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The guide library

Start with the stage you are in. Then use a focused workflow for the paperwork that is actually in front of you.

Official pages reviewed November 8, 2026.

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Records: detailed playbooks

A wrong detail in your crash report: a correction workflow

Find the specific discrepancy, preserve the original and ask the right agency about a correction or supplement—not a rewritten report you create yourself.

Beyond the CR-3: finding the right Houston records route

A crash report, dispatch audio and an officer’s video can have different custodians. Map the record before you request it.

No officer investigated: build a careful private crash record

A missing officer report is not a reason to invent one or wait to notify an insurer. Separate your own record from an official CR-3.

Photos and dashcam files: preserve originals and a readable index

Keep what exists, identify its source and make working copies. Do not edit the only copy or assume a records request preserves footage.

Insurance: detailed playbooks

Your insurer or theirs? Build the right claim file

Before applying an insurance timeline, identify whose policy the claim is on. The same crash can produce two different claim files.

Build a document log an adjuster can actually follow

Turn scattered attachments into a dated, readable record of requests, responses and unresolved questions—without sending anything through this website.

An auto claim was denied: read the reason before choosing the next step

Separate a coverage denial, disputed responsibility and disagreement about an amount. They call for different questions and supporting records.

Prepare a TDI auto-insurance complaint packet without overstating it

Use the official regulator route, identify a focused issue and understand what TDI cannot decide. This website does not collect or submit complaints.

A private expense file: track actual spending without valuing a claim

Separate estimates, paid expenses, reimbursements and unresolved balances. No multipliers, invented damages or promises about what an insurer owes.

Read the declarations page before the next coverage call

Use the policy summary to ask better questions, then check the actual policy and endorsements. A declarations page is a starting point, not the whole contract.

Vehicle: detailed playbooks

Hidden damage: hand off a repair supplement without losing the trail

When a shop finds more damage, separate the technical finding, insurer review and your repair authorization. None is automatically the same as the others.

Build a total-loss valuation packet, not an invented car price

Check the vehicle description and comparable evidence before debating a number. Keep valuation, loan balance and rental authorization separate.

Your rental ends before the crash file does: a practical plan

Get the actual authorization, budget for unapproved time and keep a clean return record. An open claim is not unlimited transport coverage.

After the tow: a Houston paperwork and release plan

Locate the vehicle, ask about release requirements and itemized costs, and separate storage decisions from insurance assumptions.

Before signing at a repair shop: a questions-first handoff

Your choice of shop, the work you authorize and the amount an insurer accepts are separate decisions. Read the agreement with those distinctions in mind.

People and situations: detailed playbooks

Passenger after a crash: keep your own record, not the driver’s story

A passenger can organize observations, records and coverage questions without deciding fault or assuming that someone else’s claim protects every interest.

A parked car was hit: separate scene duties from the claim file

The driver who strikes an unattended car has specific duties. The owner who discovers damage needs a careful record and a coverage inquiry, not a guessed account.

Several vehicles, one crash: organize the file without guessing fault

Separate each vehicle, impact account and insurer conversation. A tidy record should preserve uncertainty, not turn it into a liability formula.

A government vehicle was involved: a records request is not claim notice

Police reports, insurer communications and statutory notice have different purposes. Do not let a six-month reference become permission to wait.

Helping a family member after a crash: organize without taking over

Build a private handoff, respect separate records and ask agencies or insurers what authority they require. This is not a medical or legal decision guide.

Keep the basics close

The core field guide

Tools — Private next-step workspaces.
Guide library — Choose a detailed source-linked workflow.
First hour — Safety, stopping, and the information drivers are told to exchange.
First day — Care, your insurer, and why the crash report may not be ready.
Insurance — Coverages and the claim timelines TDI describes for your own policy.
Who to call — City of Houston, Harris County, and other jurisdictions.
Crash reports — How officer reports are requested, and what the published fees are.
Checklist — Mark steps on this device, or print a blank paper copy.
Evidence — What to record for yourself, kept off this website.
Towing — City non-consent rates and what Tow and Go does not cover.
Hit-and-run — Scene safety and the stop-and-aid duties in Chapter 550.
Uninsured drivers — How TDI describes UM/UIM, collision, and PIP.
Medical care — When public-health sources say to get emergency care.
FAQ — Short answers with the limits of those answers.
Rental car — Who TDI says pays for a rental, and for how long.
Repairs and estimates — Adjuster estimates, your choice of shop, and like-kind parts.
Totaled car — Actual cash value, loans, salvage, and negotiating the offer.
Claim disagreements — Appraisal, a TDI complaint, and the Justice Court route TDI names.
Injury claims and releases — What signing a release ends, and what to ask first.
Hospital and EMS liens — How Property Code Chapter 55 liens attach and are limited.
Deadlines — Claim, notice, and limitations periods in one place, with their limits.
Rideshare crashes — Insurance Chapter 1954 phases for Uber- or Lyft-type trips.
Government vehicles — Tort Claims Act notice, caps, and the emergency exception.
Pedestrians — Crosswalk and sidewalk rules in Chapter 552, and scene steps.
Child car seats — NHTSA’s minor-crash test for reusing a car seat.
Calls and letters after a crash — What Texas barratry law says about unsolicited contact.

Need something interactive? Choose a private tool. For legal rights, coverage or a deadline specific to your situation, obtain individual advice. Crash Steps does not take cases or refer readers to lawyers.