If you are involved in any type of traffic accident in Texas, you will probably find yourself dealing with insurance companies and maybe even the civil legal system. Both insurance companies and civil courts need to determine what happened in an accident in order to make decisions. Typically, one way to determine what happened is by looking at Texas traffic crash reports.
How Texas Traffic Crash Reports Are Made
According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), any time a police officer encounters a car accident where someone was injured or killed or at least $1,000 of property damage occurred, they are required to write and submit a crash report to TxDOT.
Since almost any damage to a vehicle causes at least $1,000 in property damage, this means that the police almost always create and submit an accident report.
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Where To Get Texas Traffic Crash Reports
If you were hurt in a car, truck, or motorcycle accident, you may want access to the accident report. To get that report, you need to contact TxDOT.
Anyone who was involved in an accident or who has a legitimate interest in the accident can request an accident report. Examples of people who have a legitimate interest in an accident are:
- An attorney representing someone involved in the accident
- A passenger in either vehicle
- The legal guardian of a driver
- The owner of a vehicle if it was being driven by another party
- An insurance company for anyone injured in the accident
- A news organization reporting on the accident
- Anyone who could sue due to something that happened in the accident
Requesting a copy is relatively easy. You can submit a request online, and it costs only $6 for a regular copy or $8 for a certified copy.
Why You Might Need a Texas Traffic Crash Report
Suppose that you are involved in a truck accident. When you file an insurance claim to get compensation for any damages to your vehicle and any injuries you suffered, your car insurance company will want to know who is responsible. One of the pieces of evidence that it uses to determine who is responsible is the traffic crash report created by the responding officer.
However, just because the insurance company uses that information to determine who was responsible, that doesn’t mean that you get a copy. The insurer could use that information and any other information it gets during an investigation to deny your claim. Suddenly, you could be in financial difficulty.
Typically, you want to stay in front of any insurance investigation. That means you should consider hiring an attorney who handles car accident claims in Texas. They will want a copy of the report so they know what is in it. This allows them to independently determine who was responsible for the accident and how much compensation might be available.
The unfortunate truth is that sometimes, an insurance company will misrepresent the circumstances of an accident or what is in an accident report when determining whether to approve a claim. You can only counter that type of misrepresentation if you have an official copy of the accident report.
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Always Get a Copy of Your Accident Report
In some states, getting an accident report is a hassle and costs a fair bit of money. That isn’t true in Texas. An accident report is inexpensive and easy to request. You should get your hands on one as soon as possible after getting in an accident to help protect your rights.
If you hire a lawyer for your case, they an also get a copy on your behalf.
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Contact a Houston Personal Injury Lawyer to Help You With Your Claim
For more information, contact the Houston personal injury law firm of Attorney Brian White Personal Injury Lawyers by calling (713) 500-5000.
Attorney Brian White Personal Injury Lawyers – Houston
3120 Southwest Freeway, Suite 350, Houston, TX 77098
Attorney Brian White Personal Injury Lawyers – East Fwy
11811 East Fwy, Suite 630-06, Houston, TX 77029
Attorney Brian White Personal Injury Lawyers – South Loop
2600 S Loop W, Suite 293, Houston, TX 77054
Attorney Brian White Personal Injury Lawyers – Katy Freeway
11511 Katy Fwy, Suite 515, Houston, TX 77079
Attorney Brian White Personal Injury Lawyers – Clear Lake
1300 Bay Area Blvd Suite B268, Houston, TX 77058
Attorney Brian White Personal Injury Lawyers – The Woodlands
1776 Woodstead Ct Ste 203, The Woodlands, TX 77380
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