37 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

GXOVERSELLERS 

ATYCRNEI GENERAL 

iioaOrabl.id Homer aWPi8OU, Jr., Director 

‘I’cxar DepartmeQt of Public Safety , At 

Cxnp Mabry 

.::uatln, Texrr I\ 

: ttentlon: Honorable 0 J. B. Draper, Cksia-2, 

Drlverms LlceMe Dlvirlori’~ 

--.- 

? \ 

:ser 31r: oploion no. 0-6&k I.*.. 

86: Rðer Department* of 

/ 

1 f 

A~Pu~J~c aarety ls+‘author- 

*t9& to rtmirh photo- 

-t i Ctstbc copier of accident 

‘\ 

‘, 

\~;~‘+h~rt3 and char($e fee8 

i+ereiOr, and related 

/-- ,/ -A 1%. ~yestlono. 

We hevs’fyd-r.$&ft fo’ky&Qx~ readlag aa followr~ 

‘h 9 

*3lncr the recent court declmloa regarding 

the admlerihility of txigld8at report8 we have had 

a dedded Increase in octqurstr Sor photomtatic 

copies ‘of patro&meQ!s repmtr. 

’ ~%‘iould l>ke t&ou whether or not the Depnrtment has .the right to Diake a charge tor those 

phafostatfc ooples of reporta and if so what fund 

the vaoney should be deposlted lo, sad could the 

mouey be spen& for the purpose of suppliem end 

help,for do- the photostatlo copies?” 

W&q&e the pertinent provlaions OS Article 668m, 

Vernon's pnaotated Civil Ytatuter: 

“3ec. 39. bccldents to be reported by persons 

involved. 

“zvery person involved in EIQ accident rosulting in death, lajury, or aPpEWent FKWWtY d-age 
iionor8ble Homer Qarrlaoa, SF., page 2 

of Fifty DO~~UW ($50) or 80~6 vherr one or aore 

isotor vehlcle8 are involved and who 18 the holder 

of an operator’8, coaccrolal operator~r, or ohauffeurls llCen88, under the povlrlona of thl8 Act, 

shall make a report of 8uch aocldent to the Department of Pub110 Y&ety vlthln forty-eight (48) hours. 

Refural to make rwh report mhall reader the holder 

of 8uch ll.aeare liable to rumpension or revocation 

of suoh llcenme. Report8 reqnlred by thlr Section 

shall be deemed plrlleged ao~unlcatlolu. 

“Sec. 40. Accident rtatlstlcs and reportr. 

“The Department rhall prepare and shall sup-- 

ply to police and sherifrr’ ofiloer and other auitable agencies, forms for accident reporta, and 

such report8 ahall be made within a rearonable 

time fronthe date of 8uoh accident by 8uch otfleers or agencies to the DepartlPsnt at Austin, 

Texan, euftialently detailing all the iact ulth 

reference to any hi&way acaldent, and the persons 

and vehicles involved. 

‘Sea. 41. Report or death8 resulting iron 

accident8 . 

“Every coroner, justice of the peace, or 

other ofrlclal perrormlng like funotlonr rhall on 

or before the tenth (10th) dag of each month ieport in vrltlng to the Department the death of any 

person *IthIn hIr jurisdiction during the preceding calendar month a8 the result of EUI~ acoldent 

i.n which a motor vehicle va8 involved and the circuastsnoes or uuoh accident. 

‘so. 42. kccident reportm confidential. 

“~11 required accident report8 and UUPPlemNit- 

~1 repopts shell be without prejudice to the indlvldual 30 reporting pd shall be for the eonfldeatial ume of the Department except that the Department my disclose the identity of 8 Person involved 
zonorable Romer 0arrlsoa, Jr., page 3 

in an l a c fderhea a t ruoh ldontity Is not othervise 

known 01) Who0 8uoh person dealer his grereaae at 

such l coldent . Ro ruoh report ah11 k wed as 

evldenoe la any trl& civil or eririlul, wiring 

out of l wh l ooldeat, exee# that the Department 

Still iUrEi8h Up00 r6qMSt Oi @6y p0PSOE UhO bu, 

or claiu to hAv6, 8ade rush a report 00~ upon deSIU3d Of w QOUPt, @ Oe?0iflO&te 8h o ltir Pg that l 

speoltled report ha8 or ha8 not been received by 

the Department, sole17 to prow a oompllaaao or 

failWe to conply with the repulrcwnt that such 

report be -de to tha Department." 

