Arizona · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Sun City?

A rear-end crash in the left-turn lane at Bell Road and 99th Avenue, a sideswipe on Grand Avenue near the Loop 101 interchange, a golf cart and a pickup meeting at Del Webb Boulevard and Thunderbird Boulevard. If you were just in a crash in Sun City, Sun City West or Youngtown and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Sun City-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 Boswell Medical Center, at 10401 West Thunderbird Boulevard in Sun City, has a 24-hour emergency room and is a state-designated Level IV trauma center, so it is where most Sun City crash victims are taken first. Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center in Sun City West also has a 24-hour emergency room and a Level IV designation. The most seriously injured are usually transferred or flown to a Level I trauma center in Phoenix or the West Valley, such as Abrazo West Campus in Goodyear or HonorHealth John C. Lincoln Medical 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 Sun City

Sun City and Sun City West are unincorporated, so there is no Sun City police department. Crashes on Bell Road, Thunderbird Boulevard, Del Webb Boulevard, 99th Avenue and the neighborhood streets are handled by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO), which covers Sun City, Sun City West and Youngtown out of its District 3 office at 13063 West Bell Road in Surprise. On Grand Avenue, which is US 60, and on the Loop 101, the Agua Fria Freeway, it is usually the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS). Just across the line in Peoria, Surprise or El Mirage, that city's police may have responded instead. 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. MCSO crash reports are requested through the Sheriff's Office records section, and DPS reports come from the DPS Records Unit crash report portal. If you are not sure who responded, ask the responding agency.

Roads where Sun City crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: Bell Road from the Loop 101 west through 99th Avenue and Del Webb Boulevard, where retail traffic and left turns stack up all day, Grand Avenue (US 60) from 99th Avenue to Bell Road and its signalized crossings, the Loop 101 interchanges at Grand Avenue, Bell Road and Thunderbird Road, Thunderbird Boulevard near Banner Boswell, and 99th Avenue through Youngtown. Sun City adds its own pattern: golf carts share many streets with cars, and many crashes involve a driver who did not see a cart, a cyclist or a pedestrian at a crossing. Photograph the intersection, the signal heads and the lane markings, because many of these crashes turn into arguments about who had the light or who changed lanes.

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.