Arizona · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Paradise Valley?

A rear-end crash in the backup on Lincoln Drive at Tatum Boulevard, a left-turn collision at Scottsdale Road and McDonald Drive, a sideswipe where Tatum Boulevard curves past Camelback Mountain. If you were just in a crash in Paradise Valley and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Paradise 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. Paradise Valley has no hospital inside town limits, but it is surrounded by them. HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center, at 7400 East Osborn Road in Scottsdale, is a state-designated Level I trauma center with a 24-hour emergency room, so the most seriously injured crash victims in Paradise Valley are usually taken there. HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center, on East Shea Boulevard, also has a 24-hour emergency room and is closer to the north side of town. 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 Paradise Valley

Inside town limits, the Paradise Valley Police Department responds to crashes on Lincoln Drive, Tatum Boulevard, McDonald Drive, Mockingbird Lane, Invergordon Road and the neighborhood streets. The town is small, and its busiest roads run along its edges: Scottsdale Road on the east side is the Scottsdale border, and 32nd Street, Shea Boulevard and parts of Lincoln Drive run into Phoenix. A crash on one of those borders may be handled by the Scottsdale or Phoenix police instead. On State Route 51, the Piestewa Freeway, just west of town, 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. Paradise Valley Police reports are requested through the department's records section at the town's public safety building, 6433 East Lincoln Drive, by phone or through the town's public records request process. Scottsdale and Phoenix police reports come from each department's own records unit, and DPS reports come from the DPS Records Unit portal.

Roads where Paradise Valley crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: Lincoln Drive from 32nd Street east through Tatum Boulevard, Invergordon Road and on to Scottsdale Road, which carries commuter traffic between Phoenix and Scottsdale and has long gaps between signals, Tatum Boulevard from Shea Boulevard south through Doubletree Ranch Road, Lincoln Drive and McDonald Drive, where it curves and climbs past Camelback Mountain, McDonald Drive at Tatum Boulevard and at Scottsdale Road, and Scottsdale Road from Shea Boulevard south through Doubletree Ranch Road, Indian Bend Road and McDonald Drive on the town's eastern edge. Paradise Valley has few streetlights by design, so night crashes, cyclists heading to the Camelback Mountain trailheads, resort guests in rental cars and dark residential stretches with hidden driveways all come up. 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.