Arizona · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Rio Rico?

A rollover on I-19 near the Rio Rico Drive exit, a semi and a pickup tangled on the East Frontage Road by the warehouse district, a crash at the bottom of the Ruby Road ramps in the afternoon backup. If you were just in a crash in Rio Rico and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Rio Rico-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. Carondelet Holy Cross Hospital on West Target Range Road in Nogales is the closest hospital, a small critical access hospital with a 24-hour emergency room about ten minutes down I-19. It is not a designated trauma center. The nearest trauma centers are in Tucson, more than an hour north, and the most seriously injured crash victims from Rio Rico are flown or driven to Banner University Medical Center Tucson, a Level I trauma center. 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 Rio Rico

Rio Rico is unincorporated, so it has no town police. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office responds to crashes on Rio Rico Drive, Pendleton Drive, the frontage roads and the neighborhood streets. On I-19 itself, and on State Route 289 (Ruby Road) west of the interstate, it is the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS). Inside the Nogales city limits it is the Nogales Police Department. Ask the deputy or 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. Santa Cruz County Sheriff's reports are requested in writing with the county's public records request form, online or on paper, or by contacting the Sheriff's Office records section at 2150 North Congress Drive in Nogales. DPS reports come from the DPS Records Unit portal.

Roads where Rio Rico crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: I-19 the whole way through Rio Rico, from the Ruby Road interchange north past Rio Rico Drive toward Tumacacori, where produce trucks, commuters and Tucson traffic share two lanes each way and rollovers keep making the news, the East Frontage Road between Ruby Road and Rio Rico Drive, where the warehouse district traffic enters and exits and part of the road runs one way, the Rio Rico Drive interchange and its ramps, which back up at peak times, Ruby Road at the I-19 ramps, and Pendleton Drive through the residential core. Many Rio Rico crashes involve a commercial truck, and a truck crash is a different kind of case: the carrier's insurer moves fast, and there are logs, dashcams and maintenance records that can disappear. Photograph the truck, its DOT number and its trailer, and write down the carrier's name before anyone leaves.

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.