Arizona · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Apache Junction?

A rear-end crash in the backed-up lanes of US 60 at Ironwood Drive, a left-turn collision on Apache Trail at Idaho Road, a pickup that drifts across the line on the winding stretch of SR 88 headed out toward Canyon Lake. If you were just in a crash in Apache Junction and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Apache Junction-specific details, and links to the full guides.

It costs nothing to find out

If you are reading this and thinking you cannot afford a lawyer, read this part first. Personal injury lawyers do not charge you to talk, do not charge by the hour, and do not charge anything unless they recover money for you. The fee comes out of the recovery at the end, never out of your pocket. The first conversation is free. Call Clyne is free too: we ask you a few questions and connect you with a licensed Arizona attorney who looks at your case at no cost. Nobody will ask you for money. Read How Much Does a Car Accident Lawyer Cost.

First, the two things that matter most in Arizona

See a doctor within a few days, even if you feel fine. Arizona has no 14-day rule and no PIP. It is an at-fault state, so the at-fault driver's insurer pays, and your own medical payments coverage, if you have it, can pay early bills. Every day between the crash and the first visit is a day the other driver's insurer will use against you. Banner Goldfield Medical Center on Southern Avenue has a 24-hour emergency room right in town. It is not a designated trauma center, so serious injuries usually go to Banner Ironwood Medical Center in San Tan Valley, a Level IV trauma center, to Banner Baywood Medical Center in Mesa, a Level III, or to Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa, the nearest Level I trauma center. Urgent care or your own doctor counts too. Read What to Do After a Car Accident in Arizona.

Do not give the other driver's insurer a recorded statement. They will call fast and sound friendly. You are not required to talk to them. Read what to say when they call.

Getting your crash report in Apache Junction

Inside city limits, the Apache Junction Police Department responds to crashes. On US 60 and on SR 88 outside town, it is the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS). In the unincorporated parts of Pinal County around Gold Canyon and Queen Valley, it is the Pinal County Sheriff's Office, and in the small slice of the city that sits in Maricopa County, crashes outside city limits go to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. Ask the officer at the scene which agency wrote the report and get the report number.

Arizona crash reports come from the responding agency's records unit. Apache Junction Police reports are requested from the department's Records Unit on Superstition Boulevard, sheriff's reports from Pinal County Sheriff's Office records, and DPS reports from DPS records.

Roads where Apache Junction crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: US 60 between Idaho Road and Ironwood Drive, where the freeway narrows and traffic bunches up at the interchanges, Apache Trail (SR 88) through town at Idaho Road and at Ironwood Drive, Southern Avenue at Ironwood Drive near the hospital, and the two-lane curves of SR 88 past Lost Dutchman State Park toward Tortilla Flat and Canyon Lake. Head-on crashes on US 60 and on SR 88 tend to be the serious ones, and many involve weekend traffic headed to the lakes or the mountains, so witness names and photos of the road position matter a lot.

What to do in the first 48 hours

• Call 911 and get a report, even for a "small" crash.
• Photograph both cars, both licenses, both insurance cards, and the scene.
• See a doctor within a few days, even if you feel fine.
• Report the crash to your own insurer. Facts only.
• Do not accept a quick check or sign anything from the other driver's insurer.
• Keep every bill, receipt and visit summary.

The full step-by-step list is in What to Do After a Car Accident in Arizona.

Know the Arizona clock

For most car accident injury claims in Arizona you have two years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit. If a city, county or state vehicle was involved, you must file a formal notice of claim within 180 days. Arizona uses pure comparative negligence, so being partly at fault reduces your recovery but does not erase it. Details in Partly at Fault in an Arizona Crash.

When to talk to a lawyer

Not every fender bender needs one. Talk to a lawyer when you were injured and are still treating after a week or two, when the other driver was uninsured or fled, when fault is being disputed, or when you missed work. Arizona personal injury lawyers work on contingency, which means no fee unless they recover money for you, and the first conversation is free. More in Do I Need a Lawyer If It Wasn't My Fault and How Much Does a Car Accident Lawyer Cost.

More Arizona towns and the full set of guides: Car accidents in Arizona.

Call Clyne is a lawyer referral service, not a law firm. Stephen Clyne is not an attorney. This article is general information, not legal advice, and laws change. Talk to a licensed Arizona attorney about your situation.