Arizona · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Peoria?

A chain reaction on Loop 101 near Bell Road in the evening commute, a driver who misjudges the angled crossing at Grand Avenue, a left-turn crash on 83rd Avenue in front of the shopping centers. If you were just in a crash in Peoria and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Peoria-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 Thunderbird Medical Center at 55th Avenue and Thunderbird Road in Glendale, right on Peoria's eastern edge, has a 24-hour emergency room and is a Level I trauma center, so the most serious crash victims from Peoria are brought there. Abrazo Arrowhead Campus on North 67th Avenue, next to the Arrowhead area, also has a 24-hour emergency room. 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 Peoria

Inside city limits, the Peoria Police Department responds to crashes on the city streets. On Loop 101, Loop 303 and Grand Avenue (US 60), it is the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS). In the unincorporated pockets of Maricopa County around the edges of the city and out toward Lake Pleasant, it is the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. 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. Peoria Police reports are requested from the department's records unit at the Public Safety Administration Building on West Cinnabar Avenue, or through the city's online police records request page, sheriff's reports from Maricopa County Sheriff's Office records, and DPS reports from the DPS Records Unit portal.

Roads where Peoria crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: Loop 101 through the east side of the city, especially at the Bell Road, Northern Avenue and Grand Avenue interchanges, Grand Avenue (US 60) with its angled intersections and rail crossings, Bell Road at 83rd Avenue and along the retail stretch near the Loop 101, Lake Pleasant Parkway at Happy Valley Road, Thunderbird Road, 91st Avenue, and Loop 303 on the west side. Many of these are shopping center corridors, so photograph the driveways, the turn lanes and the signals, because a lot of these crashes turn into arguments about who was turning and who had the light.

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.