Arizona · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Holbrook?

A chain reaction on I-40 in a winter storm east of town, a semi that rear-ends a car slowing for the Navajo Boulevard exit, a pickup that pulls out across State Route 77 on the way to Snowflake. If you were just in a crash in Holbrook, Joseph City, Sun Valley or anywhere along I-40 in Navajo County and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Holbrook-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. Holbrook does not have its own hospital. The nearest 24-hour emergency rooms are Little Colorado Medical Center on North Williamson Avenue in Winslow, about 30 miles west on I-40, a critical access hospital that is a state-designated Level III trauma center, and Summit Healthcare Regional Medical Center on East Show Low Lake Road in Show Low, about 50 miles south on SR 77, a Level IV trauma center. Both stabilize serious injuries and transfer the worst cases. The nearest Level I trauma center is Flagstaff Medical Center, about 90 miles west, and the most seriously injured people from I-40 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 Holbrook

Inside city limits, the Holbrook Police Department responds to crashes on Navajo Boulevard, Hopi Drive and the city streets. On I-40 itself, including the ramps at the Navajo Boulevard and Hopi Drive exits, and on State Route 77 and US 180 outside town, it is the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS). In Joseph City, Sun Valley, Woodruff and the other unincorporated parts of Navajo County it is the Navajo County Sheriff's Office, whose main office is also in Holbrook. 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. Holbrook Police reports are requested from the department's administrative office at 120 East Buffalo Street, by phone or by email during weekday business hours, and readily available reports sent by email are free. Navajo County Sheriff's reports come from the Sheriff's Office records section at 137 West Arizona Street, and DPS reports from the DPS Records Unit portal.

Roads where Holbrook crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: I-40 on both sides of town, where cross-country trucks, travelers heading for the Petrified Forest and winter weather mix at 75 miles per hour, with the exits at Navajo Boulevard, Hopi Drive and the Petrified Forest interchange seeing rear-ends and chain reactions when traffic slows suddenly, and the stretch east of town toward Sun Valley and Chambers where several multi-vehicle crashes have happened in snow and blowing dust, State Route 77 from the interstate south toward Snowflake, Taylor and Show Low, a two-lane highway with long straightaways, impatient passing and a lot of people commuting between the towns, US 180 southeast toward the Petrified Forest, Navajo Boulevard through town, where interstate traffic coming off the ramps meets local turning traffic at the gas stations and motels, and Hopi Drive, the old Route 66, where visitors slow for the shops and pull in and out of angled parking. Snow and ice crashes are common from late fall through spring, and dust storms close the interstate in the warmer months, and going too fast for conditions is still fault even under the speed limit. Photograph the road surface, the weather, the signs and the lane markings, because many of these crashes turn into arguments about who had the right of way and who was following too closely.

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 commercial truck or with a traveler from another state who has already gone 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.