Arizona · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Litchfield Park?

A rear-end crash in the backup on Litchfield Road at Camelback Road, a red-light runner at Dysart Road and Indian School Road, a sideswipe on I-10 near the Litchfield Road exit. If you were just in a crash in Litchfield Park and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Litchfield Park-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. Abrazo West Campus, at 13677 West McDowell Road in Goodyear, a few minutes south of the city, is a state-designated Level I trauma center with a 24-hour emergency room, so the most seriously injured crash victims in Litchfield Park are usually taken there. Banner Estrella Medical Center, at 9201 West Thomas Road in Phoenix, also has a 24-hour emergency room and is a Level IV 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 Litchfield Park

Litchfield Park does not have its own police department. The city contracts with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO), and deputies from MCSO District 2 respond to crashes on Litchfield Road, Dysart Road, Camelback Road, Wigwam Boulevard and the neighborhood streets inside city limits. The city is small and sits on the border of Goodyear and Avondale, so a crash a few blocks from home may actually be in one of those cities and handled by the Goodyear Police Department or the Avondale Police Department instead. On I-10 and the Loop 303, it is the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS). 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 reports are requested through the sheriff's office records section, and the District 2 office is at 695 North 105th Avenue in Avondale. Goodyear and Avondale police reports come from each department's own records unit, and DPS reports come from the DPS Records Unit portal. If you are not sure which agency responded, ask the responding agency and have the date and location of the crash ready.

Roads where Litchfield Park crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: Litchfield Road from I-10 north through Indian School Road, Camelback Road and Wigwam Boulevard, which is the main route into town and carries Luke Air Force Base traffic, Dysart Road at Camelback Road and at Indian School Road on the Avondale border, Camelback Road from Dysart Road west toward the Loop 303, Indian School Road at Litchfield Road, and the I-10 interchanges at Litchfield Road and Dysart Road where freeway traffic merges onto surface streets. The Loop 303 north of I-10 adds high-speed merging and construction. Litchfield Park's older core has narrow tree-lined streets, golf cart crossings and roundabouts near the Wigwam resort, which produces a different kind of crash than the arterials around it. 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.