Case Information
*1 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\ 0 : ttentlon: Honorable J. B. Draper, Cksia-2, Drlverms LlceMe Dlvirlori’~ --.- ? \ :ser 31r: oploion no. 0-6&k I.*..
86: Rðer Department* of A~Pu~J~c aarety ls+‘author- / 1 f *t9& to rtmirh photo- Ctstbc copier of accident -t i \~;~‘+h~rt3 and char($e fee8 ‘\ ‘, i+ereiOr, and related /-- 1%. ~yestlono. ,/ -A
We hevs’fyd-r.$&ft fo’ky&Qx~ readlag aa followr~ ‘h *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 De- pnrtment has .the right to Diake a charge tor those ooples of reporta and if so what phafostatfc 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 rosult- ing in death, lajury, or aPpEWent FKWWtY d-age *2 iionor8ble Homer Qarrlaoa, SF., page
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, ohauf- feurls llCen88, under the povlrlona of thl8 Act, shall make a report of 8uch aocldent the Depart- ment 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 auit- able agencies, forms accident reporta, and such report8 ahall be made within a rearonable time fronthe date of 8uoh accident by 8uch ot- fleers or agencies to the DepartlPsnt at Austin, all the iact ulth Texan, euftialently detailing to any hi&way acaldent, the persons reference 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 ie- port in vrltlng to the Department the death of any person *IthIn hIr jurisdiction during preced- ing calendar month a8 the result of EUI~ acoldent i.n which a motor vehicle va8 involved and the cir- cuastsnoes or uuoh accident.
‘so. 42. kccident reportm confidential.
“~11 required accident report8 and UUPPlemNit- ~1 repopts shell be without prejudice to the indl- vldual 30 reporting pd shall be for the eonfldea- tial ume of the Department except that the Depart- ment my disclose identity of 8 Person involved *3 zonorable Romer 0arrlsoa, Jr., page 3
in an l acfdeat rhea 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 de- SIU3d Of w QOUPt, @ Oe?0iflO&te 8holtirP g that l report ha8 or ha8 not been received by speoltled the Department, sole17 to prow a oompllaaao or to conply with the repulrcwnt that such failWe report be -de to tha Department." examiaatioa 0r the statute di8UlOSe8 A careful that 18 mnde between m aooident report made by a
a distinction la the accident aad oae made by a patrolme+Q Serson involved 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 trial the entire court erred la ad8lttlag report made by patrolman Roensfhto Departseat of Pub110 Safe- tr. 175 S. v. 26 269. EoveveE, that report not a prlvlleged oomunlaatloo under Sea. 42, of Art. 6687b, Veraon~8 AERO. Cit. Stat. tbi8 18 rode of Sets. 39 40, OS cleer b7 a ooa8lQratlon th6 8-e SFtiOlO. 960. 39 requlre8 reports 0r ao- aldents by ‘every person involved,' that 18, by every party the aooldeat, aad provides that “shall be deemed prlvlleged CommalO- such reprts at 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 re- port belag prlvlleged.. Clearly, then, the PurPo*e of Sec. 42 18 to qualify the blanket prlvllese ex- tending 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 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 ii objeotsd to ou that ground, cr- trial, another cept auoh parts thareor only aa may trnd to im- peach any dlraot cvldaaca 'glvan bv Roenaoh. . . .*I The court m&es It clear that tha patrolmao~a ra- port ia not ~ivllegad but is hearsay and vould oaly b4 ed- mlsalble for iPlpaechlag any canillctlng tsatlmony such patrol- It V48 this man might glva in a judlclel prooeedla point ve had In mind In ow Oplnlon 100. O-6 Gt 1. U4 dld aot say In that ?pi.nlon thet there vea eny duty imposed upon the Depert- Rent to certify or furnish n photoatetlc copy of tha patrol- man’s accident report. Us said maraly, end nov so rule, that aiacs a petrolawila aooident report is heeraey it can only k-e ured tha purpose of lmp4eohIng the ultnaaa thea of ooura4, xly, la e judlolel prooaedlng Involvlag the acol- c;cnt. The only statutory duty lmpoaed upoa tha Department Is to furnish the partlnent Informetioa oontelned In Its files lo a judicial procesdlng. vhan such lnformetlon Is required 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 vord “certlf lcate.’ As tha oourt points out, there are only tvo..olroumatencaa under vhIoh prlvllegad chareater of such e report may be violated. Firat, to permit tha De- pertment 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 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 per- soa but only la rasponae to the propar order of l aourt in Involvlag th e l ooldeat. a proceedlw This, 4x4~914, vould Include, umng othea things, rubpoerur duoaa or tuoum tekea oc Issued ln peading 8otlona. Ia the depositloas IndlvIdual oaly he or l aowt oould demand by of sa involved sha~lrrg vhathar subpoem OF other proper ordar 8 orrtlSlo8ta in ro 4coldent or vheth- the Individual VU l atMlly hwolv4d cr he had rudo tha rrqulrhd l oaldaat rapcart. aad flnd no author-
We have mamined rt4tuta8 ity for your Depwtment make any clmrga ior. furolahiag to, and it I8 our advlca thet the Inf’ormatlon above reterred 70~ cannot mrk4 4ny ohnrgr thareror.
Very truly yours ATTORRBX OElyWUL OF TEXAS Eibert Edoper AaaIat8nt