Corinth Crash Reports

Not filing a police report after an accident in Texas, especially when required by law, can lead to serious legal consequences. Under Texas law, accidents must be reported if they result in property damage exceeding $1,000, injury, or death. Failing to do so may lead to a fine of up to $5,000 and/or imprisonment. The absence of a police report also means losing valuable evidence for insurance claims or potential litigation and may allow the at-fault party to falsely claim that you were responsible for the accident​​​​​​​​​​.

A Texas crash report, also known as the Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report (Form CR-3), is a comprehensive document encoded in numerical and alphanumeric codes. It includes details like the accident's time, place, damage, intoxication presence, contributing factors, and more. It's divided into several sections:

Page 1: Overview of the factual aspects of the accident.
Page 2: Details on injuries, citations, and property damage.
Pages 3 & 4: Explanation of various codes used in the report.

The report includes specific codes for vehicle types, injury severity, contributing factors, and roadway conditions. For instance, injury severity codes range from 'A' for incapacitating injury to 'K' for killed​​.

In Texas, the duration a car accident stays on your insurance record typically ranges from three to five years. This period depends on the severity of the accident and the policies of the insurance company. Minor accidents, usually with damages less than $1,000 and no injuries or fatalities, may stay on your record for about three years. However, more serious accidents could remain on the record for a longer period​​​​​​​​​​.

The Corinth Police Department, like other Texas law enforcement agencies, includes detailed information in crash reports, such as accident location, time, involved parties, vehicle details, and nature of injuries. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) retains these reports for 10 years plus the current year. To obtain a report, one must request it in writing and pay a fee. Such reports are available to those directly involved in the accident, their representatives, insurance companies, and others with a proper interest​​​​​​​​​​.

For any further assistance regarding accident reports or other related matters, the Corinth Police Department can be reached at their main office at 3501 FM 2181, Suite A, Corinth, TX 76210, or by phone at (940) 279-1500.