What to Do After a Texas Car Accident
The minutes after a crash are loud, disorienting, and strangely blank. Almost nobody remembers a checklist in that moment, which is exactly why it helps to have walked through one before you need it. What you do in the first hour, and the first week, protects three things in order: your health, your legal position, and your insurance claim.
Texas law actually requires a handful of specific actions after a crash, and the rest is practical judgment. This guide covers both, in the order they come at you, whether the wreck happened on a Houston freeway, a farm-to-market road, or a parking lot in between.
Stop, Get Safe, and Check on Everyone
First, the non-negotiable: Texas law requires every driver involved in a crash to stop at the scene or immediately return to it. Leaving is a criminal offense, and it becomes a serious felony when someone is hurt. Stopping applies even when the damage looks trivial and even when the other driver waves you off.
Turn on your hazards, then check yourself and your passengers before anything else. If your vehicle is drivable and no one appears seriously hurt, Texas law expects you to move it out of the travel lanes, especially on freeway main lanes, where a stopped car is a second crash waiting to happen. If a quick photo of the vehicles’ positions takes only seconds and can be done safely, take it first; if not, safety wins and the diagram can be reconstructed later.
When You Must Call 911
Texas requires a crash to be reported to law enforcement immediately, by the quickest available means, when anyone is injured or killed, or when a vehicle is damaged badly enough that it cannot be driven away safely. In those situations the call is not optional. Beyond the legal trigger, call anyway when any of the following is true:
- Any injury, however minor it seems. Adrenaline is a powerful painkiller, and “I’m fine” at the scene is not a medical opinion.
- The other driver leaves, seems impaired, or has no insurance. A hit-and-run, suspected intoxication, or an uninsured driver all change what happens next, and an officer’s documentation becomes far more valuable.
- Traffic is blocked or the scene is dangerous. Disabled vehicles, leaking fluids, and debris in live lanes are a 911 call regardless of injuries.
For minor no-injury crashes where both cars drive away, police in larger Texas cities often will not respond to the scene. That is normal, and it is why your own documentation matters so much. Texas retired the old CR-2 driver’s crash report back in 2017, so there is no state form for you to file yourself anymore; your photos and notes now fill that role.
Exchange Exactly What Texas Requires
The Texas Transportation Code spells out what drivers owe each other at the scene, and treating it like a short script keeps a tense conversation businesslike.
- Name, address, and vehicle registration. Each driver is required to provide these. Get the license plate while you are at it, since a plate photo resolves half of all later confusion.
- Insurance company and policy number. Photograph the card rather than copying it by hand; it is faster and eliminates transcription errors.
- Driver’s license, on request. You must show yours if asked, and you can ask to see theirs.
- Witnesses and the officer. Get names and phone numbers of anyone who saw the crash before they drift away, and if police respond, note the officer’s name, agency, and the report number before they leave.
For example: two photos capture most of what you need — one of the other driver’s insurance card and one of their license plate. Add the drivers’ names and the street you are on, and you have nearly everything an adjuster will ask for on the first call.
Document the Scene While It Is Fresh
Memory fades faster than anyone expects, and the scene itself starts disappearing the moment the first tow truck arrives. A few minutes with your phone preserves what no one can reconstruct later.
- Shoot wide, then close. Wide shots that show lane positions, traffic signals, and skid marks; then close-ups of damage on every vehicle, both plates, debris, and anything relevant about weather or lighting.
- Record a short voice memo. Your direction of travel, approximate speed, what the light was doing, and anything the other driver said. Thirty seconds now beats an hour of trying to remember next week.
- Stick to facts with the other driver. Do not argue fault, and do not assign it, including to yourself. Statements made at the scene have a way of being quoted later, so save the full account for the police and your own insurer.
After You Leave the Scene
Get checked by a medical professional even if you feel fine. Soft-tissue injuries and concussions routinely surface a day or two after a crash, once the adrenaline burns off, and an early visit does double duty by creating a dated medical record that connects any symptoms to the wreck.
Notify your own insurance company promptly; nearly every policy requires it regardless of who was at fault. The other driver’s insurer is a different conversation. You are not obligated to give them a recorded statement on the spot, and it is reasonable to wait until you have the official report and a clear picture of your injuries before going on the record. Meanwhile, start a file: photos, the report number, medical visits, receipts, repair estimates, and missed work all go in one place. When repair time comes, see our guide to choosing an auto body shop in Texas — by law, the choice of shop is yours, not your insurer’s.
Get the Official Crash Report
If officers investigated your crash, the resulting Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report, the CR-3, is the document everything else leans on. The officer has up to ten days to file it, and once it lands in the state system you can request a copy. It is often the only reliable source for the other driver’s insurance details if the scene was chaotic.
How to Get a Car Accident Report in Texas → Guide Our step-by-step guide to requesting the CR-3 from TxDOT, Houston police, or the Harris County Sheriff’s Office — what it costs, who can get a copy, and how long it takes.
Deadlines Worth Knowing
- Your own policy: promptly. “Prompt notice” is a condition of most policies, and in practice it means days, not weeks.
