalities or ongoing investigations.

Commercial truck accident reports can be delayed due to their complexity and the extensive investigation required.

If you are unable to find a copy of your report because it’s not yet in the system, you can continue to follow up with the appropriate agency and regularly check the TxDOT CRIS platform for updates.

Do I Need a Certified Copy?

In legal proceedings, you are typically required to have a certified copy of the crash report, which is signed and sealed by the agency to confirm authenticity for court records. If your case goes to trial, you will definitely need to have that certified copy. However, most insurance companies will accept a regular, non-certified copy for their purposes.

If you’re not sure what version of the report you need, your truck accident attorney in Houston can help ensure you get the correct format based on your case strategy.

Can My Truck Wreck Attorney Get It for Me?

Yes, and this is often the fastest way to ensure the correct report is retrieved without delays. Experienced truck accident lawyers in Houston know how to navigate government bureaucracy efficiently to gather relevant information.

At Patrick Daniel Law, this is a routine process our team handles. We can get a copy quickly, confirm its accuracy, and start using it to build your claim.

Step Two: What to Check Inside Your Report

When you obtain a copy of the truck accident report, there are a few key things to review:

Basic Factual Accuracy: Are names spelled correctly? Are vehicles described accurately? Are other details, such as license plate number and insurance information, correct?
Citations Issued: Were any citations given out? For example, was the truck driver ticketed for speeding, improper lane usage, failure to yield, or some other violation?
The Officer’s Narrative: How did the officer describe and diagram the crash scene? Is it accurate, and does it align with other evidence (e.g., skid marks, photographs, vehicle damage, etc.) that was gathered?

Step Three: What If the Report Has Errors?

If you find errors in the accident report, you can submit a request for correction to the reporting agency. However, law enforcement is not required to revise reports unless clear evidence is provided, so your lawyer may need to assemble supporting evidence before requesting a correction.

Errors can also be addressed through supplemental documentation, including photographs and eyewitness statements.

Ultimately, we recommend relying on your attorney’s advice and guidance to prepare a rebuttal to correct any errors in the official narrative. This report will play an integral part in negotiations and potentially litigation, so it’s important that it is as accurate as possible.

How We Use the Report to Build Your Claim

Your Houston truck accident police report, if accurate, will help us establish key pieces of information that will form the foundation of your claim. With it, we will begin our investigation into the crash and dig deeper into items such as:

Black box data
Driver logs
Inspection history
Maintenance records
And more

Further, if the report includes a citation or indicates a violation of state or federal law by the driver, trucking company, or other party, we can act swiftly to expand the investigation accordingly.

Our focus is not just to collect and review reports, but also to use those reports to guide our investigation, turning insights into leverage.

Contact Patrick Daniel Law Today for a FREE Consultation

If you’ve been injured in a truck crash, recovering a copy of the Houston truck accident police report is just the beginning. Protecting your rights and recovering compensation for your damages requires focused, decisive legal action.

At Patrick Daniel Law, our truck wreck attorney takes a strategic, meticulous approach to investigating accidents and pursuing compensation. To discuss your claim over a FREE case evaluation, contact us today. If you choose to hire us to represent you, you pay no fees unless and until we recover compensation on your behalf.

How to Get Your Houston Truck Accident Police Report