After a car accident in Arizona: get to safety and check for injuries, call the police, say nothing that sounds like an admission of fault, exchange information, photograph everything, and get checked by a doctor even if you feel fine. Then report it to your own insurer — and speak to a lawyer before you give any recorded statement.
A crash takes seconds. What you do in the minutes and days afterwards shapes both your recovery and any claim you make. Each situation differs, but the sequence below is the one that protects you.
1. Get to safety and check for injuries.
Your first job is the safety of you and your passengers. If the car is drivable, move it onto the shoulder and out of live traffic. If it is disabled, get everyone out and well away from the road. Call 911 for an ambulance if anyone is hurt — and if injuries look serious, use judgement about moving anyone at all; it is often safer to stay put and wait for first responders.
2. Call the police.
Call even for a minor fender bender, and resist any offer to simply "exchange details and leave it". Arizona law only requires a report where there is injury or death, but you want one anyway:
- Your insurer will expect an official police report when you file — a neutral record of the vehicles, drivers, passengers and circumstances.
- It protects you from fraud. A driver who does not want the police involved may be planning to use the crash against you.
- It will be a more reliable account than your memory months later, when the claim is actually being argued.
Get a copy of the report — a small fee is sometimes payable — and note the officers' names and badge numbers on your phone. What looks amicable at the roadside can turn ugly later.
3. Choose your words carefully.
What you say to the other driver, the police and the insurers can be used against you. Give a neutral, truthful account of the facts. Do not argue about fault — that is for the police and the insurers to sort out. Do not apologise or suggest the crash was your fault, and if you do not know the answer to a question, say so rather than guessing.
Two more things matter here. Do not tell anyone you were not injured: some injuries take days to surface, and that sentence will be quoted back to you. And do not agree to keep the accident off the record in exchange for cash. There is more detail in our guide to dealing with the other driver after a car accident.
4. Exchange information.
Collect the following from every driver involved — photographing the documents is faster and more accurate than writing it down:
- Driver's name, and the name on the vehicle registration if it differs
- Home address, phone number and email address
- Driver's licence number
- Insurance company and policy number
Get names and contact details for any independent witnesses too. They disappear quickly, and they are often the difference in a disputed-fault claim.
5. Photograph everything.
Your phone is the best evidence-gathering tool at the scene. Capture:
- Every vehicle involved and all the damage, from several angles
- Vehicle parts and debris on the ground, and any skid marks
- The wider scene — street, intersection, parking lot, signage and landmarks
- Traffic signals and signs, and the position of the vehicles before they are moved
- Any visible injuries
You may not interfere with the police investigation, but you can record the event as thoroughly as possible. See our guide on how to take photos after an accident, and this damages and evidence checklist.
6. Get medical attention, even if you feel fine.
A cut or a broken bone is obvious. Many injuries sustained in car accidents are not — soft-tissue damage, concussion and internal injuries can take days to declare themselves. Unless you are certain you are uninjured, get seen at an emergency room, urgent care or by your own doctor. This matters especially if you hit your head or have any gap in your memory of the crash.
There is a claims dimension to this too: a delay between the accident and your first medical visit is the first thing a defence adjuster will point at to argue you were not really hurt.
7. Report the accident to your own insurance company.
Your policy requires you to notify your insurer promptly, whether or not you were at fault. Ask whether you carry medical payments coverage ("medpay"), which can cover immediate medical bills regardless of who caused the crash.
Be cooperative, accurate and truthful — but understand that the other driver's insurer is looking for material to support a denial or reduce the payout. Do not give a recorded statement to the other side's insurer before you have spoken to a lawyer. If the crash caused only vehicle damage the process is usually simple; once there are injuries it gets complicated fast, with multiple insurers, their doctors and their attorneys. See high medical bills after a car accident.
8. Keep a journal and open a file.
Keep one place — paper or digital — with everything: the other driver's details, passengers and witnesses, claim numbers, every medical appointment, time off work, rental car receipts and out-of-pocket costs. Note how the injury affects daily life week to week. Contemporaneous notes are far more persuasive than a recollection assembled a year later.
9. Talk to a lawyer before the deadline, not near it.
Arizona generally gives you two years to file a personal injury lawsuit — but only 180 days to serve a notice of claim if a government entity was involved, and one year to sue it. See the Arizona statute of limitations guide. Waiting also costs you evidence: footage is overwritten, vehicles are repaired, memories fade.
Cases at our firm are handled by Jack Hirsch, one of only 93 attorneys in Arizona certified by the State Bar as a specialist in injury and wrongful death litigation. There is no fee unless you recover, and the contingency rate is a discounted 25% (30% if the case goes into litigation) plus costs.*
After a Car Accident in Arizona: Questions
Do I have to call the police after a minor accident in Arizona?
Arizona law requires a report where the accident causes injury or death. For anything else it is not strictly required — but call anyway. Your insurer will want the report, it protects you against a fraudulent claim later, and it preserves a neutral account while everyone's memory is fresh.
Should I tell the other driver's insurance company what happened?
You must notify your own insurer. You are generally not obliged to give the other driver's insurer a recorded statement, and doing so before you know the extent of your injuries rarely helps you. Speak to a lawyer first — that statement becomes part of the file permanently.
What if I feel fine at the scene?
Get checked anyway. Concussions, soft-tissue injuries and internal injuries commonly take days to become apparent, and adrenaline masks pain at the scene. Saying "I'm fine" at the roadside, or skipping treatment for a fortnight, are the two things most often used to argue a claim is exaggerated.
How long do I have to make a claim after a car accident in Arizona?
Generally two years from the date of the accident under A.R.S. § 12-542. If the claim is against a city, county, the state, a public school or a government employee, a written notice of claim must be filed within 180 days and suit brought within one year. Full detail in our statute of limitations guide.
What should I not do after a car accident?
Do not apologise or admit fault, do not tell anyone you are uninjured, do not agree to settle privately without reporting it, do not give the other insurer a recorded statement before taking advice, and do not post about the accident or your activities on social media — it will be found and used.
Injured in a Crash? Talk to Us Today
Hirsch & Lyon is focused entirely on representing the victims of motor vehicle accidents. Our car accident attorneys have over 65 years of combined experience, in settlement negotiations and at trial. Our staff is available 24/7, and we make hospital and home appointments.
Call 602-535-1900 or contact us online for a free consultation with a Phoenix car accident lawyer. We will assess your claim at no cost.
* Fee is computed before costs are deducted. This page is legal information, not legal advice.
