Car Accident
What to Do After a Car Accident in Arizona: The First 14 Days Matter Most
After an Arizona car accident, call 911, report injuries, and photograph the scene when it is safe. See a doctor within 72 hours, request your Arizona crash report, and decline recorded statements to the other driver's insurer. Arizona is a fault state, so early evidence decides who pays.
Key Takeaways
Get a medical evaluation the same day, even when you feel fine.
Arizona applies pure comparative negligence (A.R.S. § 12-2505), so partial fault reduces your recovery instead of erasing it.
Arizona crash reports usually take about 7 to 14 days, depending on the agency.
You have two years to sue (A.R.S. § 12-542), but government claims need notice within 180 days and a lawsuit within one year.
You are not required to give the other driver's insurer a recorded statement.
Day 1: What Arizona Law Requires at the Scene
Day one has three jobs: report the crash, exchange information, and document the damage.
Call police and create the official record
A.R.S. § 28-666 requires drivers to notify law enforcement immediately by the quickest means available when a crash injures or kills someone. Calling 911 satisfies that duty.
A.R.S. § 28-663 also requires you to share your name, address, and registration number, and to help anyone hurt.
On freeways and divided highways, A.R.S. § 28-674 requires you to clear drivable vehicles from travel lanes when no serious injury is apparent. Photograph from a safe position.
Describe what you saw and skip the apology, because those words resurface later.
Get a medical evaluation within 72 hours
Adrenaline hides real injuries. Concussions and soft tissue damage often surface days after you told the officer you felt fine.
A treatment gap lets the insurer argue something else caused your pain, so the sooner a medical evaluation gets done, it places you in a better situation.
Days 2 Through 7: Lock Down the Evidence
Week one belongs to evidence, because most of it disappears. Skid marks fade, security video overwrites, and witnesses stop answering.
Critical evidence to gather now
Close and wide photos of vehicle damage, lane position, debris, and signals
Names and phone numbers for every witness and passenger
The responding officer's name, badge number, and the report number
Dash cam video, plus footage from nearby businesses before it overwrites
Medical records, imaging results, and bills
A daily journal of pain levels, missed work, and photos of visible injuries
Request your Arizona crash report
Get the report number before you leave the scene. The Department of Public Safety handles interstates and state highways, and city police or county sheriffs handle everything else.
Timing varies by agency, and DPS reports often take the full 14 days. Read yours closely, because officers make mistakes on diagrams, positions, and witness details. Our guide on how to request an Arizona crash report covers each one.
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Days 8 Through 14: Build the Personal Injury Claim
By day eight, the insurer already has a theory of your case. Make it match the evidence, not a rushed call.
Know the comparative negligence rule before you talk numbers
Arizona follows pure comparative negligence under A.R.S. § 12-2505. Your damages drop by your percentage of fault, so a $100,000 case with 20 percent fault on you pays $80,000.
You still recover at 70 percent fault. Adjusters know that too, and they shave value by arguing you were speeding or distracted. Understanding how Arizona comparative fault works protects your fault state legal rights.
Handle insurance adjuster statements with care
Your policy typically requires cooperation with your own insurer. The other driver's carrier gets no such promise, and a recorded statement rarely helps you.
Watch the deadlines that end cases early
You generally have two years from the crash date to sue (A.R.S. § 12-542). Government vehicles change that math.
If a city bus or police cruiser hit you, A.R.S. § 12-821.01 requires a written notice of claim within 180 days, and A.R.S. § 12-821 cuts your filing deadline to one year. Missing either date ends the case.
Your First 14 Days at a Glance
Day 1
Priority Actions: Call 911, exchange information, photograph the scene, see a doctor
Why It Matters: Creates the official record and ties injuries to the crash
Days 2 through 7
Priority Actions: Notify your insurer, request the report, preserve video, log symptoms
Why It Matters: Evidence and security footage vanish within days
Days 8 through 14
Priority Actions: Correct report errors, collect bills and wage records, consult an attorney
Why It Matters: Locks in claim value before the adjuster sets it low
When to Call an Arizona Car Accident Lawyer
Call early if anyone was seriously hurt, if the other driver blames you, or if a government vehicle was involved. Learn what happens during a free case review.
[Firm Name] represents injured drivers across [City], Arizona. Call [Phone Number] for a free case review.
REVIEWER CREDIT:
"This post was legally reviewed and approved by Philippe Martinet, Esq., founder of Martinet Law and one of the most formidable personal injury litigators practicing in Arizona today. Mr. Martinet is not an employee or representative of Legalbid.io, he is an independent attorney and one of the distinguished legal professionals available on the platform to bid on your case directly. What makes Philippe uniquely effective in personal injury cases is a combination most attorneys simply don't have, fifteen-plus years of criminal defense experience, including deep knowledge of law enforcement procedures, traffic cases, and accident reconstruction, combined with a civil litigation career that has taken him to the Arizona Supreme Court and the U.S. Ninth and Eighth Circuit Courts of Appeals. He doesn't wait for a settlement offer. He builds the kind of case that forces one. He stands behind Legalbid.io because he believes every injured person deserves a fighting chance, and a platform where the best attorney for their case finds them, not the other way around. Learn more at martinetlaw.com"
