Arizona · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Page?

A rear-end crash in the tourist traffic on Lake Powell Boulevard, a head-on collision on US 89 near the Glen Canyon Dam bridge, a tour bus or rental car crash on Coppermine Road. If you were just in a crash in Page and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Page-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. Banner Page Hospital, at 501 North Navajo Drive in central Page, has a 24-hour emergency room and is a state-designated Level IV trauma center, which means it can stabilize serious injuries and transfer patients who need more. The nearest Level I trauma center is Flagstaff Medical Center, at 1200 North Beaver Street in Flagstaff, roughly 130 miles south on US 89, so the most seriously injured crash victims from Page are often flown there. 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 Page

Inside city limits, the Page Police Department responds to crashes on Lake Powell Boulevard, Coppermine Road, North Navajo Drive, Haul Road and the neighborhood streets. On US 89 and State Route 98 outside the city, it is the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS). Page sits on the edge of the Navajo Nation, and much of the land south and east of town, including LeChee, the Antelope Canyon area and the stretch of SR 98 toward Kaibito, is Navajo Nation land, where a crash may be handled by the Navajo Nation Police. Unincorporated Coconino County roads around town fall to the Coconino County Sheriff's Office. Inside Glen Canyon National Recreation Area around Lake Powell, National Park Service rangers may respond. 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. Page Police reports are requested from the department's records section at 808 Coppermine Road, and DPS reports come from the DPS Records Unit portal. For a Navajo Nation Police, Coconino County Sheriff's Office or National Park Service report, ask the responding agency how it releases crash reports.

Roads where Page crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: US 89 from the Glen Canyon Dam bridge south past the SR 98 junction and on toward Bitter Springs, a two-lane highway with heavy truck, RV and tour bus traffic, Lake Powell Boulevard, the loop through town where visitors turn suddenly and pull in and out of hotels, Coppermine Road near SR 98, where tour buses heading to Antelope Canyon mix with local traffic, the US 89 and Lake Powell Boulevard junctions at both ends of town, and SR 98 east of Page, where long straight stretches invite speed and there are few places to pull off. Page is a destination town, so many of the drivers involved are visitors in rental cars. Photograph the road, the signs, the lane markings and the other car's plates and rental paperwork, because many of these crashes turn into arguments about who crossed the center line or who turned without looking.

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.