Arizona · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in San Tan Valley?

A rear-end crash in the stop-and-go on Hunt Highway, a left turn gone wrong at Gantzel Road and Combs Road, a crossover collision on Ironwood Drive in the morning commute toward Queen Creek. If you were just in a crash in San Tan Valley and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the San Tan 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. Banner Ironwood Medical Center on North Gantzel Road is the local hospital, with a 24-hour emergency room, and it is a state-designated Level IV trauma center, which means it stabilizes serious patients and transfers them. The nearest Level I trauma centers are Chandler Regional Medical Center in Chandler and Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa, so the most seriously injured crash victims from San Tan Valley and Queen Creek are usually taken 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 San Tan Valley

San Tan Valley is unincorporated, so it has no city police. The Pinal County Sheriff's Office responds to crashes on Hunt Highway, Gantzel Road, Ironwood Drive, Combs Road and the neighborhood streets. Cross the county line into the Town of Queen Creek, on Ellsworth Road, Ocotillo Road or the Queen Creek side of Combs Road, and it is the Queen Creek Police Department. On State Route 24, the freeway that comes in from Mesa and ends at Ironwood Drive, it is the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS). 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. Pinal County Sheriff's reports are requested with the department's records request form, in person or by mail through the Records Unit at 971 Jason Lopez Circle, Building C, in Florence, or at a regional substation. Queen Creek Police reports are requested through the town's online public records portal, and DPS reports from the DPS Records Unit portal.

Roads where San Tan Valley crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: Hunt Highway from the Gilbert and Queen Creek line all the way down past Bella Vista Road, where the traffic is heavy and the intersections keep coming, Gantzel Road from Combs Road south past Banner Ironwood, Ironwood Drive between Ocotillo Road and Combs Road, Combs Road between Ironwood Drive and Gantzel Road, and Ellsworth Road on the Queen Creek side. Skyline Drive and Bella Vista Road feed all of it. San Tan Valley grew faster than its roads, and many of these two-lane county roads have been widened, restriped or given new signals in the last few years. Photograph the lane markings, the signal heads and any cones or temporary signs, because a road that just changed is a road where drivers argue about who had the right of way.

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.