What to Do After a Car Accident in Arizona: A Minute-by-Minute Action Plan

If you’ve just been in a crash, here’s the short answer: stay calm, stay safe, call 911, document everything, and see a doctor within 24 hours, even if you feel fine. What you do in the hours right after a collision can make or break an Arizona injury claim.

Move to safety and call 911 immediately
Photograph the scene before anything moves
Get a police report or file Arizona Form SR-13 if no officer responds
See a doctor within 24 hours; gaps in care destroy claims
Call an Arizona personal-injury attorney before talking to any insurer

What to Do After a Car Accident in Arizona: At the Scene (First 15 Minutes)

What to do after a car accident in Arizona the moment it happens?

Your first priority is safety, not paperwork. If the vehicles are drivable and staying put creates a hazard, Arizona law (A.R.S. § 28-664) actually requires you to move them to the nearest safe location. Turn on your hazard lights, set up road flares or cones if you have them, and get everyone away from traffic.

Call 911 right away. In unincorporated areas or on state highways, the responding agency will be the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS). Inside city limits, local police respond. Either way, an official report is your most valuable piece of evidence. While you wait:

Check for injuries. Do not move anyone who complains of neck or back pain.
Exchange information. Get the other driver’s name, license number, plate number, insurance carrier, and policy number.
Identify witnesses. Ask bystanders for their names and phone numbers before they leave.
Say very little. Never apologize or admit fault; even a casual “I’m sorry” can be used against you later.

Before You Leave: What to Document on Your Phone

What photos should I take after a car accident in Arizona?

Your smartphone is your best evidence tool. Before any vehicle is towed or moved, take photos and short videos of:

All four sides of every vehicle involved, including close-ups of damage
License plates of all vehicles
The overall crash scene from multiple angles, including skid marks and debris
Street signs, traffic signals, and any posted speed limits
Road conditions, wet pavement, potholes, faded lane markings
Any visible injuries on your body (bruising, cuts, airbag burns)
The other driver’s insurance card and license (photograph them, don’t just write them down)

Also jot down a voice memo describing exactly how the crash happened while your memory is fresh. Courts and insurers rely heavily on contemporaneous accounts.

Within 1 Hour: Reporting Requirements Under Arizona Law

Arizona has specific rules about when and how you must report a crash. Getting this wrong can result in license suspension or a weakened claim.

When do I need to call police versus file an SR-13 form in Arizona?

If law enforcement responds to the scene, they will generate an official crash report; you don’t need to file separately. However, if police do not respond (common in minor crashes on private property or in remote areas), Arizona law requires you to file a Self-Report Crash Report with the Arizona Department of Transportation when the crash involves injury, death, or property damage that appears to exceed $2,000.

You can download the Self-Crash Report from AZDPS. File it promptly; delays raise red flags with insurers and can complicate your claim timeline.

A few other within-the-hour steps:

Notify your own insurer. Most policies require prompt notice of any accident. Call to report the crash, but do not give a recorded statement yet.
Do not accept a quick settlement. If the other driver offers cash on the spot, decline. You don’t yet know the full extent of your injuries or vehicle damage.
Write down the responding officer’s name and badge number and ask how to obtain the official report (usually available within 5-10 business days through the agency or ADOT).

Within 24 Hours: The Medical Visit You Cannot Skip

Why does seeing a doctor within 24 hours matter so much for an Arizona car accident claim?

Adrenaline is a powerful painkiller. Whiplash, soft-tissue injuries, and even mild traumatic brain injuries often don’t produce obvious symptoms for 12-48 hours after a crash. If you wait days, or worse, weeks, to seek treatment, the insurance adjuster will argue that your injuries were either not serious or were caused by something else entirely. That argument wins cases for insurance companies.

Seeing a doctor within 24 hours creates a medical record that directly links your injuries to the crash. Go to an urgent care clinic, emergency room, or your primary care physician. Tell the provider exactly how the accident happened and describe every symptom, no matter how minor it seems. Headaches, stiffness, tingling, or trouble sleeping after a crash are all medically significant and should be documented.

Under Arizona’s two-year statute of limitations (A.R.S. § 12-542) for personal-injury claims, you have time to build your case, but the medical record you create in the first 24 hours is the foundation everything else is built on.

The One Call That Protects Everything You’ve Done So Far

You’ve moved to safety, documented the scene, reported the crash, and seen a doctor. Now make one more call: contact an Arizona personal-injury attorney before you give a recorded statement to any insurance company, including your own.

Insurance adjusters are trained to ask questions that minimize payouts. A single off-hand comment about feeling “okay” or “not that hurt” can be used to reduce your settlement. An attorney reviews your documentation, advises you on what to say (and what not to say), and handles communications so you can focus on recovering.

Most Arizona personal-injury attorneys, including our team at Gordi Law, work on a contingency fee; you pay nothing unless we recover money for you. There’s no financial risk in making that call early, and significant financial risk in waiting.

Frequently Asked Questions

What to do after a car accident in Arizona if the other driver has no insurance?

Arizona requires drivers to carry minimum liability insurance, but uninsured drivers are common. If the at-fault driver is uninsured, your own Uninsured Motorist (UM) coverage kicks in, assuming you purchased it. File a police report immediately, document everything as you would in any crash, and contact an attorney before dealing with your own insurer. Arizona law gives you important protections under UM claims, but insurers still look for reasons to limit payouts.

Do I have to call the police for a minor fender-bender in Arizona?

You are not always legally required to call police for a very minor crash with no injuries and minimal damage. However, it is almost always in your best interest to do so. Without a police report, it becomes a “he said, she said” situation. If you cannot get an officer to respond, file the SR-13 self-report form with ADOT if damages appear to exceed $2,000 or if anyone was injured.

How long do I have to file a car accident claim in Arizona?

For personal-injury claims, Arizona’s statute of limitations is generally two years from the date of the accident under A.R.S. § 12-542. For property damage only, the limit is also two years. Claims against a government entity (like a city or ADOT) have a much shorter notice requirement, sometimes as little as 180 days, so act quickly if a government vehicle or road condition contributed to the crash.

What if I start feeling pain days after the accident: is it too late to see a doctor?

It is never too late to see a doctor, but the sooner the better. Delayed-onset pain from whiplash or soft-tissue injuries is medically common and well-documented. When you do see a doctor, be honest about the timeline and explain that symptoms developed gradually after the crash. A good physician will note this in your records. The longer the gap between the accident and treatment, the harder it becomes to connect your injuries to the crash, so don’t wait any longer than necessary.

Should I talk to the other driver’s insurance company after an Arizona car accident?

You are not legally required to give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance company, and doing so without legal guidance is risky. Adjusters are skilled at framing questions to get answers that minimize your claim. Politely decline to give a recorded statement until you have spoken with an attorney. You do need to cooperate with your own insurer under your policy terms, but an attorney can help you do that in a way that protects your rights.