Arizona · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Camp Verde?

A rear-end on State Route 260 at the I-17 ramps by the truck stops, a driver who pulls out across Finnie Flat Road without looking, a rollover on I-17 between the Camp Verde and Middle Verde exits. If you were just in a crash in Camp Verde, Middle Verde, Rimrock, Lake Montezuma or the Verde Valley and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Camp Verde-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. Camp Verde does not have its own hospital. The nearest 24-hour emergency room is Verde Valley Medical Center on South Candy Lane in Cottonwood, about 20 minutes west on State Route 260, which is a Level IV trauma center, meaning it stabilizes serious crash victims and transfers the worst cases. The nearest Level I trauma center is Flagstaff Medical Center, about an hour north on I-17, and the most seriously injured people from I-17 crashes are often flown there directly. 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 Camp Verde

Inside town limits, the Camp Verde Marshal's Office responds to crashes on Main Street, Finnie Flat Road, Montezuma Castle Highway and the town streets. On I-17, including the ramps at the General Crook Trail, Middle Verde Road and State Route 260 interchanges, and on SR 260 toward Cottonwood, it is the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS). In Rimrock, Lake Montezuma, Cornville and the other unincorporated parts of Yavapai County it is the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office, and on the Yavapai-Apache Nation lands around Middle Verde it may be tribal police. 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. Camp Verde Marshal's Office reports are requested from the records division at the Marshal's Office at 646 South 1st Street, Yavapai County Sheriff's reports from the Sheriff's Office records section, and DPS reports from the DPS Records Unit portal.

Roads where Camp Verde crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: I-17 on both sides of town, where the long grades, cross-state trucks, Phoenix weekend traffic heading to Sedona and Flagstaff, and summer monsoon storms combine at 75 miles per hour, with the exits at General Crook Trail, Middle Verde Road and SR 260 all seeing rear-ends and rollovers, State Route 260 from the interstate west toward Cottonwood, a stretch the state has been rebuilding into a divided highway with roundabouts at Thousand Trails Road and Cherry Creek Road because of the growth along it, SR 260 east of town where it climbs toward Strawberry and Payson, the Finnie Flat Road and Main Street corridor through town, where SR 260 traffic meets local turning traffic, Montezuma Castle Highway between town and the national monument, where visitors slow suddenly for the turn, Salt Mine Road and Middle Verde Road. These are two-lane roads with tourist traffic and wide speed differences, so photograph the turn lanes, the sight lines, the road surface and the speed signs, because many of these crashes turn into arguments about who was turning and who was going too fast.

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. A crash with a visitor who has already driven back to Phoenix or flown home adds questions that are hard to sort out alone. 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.