Arizona · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Oro Valley?

A rear-end crash in the stop-and-go on Oracle Road, a left turn gone wrong at Tangerine Road and La Cañada Drive, a red-light runner at Oracle Road and First Avenue on the way to the shops. If you were just in a crash in Oro Valley and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Oro Valley-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. Oro Valley Hospital, on East Tangerine Road, is the local hospital, with a 24-hour emergency room. It is not a designated trauma center, so the most seriously injured crash victims from Oro Valley are usually taken down to Banner University Medical Center Tucson, the Level I trauma center in Tucson. 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 Oro Valley

Inside town limits, the Oro Valley Police Department responds to crashes on Tangerine Road, La Cañada Drive, First Avenue, Rancho Vistoso Boulevard, Lambert Lane and the neighborhood streets. Oracle Road is State Route 77, a state highway, so a crash there may be handled by Oro Valley Police or by the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS), especially north of town toward Catalina. In the unincorporated pockets around the town, on the Catalina side and along the foothills, it is the Pima County Sheriff's Department. Ask the officer or deputy at the scene which agency wrote the report and get the report number.

Arizona crash reports come from the responding agency's records unit. Oro Valley Police crash reports can be bought online through the department's crash report vendor, or requested from the Records Unit at the main station, 11000 North La Cañada Drive. Reports involving serious injuries may not be posted online, so if yours does not appear, ask the Records Unit directly. Pima County Sheriff's reports come from the department's Records section in Tucson, and DPS reports from the DPS Records Unit portal.

Roads where Oro Valley crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: Oracle Road from the Tucson line at Magee Road north through Ina Road, First Avenue and Tangerine Road, where six lanes of traffic and long signal spacing lead to high-speed rear-end and red-light crashes, Tangerine Road from Oracle Road west past La Cañada Drive and Rancho Vistoso Boulevard, La Cañada Drive between Lambert Lane and Naranja Drive, and First Avenue at Oracle Road. Oro Valley police have singled out the Oracle Road corridor for enforcement more than once, and the town has been rebuilding Tangerine Road and adding signals for years. Photograph the lane markings, the signal heads and any cones or temporary signs, because a road that just changed is a road where drivers argue about who had the right of way.

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.