Arizona · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Quartzsite?

A rear-end crash in the stop-and-go on Main Street during the January RV show, a semi that drifted into your lane on I-10, a motorhome that pulled out across US 95. If you were just in a crash in Quartzsite and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Quartzsite-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. Quartzsite does not have its own hospital. The nearest 24-hour emergency room is La Paz Regional Hospital, 1200 West Mohave Road in Parker, about 35 miles north on US 95, a Level IV trauma center that stabilizes and transfers serious injuries. Yuma Regional Medical Center, a Level III trauma center, is about 80 miles south on US 95. The most seriously injured crash victims from Quartzsite and I-10 are usually flown to a Level I trauma center in Phoenix. 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 Quartzsite

Inside town limits, the Quartzsite Police Department responds to crashes on Main Street, Kuehn Street, Plymouth Avenue and the streets around the RV show grounds. On I-10 itself, including the ramps at exits 17 and 19, and on US 95 north toward Parker and south toward Yuma, it is the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS). Outside town limits, in the BLM camping areas and on the county roads, it is the La Paz County Sheriff's Office. Many winter crashes here involve a driver who will be gone in a few weeks, so get a home address and phone number. 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. Quartzsite Police reports are requested from the department at 305 North Plymouth Avenue. La Paz County Sheriff reports come from the sheriff's records office in Parker. DPS reports come from the DPS Public Services Portal, where you select "Request a Report or Records."

Roads where Quartzsite crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: I-10 on both sides of town, a major truck route between Phoenix and Los Angeles where crashes often involve a semi that drifted, a tire that blew or a driver who fell asleep, the I-10 ramps at exits 17 and 19, where slow RVs merge into fast traffic, US 95 through town and north toward Parker, a two-lane highway shared by trucks and travel trailers, and Main Street, which is Business Loop I-10, where the winter population swells to tens of thousands of RVers and the January and February shows bring pedestrians, golf carts and bicycles into the road. Summer adds extreme heat, tire blowouts and long empty stretches. Photograph the road, the signs, the lane markings and the other vehicle's tires, because many of these crashes turn into arguments about who drifted or who pulled out.

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. You do not have to be an Arizona resident to make a claim for a crash that happened here. 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.