Arizona · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Globe?

A mine truck that clips a car on US 60 through Miami, a rollover on the curves of the Queen Creek canyon stretch between Superior and Top-of-the-World, a rear-end crash where US 60 meets SR 188 at the edge of Globe. If you were just in a crash in Globe or Miami and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Globe-Miami-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. Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center on Hospital Drive in Globe has the only 24-hour emergency room in the Globe-Miami area and is a Level IV trauma center. Serious injuries are usually flown or driven to the Valley, where Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa and Chandler Regional Medical Center are the nearest Level I trauma centers. 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 Globe

Inside Globe city limits, the Globe Police Department responds to crashes, and inside the Town of Miami it is the Miami Police Department. On US 60 outside the two towns, on SR 188 toward Roosevelt Lake, on SR 77 south toward Winkelman and on US 70 east toward the San Carlos Apache Reservation, it is the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS). In the unincorporated parts of Gila County in between, such as Claypool, Central Heights and Wheatfields, it is the Gila 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. Globe Police and Miami Police reports are requested from each department's records office, sheriff's reports from the Gila County Sheriff's Office records division, and DPS reports from DPS records.

Roads where Globe and Miami crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: US 60 through the narrow canyon between Superior and Miami, where the road twists past Devil's Canyon and Top-of-the-World and closes for rockslides and flooding, US 60 through downtown Miami and past the mine, the US 60 and SR 188 junction on the west side of Globe, Ash Street and Broad Street in downtown Globe, and US 70 heading east toward Peridot and San Carlos. Many of these crashes involve haul trucks, ore trucks and mine shift traffic, so the report number and the trucking company's name matter more than usual, and photos of the road surface and the curve matter too.

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.