Ask the agency to correct it. Under Transportation Code section 550.068, only the officer who wrote it can change a material fact, though a written supplement can add information. Even if the report stays wrong, it does not decide fault: insurers and juries look at all the evidence.
Officers write a Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report (form CR-3) for crashes with injury, death, or property damage of $1,000 or more, and file it with TxDOT within ten days under Transportation Code section 550.062. Officers often arrive after the vehicles have moved and rely on whoever is talking, so mistakes happen.
Factual errors are the easiest to fix: a wrong name, plate, insurer, street, or direction of travel. Call the agency’s records or traffic division, give the report number, and ask how to request a correction. Section 550.068 provides that a material change may be made only by the officer who prepared the report, or by a written supplement that names who made it. Bring photos, a repair estimate, or witness contact information.
Disputed conclusions are harder. An officer is unlikely to change an opinion about who caused the crash because you disagree. In that case the goal is not to change the report but to beat it with better evidence: scene photographs, vehicle damage patterns, traffic or business camera footage, event data from the cars, and statements from independent witnesses.
Insurers rely heavily on the report, which is why an error matters early. A wrong narrative can lead the other driver’s carrier to deny liability. A lawyer can send the contrary evidence to the adjuster and, where needed, retain a reconstruction expert.
In a lawsuit, the jury decides fault under Chapter 33 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code, and the rules of evidence limit how an officer’s opinions can be used, especially when the officer did not see the crash. Owsley Law Firm gets the report, compares it to the physical evidence, and handles the correction request for clients at no charge.
What to do, step by step
- Get the full CR-3 report and read every field, including the diagram and narrative.
- List the specific errors and the evidence that shows the correct facts.
- Contact the investigating agency’s records or traffic division about a correction or supplement.
- Send the correct facts and evidence to your insurer and the other driver’s insurer in writing.
- Preserve video, photos, and vehicle data that contradict the report.
Crash report codes for contributing factors carry weight with adjusters, so a wrong code, such as failure to control speed, can drive a denial even when the narrative is neutral.
Witnesses listed on the report are often the best way to correct it, so call them early while their memory is fresh.
Insurers use the report’s contributing factor codes, such as failed to yield right of way or followed too closely, to make a first call on liability. If the code is wrong, send the adjuster the evidence that contradicts it in writing, and ask that the claim not be decided until it is reviewed. Keep a copy of everything you send.
Getting the report is straightforward. Reports filed with TxDOT can be purchased through the Crash Report Online Purchase System by people directly involved, and many local departments also release them through their records divisions. Access is limited to those directly concerned under Transportation Code section 550.065. Owsley Law Firm obtains the report for clients as part of the free case review.
Mistakes that cost people money
- Arguing with the officer at the scene instead of documenting the facts.
- Assuming a wrong report ends the case.
- Waiting months to request a correction, after memories and video are gone.
- Giving a recorded statement that repeats the report’s errors.
Related questions
Can I add my own statement to the report?
Section 550.068 allows a change by written supplement that clearly names who made it. Whether an agency accepts a supplement from a driver is up to the agency.
Does a ticket in the report prove fault?
No. Insurers consider it, but in a civil case the jury decides fault from all the evidence, and a citation is not the final word.
How long does it take to get the report?
Officers must submit it to TxDOT within ten days under Transportation Code section 550.062, and it is then available through the TxDOT Crash Report Online Purchase System.
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