Arizona · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Sedona?

A rear-end crash in the weekend backup on State Route 179, a driver entering a roundabout at the Y without yielding, a head-on on the State Route 89A switchbacks in Oak Creek Canyon. If you were just in a crash in Sedona and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Sedona-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. Sedona has no full hospital. Northern Arizona Healthcare runs a free-standing 24-hour emergency department at its Sedona campus on West State Route 89A, which stabilizes patients and transfers the ones who need more. The nearest full hospital is Northern Arizona Healthcare Verde Valley Medical Center in Cottonwood, a state-designated trauma center, and the most seriously injured crash victims from Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon are usually taken to Flagstaff Medical Center, the Level I trauma center in Flagstaff. 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 Sedona

Sedona straddles two counties, so which agency wrote your report depends on exactly where you were. Inside city limits, the Sedona Police Department responds to crashes in Uptown, West Sedona and on the city streets. On State Route 89A and State Route 179, the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) also patrols, and a highway crash may be handled by either agency. The Village of Oak Creek, south of the city on SR 179, is unincorporated Yavapai County, so it is the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office. Oak Creek Canyon north of the city on SR 89A, up the switchbacks toward Flagstaff, is Coconino County, so it is the Coconino County Sheriff's Office or DPS. Ask the officer or deputy at the scene which agency wrote the report and get the report number.

Arizona crash reports come from the responding agency's records unit. Sedona Police reports are requested through the city's online public records request portal, or through the police department at 102 Roadrunner Drive. Yavapai County Sheriff's crash reports can be bought online through the sheriff's crash report vendor or requested by email or in person at the Verde Valley substation in Camp Verde. Coconino County Sheriff's reports are requested through the Flagstaff Police Department Records Section, which handles the sheriff's records. DPS reports come from the DPS Records Unit portal.

Roads where Sedona crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: State Route 179 from the Village of Oak Creek north through the roundabouts to the Y, where visitors unfamiliar with roundabouts stop, fail to yield or change lanes inside the circle, State Route 89A through West Sedona, with its long line of driveways, left turns and pedestrian crossings, State Route 89A in Uptown, with tour buses, jeep tours and crowds, and the Oak Creek Canyon switchbacks north of town, where the road is narrow, the curves are tight and rockfall and ice close it more than once a year. Photograph the roundabout signs, the yield lines and the lane markings, because many Sedona crashes turn into arguments about who was in which lane and who had to yield.

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.