Arizona · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Show Low?

A rear-end crash on the Deuce of Clubs at Whipple Road in the Saturday traffic, a left turn gone wrong on White Mountain Road on the way to Pinetop-Lakeside, an elk or a patch of black ice on US 60 west of town. If you were just in a crash in Show Low and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Show Low-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. Summit Healthcare Regional Medical Center on East Show Low Lake Road is the hospital for the whole White Mountains, 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. There is no Level I or Level II trauma center anywhere in the White Mountains. The nearest Level I is Flagstaff Medical Center, more than two hours away, and the Phoenix-area Level I centers are farther still, so the most seriously injured crash victims from Show Low and Pinetop-Lakeside are usually flown out. 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 Show Low

Inside city limits, the Show Low Police Department responds to crashes, including on the Deuce of Clubs and White Mountain Road where they run through the city. Once US 60, State Route 260 or State Route 77 leaves the city, it is the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS). In the unincorporated parts of Navajo County around Show Low it is the Navajo County Sheriff's Office, and inside the Town of Pinetop-Lakeside it is the Pinetop-Lakeside Police Department. 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. Show Low Police crash reports are available online through BuyCrash.com for a fee, or from the department's Records Division at 411 East Deuce of Clubs. Pinetop-Lakeside Police reports come from that department's records section, Navajo County Sheriff's reports from the Sheriff's Office records section, and DPS reports from the DPS Records Unit portal.

Roads where Show Low crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: the Deuce of Clubs (US 60 and State Route 260 together) the whole way through town, from the west side past Whipple Road and the shopping centers to the split near the airport, White Mountain Road (State Route 260) from the Deuce of Clubs south through the commercial strip toward Lakeside and Pinetop, State Route 77 north toward Snowflake and Taylor, US 60 east toward Vernon and Springerville, and US 60 and State Route 260 west of town toward Carrizo and toward Heber-Overgaard and Payson, where the two-lane highway, the elk and the winter ice do the damage. Show Low fills up with weekend and summer visitors from the Valley, so many crashes involve someone who does not know the roads or the weather. Note the road surface, the light and the weather, photograph any elk crossing signs or missing shoulders, and get the names of anyone who stopped, because on a two-lane highway the argument is usually over who crossed the center line.

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.