Arizona · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Fountain Hills?

A rear-end crash coming down the hill on Shea Boulevard at Palisades Boulevard, a sideswipe on Saguaro Boulevard near the fountain, a head-on on the Beeline Highway (State Route 87) north of Shea. If you were just in a crash in Fountain Hills and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Fountain Hills-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. Fountain Hills has no hospital of its own. The closest 24-hour emergency room is HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center, at 9003 East Shea Boulevard, a straight drive west on Shea past the Loop 101. Mayo Clinic Hospital in northeast Phoenix also has a 24-hour emergency room. The most seriously injured crash victims from Fountain Hills are usually taken to HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center, on East Osborn Road near Old Town Scottsdale, which is a state-designated Level I trauma center. Urgent care in town 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 Fountain Hills

Fountain Hills is an incorporated town, but it does not have its own police department. The town contracts with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO), which polices Fountain Hills, Rio Verde and Tonto Verde out of its District 7 office at 16705 East Avenue of the Fountains, in the town center. MCSO deputies respond to crashes on Shea Boulevard inside town limits, Palisades Boulevard, Saguaro Boulevard, Fountain Hills Boulevard and the neighborhood streets. On the Beeline Highway, State Route 87, it is usually the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS). East of town, where Shea Boulevard and the Beeline cross onto Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation land near the casino, a crash may be handled by the Nation's own police, and a crash on Shea west of Eagle Mountain Parkway may fall to the Scottsdale Police Department. 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. MCSO crash reports are requested through the Sheriff's Office records section, and DPS reports come from the DPS Records Unit crash report portal.

Roads where Fountain Hills crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: Shea Boulevard from the Scottsdale line east through Palisades Boulevard and Fountain Hills Boulevard to the Beeline, a long grade with high speeds, hidden driveways and left turns across traffic, the Beeline Highway (State Route 87) between Shea Boulevard and the Fort McDowell area, where casino and recreation traffic headed to Saguaro Lake and Payson mixes with commuters, Palisades Boulevard from Shea down to Saguaro Boulevard, and Saguaro Boulevard and Avenue of the Fountains around Fountain Park, where events, pedestrians and cyclists share the road. Fountain Hills also has steep, curving residential streets where single-vehicle crashes are common. Photograph the intersection, the signal heads and the lane markings, because many of these crashes turn into arguments about who had the light or who changed lanes.

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.