After a Crash in Texas — Official Resources
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This is general information, not legal advice.
Texas has no driver self-report — the state stopped retaining the CR-2 "blue form" in 2017, so the officer's report is the only crash record. Call police at the scene for any crash with injury, death, or apparent damage of $1,000 or more. Buy the officer's CR-3 report from TxDOT's CRIS system for $6 ($8 certified); allow about two weeks. Free help: State Bar referral at 800-252-9690 ($20 cap on a 30-minute consult), TexasLawHelp.org, and the Texas Department of Insurance help line at 800-252-3439.
Texas is unusual: there is no form for you to file afterward. Everything hinges on the officer's report — how it gets created, and how you get a copy. Both are below, along with lawyer referrals, free legal aid, and insurance complaints. Saving your dashcam clip still comes first; the first-steps checklist explains why.
Reporting the crash — Texas is different
Texas drivers no longer file their own crash report with the state. Per TxDOT, the Driver's Crash Report (form CR-2, the "blue form") has not been retained by the state since Sept. 1, 2017. What matters instead is getting police to the scene: state law requires an officer's report for a crash involving injury, death, or apparent damage of $1,000 or more.
If no officer came and you were handed a CR-2 or a local agency form, fill it out and keep it — your insurer will want it, but do not mail it to TxDOT; it will be destroyed.
Get the police report
Buy the officer's crash report (CR-3) through the TxDOT Crash Report Purchase System — $6 regular $8 certified. Officers have up to 10 days to file, plus processing, so allow roughly two weeks before it appears.
Hit-and-run
Call police and insist on a response. This matters more in Texas than almost anywhere: because the state keeps no crash record except the officer's, a hit-and-run nobody responds to leaves you with no official documentation at all — and insurers are unforgiving about that gap.
Save your clip and write down the time and location while they're precise. The plate number your camera caught is the entire lead. Uninsured-motorist coverage is the usual route to getting paid when the other driver is never found, so open that claim early, and call TDI below if your insurer stops responding.
Find a lawyer
The State Bar of Texas Lawyer Referral & Information Service — 800-252-9690. An initial consultation of up to 30 minutes costs no more than $20.
Bexar, Dallas, Harris, Jefferson, Tarrant, and Travis counties run their own Bar-certified services — see the certified referral programs list.
Free legal help
TexasLawHelp.org is the statewide guide to free and reduced-fee legal aid, organized by county. The State Bar's referral service is not legal aid — this is where to go if cost is the problem.
Insurance problems
The Texas Department of Insurance helps with auto insurance complaints against companies, agents, and adjusters. Help Line: 800-252-3439, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central.
Uninsured when it happened? Getting the officer's report still works in your favor — it's the neutral record of what occurred, and without it you're arguing from memory against someone who isn't. TexasLawHelp is the place to start on everything that follows.
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Dashwatcher is a dashcam company, not a law firm, and nothing here is legal advice or a substitute for a licensed attorney. Reporting rules, deadlines, and programs differ by state and change over time; verify everything with the official source before you rely on it. Links go to government agencies, bar associations, and nonprofits. Dashwatcher receives no payment from any organization listed.
From the team at Dashwatcher.
Last verified: August 4, 2026