Arizona · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Snowflake?

A rear-end crash on Main Street by the high school, a pickup that pulled out across State Route 77 between Snowflake and Taylor, a swerve around an elk at dusk on State Route 277. If you were just in a crash in Snowflake and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Snowflake-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. Snowflake has no hospital of its own. The nearest 24-hour emergency room is Summit Healthcare Regional Medical Center, 2200 East Show Low Lake Road in Show Low, about 30 miles south on State Route 77, a state-designated Level IV trauma center that stabilizes serious injuries and transfers them. The most seriously injured crash victims are usually flown to Flagstaff Medical Center or 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 Snowflake

Inside the town limits of Snowflake and Taylor, the Snowflake-Taylor Police Department responds to crashes on Main Street, Center Street, Snowflake Boulevard, Paper Mill Road and the neighborhood streets of both towns. On State Route 77 outside the town limits, north toward Holbrook and I-40 and south toward Show Low, and on State Route 277 toward Heber-Overgaard, it is the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS). On the county roads and in the ranch and forest areas it is the Navajo County Sheriff's Office. Main Street in town is also State Route 77, so either agency may respond. 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. Snowflake-Taylor Police reports are requested from the department's records clerk at 602 South Main Street in Snowflake. Navajo County Sheriff reports come from the sheriff's records office in Holbrook. DPS reports come from the DPS Public Services Portal, where you select "Request a Report or Records."

Roads where Snowflake crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: State Route 77 as Main Street through Snowflake and Taylor, where highway traffic slows to town speeds and left turns across the highway cause many of the crashes, State Route 77 south of Taylor toward Show Low, a two-lane highway with hills, passing zones and heavy commuter traffic, State Route 77 north toward Holbrook, long, straight and fast, with trucks coming off I-40, and State Route 277 west toward Heber-Overgaard, with elk and deer on the road at dawn and dusk. Winter brings snow and ice to all of them, and going too fast for conditions is still fault even under the speed limit. Photograph the road surface, the weather, the signs and the lane markings, because many of these crashes turn into arguments 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. In a small community the other driver may be someone you know, but the claim is against their insurance company, not against them. 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.