- Insurers work on a clock too. Texas prompt-payment rules generally require an insurer to acknowledge a claim within fifteen days and then act on set timelines once it has the paperwork it needs.
- Lawsuits: generally two years. Most Texas injury and property-damage claims from a crash carry a two-year filing deadline, with exceptions that can shorten or extend it.
- Government vehicles are different. A crash involving a city, county, or state vehicle can require formal written notice within a few months, and sometimes less under local charters, so move quickly.
Texas Department of Insurance — Auto Insurance → Official The state regulator’s consumer page — claim steps, the Consumer Bill of Rights, and a Help Line (800-252-3439) for questions or complaints about an insurer.
Special Situations
- Hit-and-run. Call police immediately and write down whatever you caught: a partial plate, vehicle color and body style, direction of travel. Your own uninsured-motorist coverage may apply, and insurers expect fast reporting on these claims.
- Uninsured or underinsured driver. Your own UM/UIM coverage is the safety net here. Texas insurers must offer it, and it can only be rejected in writing, so check your declarations page before assuming you do not have it.
- A commercial truck is involved. Trucking evidence such as driver logs and onboard data can be overwritten within weeks. Note the company name, the DOT number on the door, and the trailer plate before everyone scatters.
Local Accident Guides by City
The steps above are the same everywhere in Texas, but the details on the ground are not: which agency responds, how freeway towing works, and where the records desk hides all vary by city. We are building local guides that walk through those specifics for cities across the Houston area and the rest of Texas, and each new guide is added to the table below as it is published.
| City Guide | County | City Guide | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alvin, TX → | Brazoria County | Angleton, TX → | Brazoria County |
| Atascocita, TX → | Harris County | Athens, TX → | Henderson County |
| Baytown, TX → | Harris County | Bellaire, TX → | Harris County |
| Brazoria, TX → | Brazoria County | Brookshire, TX → | Waller County |
| Carthage, TX → | Panola County | Clear Lake City, TX → | Harris County |
| Cleveland, TX → | Liberty County | Clute, TX → | Brazoria County |
| Conroe, TX → | Montgomery County | Cypress, TX → | Harris County |
| Dayton, TX → | Liberty County | Deer Park, TX → | Harris County |
| Dickinson, TX → | Galveston County | Freeport, TX → | Brazoria County |
| Friendswood, TX → | Galveston County | Fulshear, TX → | Fort Bend County |
| Galena Park, TX → | Harris County | Galveston, TX → | Galveston County |
| Hempstead, TX → | Waller County | Hitchcock, TX → | Galveston County |
| Houston, TX → | Harris County | Humble, TX → | Harris County |
| Jacinto City, TX → | Harris County | Jacksonville, TX → | Cherokee County |
| Jasper, TX → | Jasper County | Katy, TX → | Harris County |
| Kingwood, TX → | Harris County | La Marque, TX → | Galveston County |
| La Porte, TX → | Harris County | Lake Jackson, TX → | Brazoria County |
| League City, TX → | Galveston County | Liberty, TX → | Liberty County |
| Magnolia, TX → | Montgomery County | Missouri City, TX → | Fort Bend County |
| Montgomery, TX → | Montgomery County | Needville, TX → | Fort Bend County |
| Palestine, TX → | Anderson County | Pasadena, TX → | Harris County |
| Pearland, TX → | Brazoria County | Prairie View, TX → | Waller County |
| Richmond, TX → | Fort Bend County | Richwood, TX → | Brazoria County |
| Rosenberg, TX → | Fort Bend County | Santa Fe, TX → | Galveston County |
| Seabrook, TX → | Harris County | South Houston, TX → | Harris County |
| Spring, TX → | Harris County | Stafford, TX → | Fort Bend County |
| Sugar Land, TX → | Fort Bend County | Texas City, TX → | Galveston County |
| The Woodlands, TX → | Montgomery County | Tomball, TX → | Harris County |
| Webster, TX → | Harris County | West University Place, TX → | Harris County |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I Have to Call the Police for a Minor Accident in Texas
The report is legally required when someone is injured or killed, or when a vehicle cannot be driven away safely. Below that threshold you are not required to call, though a police report, or failing that, your own thorough photos and notes, makes every later step with insurance smoother.
Should I Move My Car Before Police Arrive
If the car is drivable and no one is seriously hurt, yes: get it out of the travel lanes, and on freeway main lanes Texas law expects it. A quick photo of the vehicles’ positions first is ideal when it can be done safely, but never at the cost of standing in live traffic.
What Should I Say to the Other Driver’s Insurance Company
As little as necessary, at first. Confirm basic facts, take down the claim number, and know that you are not required to give a recorded statement right away. Waiting until you have the crash report and a clear picture of your injuries is a reasonable, common choice. Your own insurer is different: your policy requires cooperation, so report the crash to them promptly.
This page is provided for general informational purposes only and is not legal, medical, or safety advice. Laws, procedures, and insurance requirements change, and every crash is different. In an emergency, call 911. Always confirm specifics through official sources or the responding agency, and for questions about your individual situation, consult a licensed attorney.