There are roughly six million police-reported crashes in the United States in a typical year, which means most drivers will deal with one eventually. What varies is not whether it happens but how well the first 72 hours are handled — and those hours decide far more about the outcome than anything argued months later.
This guide walks through what to do at the scene, in the following days, and in the weeks after, with the Arizona rules noted where they differ from what people assume.
Key Takeaways
- Get assessed medically even if you feel fine — delayed symptoms are normal and a treatment gap is the first thing an insurer will use.
- Arizona uses pure comparative fault, so partial blame reduces your recovery but does not bar it.
- The general deadline for injury claims in Arizona is two years, but claims against a public entity require notice within 180 days.
- Arizona minimum liability limits are modest, so your own uninsured and underinsured coverage often matters more than the other driver’s policy.
- Say less at the scene than feels natural. Apologies and speculation about fault become evidence.
Start With Safety
Check yourself and your passengers before anything else. If the vehicles are drivable and the location is dangerous — a live lane, a blind bend, a bridge — move them clear and put hazards on. If anyone is injured or a vehicle cannot be moved, leave it and get people to safety off the carriageway.
Call emergency services if there is any injury, if a vehicle is blocking traffic, or if the other driver is impaired, aggressive or attempting to leave. In Arizona the summer heat is its own hazard; if you are waiting roadside for any length of time, get into shade or a vehicle with air conditioning rather than standing on hot asphalt.
Report It Properly
Arizona law requires drivers to stop and report crashes involving injury, death or significant property damage, and to give their information to the other party. Failing to do so is a serious offence, and leaving the scene of an injury crash is charged far more heavily than the underlying collision would have been.
Even for a minor crash, an official report is worth having. It fixes the date, location, vehicles and parties in a neutral document, and it records the responding officer’s observations while they are fresh. Get the report or incident number before you leave, and note the officer’s name and badge number.
Notify your own insurer promptly. Most policies impose a duty to report, and delay can itself become a coverage argument. Reporting is not the same as making a claim, and it is not an admission of anything.
Get the Information — and the Evidence
Exchange names, contact details, licence numbers, insurer and policy numbers, and vehicle registrations. Then collect what nobody else will:
- Wide shots showing the vehicles in position, lane markings, signals and signage before anything is moved.
- Close shots of damage on both vehicles, including areas that look undamaged.
- Road surface, debris fields, skid marks, weather and lighting.
- The other vehicle’s plate, and any commercial signage or DOT number if it is a work vehicle.
- Names and phone numbers of independent witnesses — police reports frequently omit them, and they are almost impossible to trace later.
- A voice memo describing what happened while your recollection is intact.
If there are businesses, homes or fuel stations nearby, note them. Camera systems commonly overwrite within one to four weeks, so footage has to be requested quickly or it simply ceases to exist.
Get Checked Medically, Then Keep Going
Adrenaline suppresses pain for hours or days. Concussion, whiplash and disc injuries frequently declare themselves later, and by then the delay has become an argument that you were not really hurt.
Attend the same day where you can, report every symptom rather than only the worst, and make sure the crash is recorded as the mechanism of injury. Then follow the plan through to discharge. Strong medical records are built from consistent attendance; a three-week gap will be read as recovery whatever the real reason was.
Be Careful With Early Conversations
At the scene, exchange information and stick to facts. Do not apologise, speculate about who was at fault, or estimate speeds. “I’m sorry” is a reflex in most people and an admission in a claim file.
When the other driver’s insurer calls — often within 48 hours — remember that they are not neutral. You are generally under no obligation to give them a recorded statement, and doing so before you know the extent of your injuries is how “I’m okay” becomes the centrepiece of a lowball evaluation. Be equally careful with broad medical authorisations, which let an insurer trawl years of unrelated history for something to blame.
Say nothing about it on social media. A single photograph at a family event can undo months of medical evidence.
Fault Isn’t Always Clear
People routinely give up on a claim because they think they contributed. In Arizona that assumption is usually wrong. Arizona applies pure comparative fault: your damages are reduced by your percentage of responsibility, but there is no cut-off that bars recovery. A driver found 60% at fault still recovers 40% of the assessed value.
Fault also frequently sits with someone who was not in either vehicle: an employer whose driver was working, a maintenance contractor responsible for a hazard, a municipality responsible for a defective road condition, or a manufacturer where a component failed. Identifying the right defendant early matters, because commercial and government policies are usually far larger than personal auto coverage.
Understand What Insurance Is Actually Available
Arizona is an at-fault state with no compulsory no-fault medical benefit. Required liability limits are modest, and a serious injury can exhaust them quickly. That makes three other sources worth checking immediately: your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, optional medical payments coverage on your policy, and any umbrella or commercial policy in play.
Uninsured and underinsured claims have their own notice conditions and are frequently overlooked by claimants who assume the other driver’s insurer is the only option.
Be Aware of Time Limits
- Two years from the date of the crash is the general limitation period for personal injury and wrongful death in Arizona.
- 180 days to serve a formal notice of claim if a public entity or employee is involved — a city bus, a state vehicle, a road defect. Suit must then normally be filed within one year. Missing the notice usually ends the claim outright.
- Different rules apply for minors and in some late-discovery situations.
Property damage claims and insurance policy conditions run on their own timetables, which are often shorter than the statutory deadline.
When to Get Legal Advice
Not every crash needs a lawyer. Clear liability, no injury and a cooperative insurer can be handled alone. Speak to a Phoenix car accident lawyer or comparable local counsel if any of the following apply:
- Anyone was injured, particularly if treatment is ongoing or surgery is likely.
- Fault is disputed or is being shared with you.
- A commercial vehicle, rideshare, government vehicle or multiple parties are involved.
- The other driver was uninsured, or fled the scene.
- The insurer is delaying, has denied the claim, or has offered a figure that would not cover treatment already received.
Injury representation is normally contingency-based, and most firms give an initial assessment at no cost, so the practical question is whether the claim needs one — not whether you can afford it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I call the police for a minor crash?
Yes, in most cases. A report creates a neutral record of the basic facts. Injuries that appear days later are very hard to link to a crash that was never documented.
Do I have to give the other insurer a recorded statement?
Generally not. Your duty to cooperate runs to your own insurer under your policy. Declining the other side’s request is normal.
What if the other driver has no insurance?
Your own uninsured motorist coverage may respond, and there may be other policies available. These claims carry their own notice requirements, so raise them early.
How long will a claim take?
Straightforward claims often resolve within a few months of finishing treatment. Disputed or serious cases can take one to two years or longer. The medical timeline is usually the controlling factor, because valuing a claim before it is clear is guesswork.
Can I claim if I was partly to blame?
In Arizona, yes. Pure comparative fault reduces recovery in proportion to your share without barring it. Do not assume you have no claim based on an initial impression of fault.
Endnote
The aftermath of a crash rewards method over instinct: secure the scene, document everything, get assessed and keep treating, say little to the other side, and find out which deadline applies to you in the first week rather than the last. None of it is complicated, but almost all of it is time-sensitive.
This article is general information rather than legal advice, and rules differ by state. Confirm your position with a qualified attorney.
Related reading: What Happens Legally After a Hit-and-Run Accident.
Explore more in Accidents Law.
