Arizona · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Wickenburg?

A rear-end crash on Wickenburg Way where US 60 slows down through town, a head-on on the two-lane stretch of US 93 headed toward Wikieup, a truck that drifted over the line on US 60 near Morristown on the way back from Phoenix. If you were just in a crash in Wickenburg and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Wickenburg-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. Wickenburg Community Hospital, on Rose Lane, 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, often by helicopter from the hospital's own air medical base. The most seriously injured crash victims from Wickenburg are usually flown or driven to a Level I trauma center in the Phoenix area, such as HonorHealth Deer Valley Medical Center or Abrazo West Campus in Goodyear. 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 Wickenburg

Inside town limits, the Wickenburg Police Department responds to crashes on Wickenburg Way, Tegner Street, Vulture Mine Road and the neighborhood streets. On US 60, US 93 and State Route 89 outside town, it is the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS). Wickenburg sits right on the county line, so the unincorporated desert around it is split: south and east toward Morristown and Hassayampa it is the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, and north toward Congress and Yarnell it is the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office. 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. Wickenburg Police reports are requested with the department's records request form from the Records Unit at 155 North Tegner Street, Suite A, and recent crash reports may also be available through the department's online crash report vendor. Maricopa County Sheriff's crash reports are bought online through the sheriff's crash report vendor, and if yours is not posted, ask MCSO Records. Yavapai County Sheriff's reports come from the sheriff's records unit in Prescott, and DPS reports from the DPS Records Unit portal.

Roads where Wickenburg crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: US 60 from the Maricopa County line through Morristown and into town, where highway speeds drop to town speeds on Wickenburg Way and drivers coming from Phoenix do not slow down in time, US 93 north of town toward Wikieup and Kingman, a long two-lane highway with heavy truck and Las Vegas traffic and a history of head-on and passing crashes, the junction where US 60 and US 93 split west of town, State Route 89 north toward Congress, and Tegner Street and Vulture Mine Road inside town. ADOT has been widening pieces of US 93 for years, so photograph the lane markings, the passing zones and any cones or temporary signs, because a highway that just changed is a highway where drivers argue about who crossed the 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.