A careful examiaatioa 0r the statute di8UlOSe8 that 

a distinction 18 mnde between m aooident report made by a 

Serson involved la the accident aad oae made by a patrolme+Q 

representing the Dewtmeat. U6 quote fro8 the oplaloa lo the 

case of Brown (I Root vS* Enddad, 180 9. Y. (2d) 339: 

“We approve the judgment OS the court or 

Civil Appeals reversing the judgment or the trial 

court and remanding the cause, beaaure the trial 

court erred la ad8lttlag the entire report made by 

patrolman Roensfhto the Departseat of Pub110 Safetr. 175 S. v. 26 269. EoveveE, that report 18 

not a prlvlleged oomunlaatloo under Sea. 42, of 

Art. 6687b, Veraon~8 AERO. Cit. Stat. tbi8 18 rode 

cleer b7 a ooa8lQratlon of Sets. 39 and 40, OS 

th6 8-e SFtiOlO. 960. 39 requlre8 reports 0r aoaldents by ‘every person involved,' that 18, by 

every party to the aooldeat, aad provides that 

such reprts “shall be deemed prlvlleged CommalOat lonm. Roea8ch~8 report vim called ror by 300. 

40 as the rlndlngs or en orfleer invertlgatlug the 

accident, and it says nothing about a4 such report belag prlvlleged.. Clearly, then, the PurPo*e 

of Sec. 42 18 to qualify the blanket prlvllese extending to reports made by Ryer80n8 Involved by 

30~. 39, lo tvo particulars, namely (1) t0 9erdt 

the Department of FubllC SatstY t0 dl*Oloee the 

identity OS say person involved la an accident, 

when such 18 not known or when such person deaie* 
3norable Boawr Gerrlson, Jr., peg4 4 

his prereoce et the eccldant; and (2) to parnit 

the Dapertment of Pub110 SaSety to oartlfy that 

suoh report vea m&s, to prove that say param 

claiming-to h4r4 made t&a report hae or &a not 

made It, 

•~ObvIoual~, Roenaoh~r raport, ea auoh, la 

a haeraey atatsawlrt and should bo excluded at 

another trial, ii objeotsd to ou that ground, crcept auoh parts thareor only aa may trnd to impeach any dlraot cvldaaca 'glvan bv Roenaoh. . . .*I 

The court m&es It clear that tha patrolmao~a raport ia not ~ivllegad but is hearsay and vould oaly b4 edmlsalble for iPlpaechlag any canillctlng tsatlmony such patrolman might glva in a judlclel prooeedla 

ve had In mind In ow Oplnlon 100. O-6 Gt 

It V48 this point 

1. U4 dld aot say In 

that ?pi.nlon thet there vea eny duty imposed upon the DepertRent to certify or furnish n photoatetlc copy of tha patrolman’s accident report. Us said maraly, end nov so rule, that 

aiacs a petrolawila aooident report is heeraey it can only 

k-e ured for tha purpose of lmp4eohIng the ultnaaa and thea 

xly, of ooura4, la e judlolel prooaedlng Involvlag the acolc;cnt. The only statutory duty lmpoaed upoa tha Department Is 

to furnish the partlnent Informetioa oontelned In Its files 

vhan such lnformetlon Is required lo a judicial procesdlng. 

The Supram Court ~lkevfae a&es it clear that the 

report of the person involved in en ecoldent la privileged. 

Tt la In raapsot to this report only that tha statute uses 

the vord “certlf lcate.’ As tha oourt points out, there are 

only tvo..olroumatencaa under vhIoh the prlvllegad chareater 

of such e report may be violated. Firat, to permit tha Depertment to certify the Identity of a person involved in the 

eeoldent vhaa such fact Is aot knovn or when the peraoa 

deaiea hls involvement. Seoond, to certify that aa involved 

y;son has or has not meda the accident report required by 

. 

It saema clear from the opinion of the Supreme 

Court and vhat ve have said that the Depertawnt la under no 

duty tl furnish photostatic or other cop144 Of a patrolman’s 
379 

iiormrable Homer Garrlaon, Jr., page 5 

accident report Eemly upon requert of sow latemated persoa but only la rasponae to the propar order of l a o ur t in 

a proceedlw Involvlag the l ooldeat. This, for 4x4~914, 

vould Include, umng othea things, rubpoerur duoaa tuoum or 

depositloas tekea oc Issued ln peading 8otlona. Ia the 0484 

of sa involved IndlvIdual oaly he or l aowt oould demand by 

subpoem OF other proper ordar 8 orrtlSlo8ta sha~lrrg vhathar 

the Individual VU l a tM lly hwolv4d in ro 4coldent or vhethcr he had rudo tha rrqulrhd l oaldaat rapcart. 

We have mamined the rt4tuta8 aad flnd no authority for your Depwtment to make any clmrga ior. furolahiag 

the Inf’ormatlon above reterred to, and it I8 our advlca thet 

70~ cannot mrk4 4ny ohnrgr thareror. 

Very truly yours 

ATTORRBX OElyWUL OF TEXAS 

Eibert Edoper 

AaaIat8nt