Car accident in Phoenix: your report, the other driver's insurance, and finding a lawyer

Last checked November 8, 2026

After a car accident on a Phoenix street, your report comes from Phoenix Police.1 On a freeway it comes from Arizona DPS, and you should wait 14 days before asking.23 Arizona drivers must carry only $25,000 per person for injuries.4 You generally have 2 years to sue.5

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Road map of Phoenix showing 67th Avenue and McDowell Road, ranked the region's highest-risk intersection from 2018 to 2022
Phoenix car crash? Arizona's injury minimum is $25,000 a person. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

What should you do after a car accident in Phoenix that was not your fault?

  1. Call it in. Arizona law says a driver in a crash that hurts or kills someone must report it right away to the police, the sheriff or the highway patrol.6 If nobody needs urgent help and you are on a city street, the Phoenix Police non-emergency line is 602-262-6151.7
  2. Take photos before the cars move, if it is safe. Get the other driver's name, plate and insurance card. Ask anyone who stopped for a phone number.
  3. Get checked the same day, even if you feel okay. Neck and back pain often shows up later. Hospitals with state Level I trauma status include St. Joseph's on Thomas Road and HonorHealth John C. Lincoln on Dunlap Avenue.89
  4. Track down your car. A car taken by a city contract tow sits in that company's lot, so call the tow company for the address and the bill.10 If police ordered a mandatory impound, call 602-495-2096 for release information.11
  5. Tell your own insurer soon and stick to what you know. Do not guess about your injuries or about who was at fault.

How do you get a car accident report in Phoenix?

It depends on the road. Different agencies write different reports, so start with where the cars came to a stop.

Crash locationAskKnow before you ask
A surface street inside PhoenixThe Phoenix Police portal, phxpublicsafety.phoenix.gov, under Traffic Crash12No promised date. Big or complex requests take longer.13
I-10, I-17 or a state highwayDPS Records, (602) 223-22303$9.00 for up to nine pages by mail, or $9.00 by email.14
County land outside city limitsThe Sheriff's Office, through BuyCrash1516Seven business days. A serious or fatal crash report will not be online.16

A Phoenix report sent digitally is free for most people,17 but the portal can ask for a $5.00 payment first and refunds it if the charge comes in under that.18

Where do rear-end crashes happen most in Phoenix?

Getting rear-ended is a common story on the Deck Park Tunnel stretch of I-10. ADOT counted nearly six crashes a day there from 2020 through 2024, and most were rear-end or sideswipe crashes.19 The Broadway Curve carries more than 300,000 vehicles on an average weekday.20 Stop-and-go traffic at that volume leaves little room to brake.

On surface streets, risk piles up at big intersections. The regional planning agency ranks 67th Avenue and McDowell Road first for crash risk,21 and 99th Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road recorded 429 crashes from 2018 to 2022.22 If you were hit at a corner like these, ask nearby shops and gas stations about camera video this week. Many systems record over old footage.

Citywide, ADOT logged 10,449 injury crashes in Phoenix in 2024, out of 37,472 total.23

How much insurance must the other driver have in Phoenix?

CoverageArizona minimum
Injury to one person$25,0004
Injuries in the whole crash$50,0004
Damage to your car or property$15,0004

Serious injuries can cost far more than those limits, so your own policy matters. Arizona insurers have to offer you uninsured motorist coverage in writing, and add it if you ask.24 Look at your declarations page to see if you bought it. If the driver who hit you has little or no insurance, that coverage may be where the money comes from.

What if a City of Phoenix or Valley Metro vehicle hit you?

Public vehicles run on a much shorter clock. Arizona gives 180 days for a claim against a public body,25 and the City of Phoenix wants its form at the City Clerk Department.26 Valley Metro takes claims at its Risk Management office and treats no answer in 60 days as a denial.27

Valley Metro is only a brand name. A light rail claim goes against Valley Metro Rail, Inc., and a bus claim against the Regional Public Transportation Authority.28 If the claim is denied, the lawsuit has to be filed within one year.29

Can you still make a claim in Phoenix if you were partly at fault?

Yes. Arizona cuts your award by your share of the blame instead of shutting you out.30 Expect the other driver's insurer to try to raise your share. A missing seat belt can come up too. Arizona requires front-seat riders to buckle up, but that law does not say how skipping a belt affects an injury claim.31

When does it make sense to call a car accident lawyer in Phoenix?

  • You were badly hurt or you are missing work.
  • The other driver's limits look too low for your medical bills.
  • A public vehicle or a road problem played a part, because the 180-day clock is already running.32
  • The insurer says the crash was your fault.

Small cases can stay close to home. Maricopa justice courts hear civil suits up to $10,000.33 In Superior Court, disputes under $50,000 go to arbitration.34

Questions

Who do I call after a car accident on I-17 in Phoenix?

Call 911 if anyone is hurt. Arizona DPS troopers investigate crashes on interstates and state highways.2

How long do I have after a car accident in Phoenix?

Generally 2 years to sue a person or company.5 A claim against a city, county or Valley Metro is usually due in 180 days.32

If I was rear-ended in Phoenix, is it automatically the other driver's fault?

Not automatically. Fault depends on the facts, and Arizona divides it by percentages.30 The crash report is one important piece of proof.

Where is my car after a crash in Phoenix?

If a city contract tow took it, the tow company can tell you which lot has it and what you owe.10

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Phoenix

Car accident

Arizona

Sources

  1. Arizona DPS, Request Records, checked 2026-11-08. “If the report you are requesting was the result of a collision that occurred on a town, city or county road, contact the law enforcement agency in that jurisdiction.”
  2. Arizona DPS, Request Records, checked 2026-11-08. “maintains records for collisions (accidents) that were investigated by DPS Troopers occurring on an Interstate or State Highway”
  3. Arizona DPS, Request Records, checked 2026-11-08. “Please wait at least 14 days to check on report availability”
  4. A.R.S. § 28-4009(A)(2)(b), checked 2026-11-08. “(i) $25,000 because of bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident. (ii) Subject to the limit for one person, $50,000 because of bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in any one accident. (iii) $15,000 because of injury to or destruction of property of others in any one accident.”
  5. A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
  6. A.R.S. § 28-666(A), checked 2026-11-08. “The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of a person shall give notice of the accident immediately by the quickest means of communication”
  7. City of Phoenix, Contact the Phoenix Police Department, checked 2026-11-08. “Non-Emergency - 602-262-6151”
  8. Arizona DHS, State Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “St. Joseph’s Hospital & Medical Center 350 W. Thomas Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85013 11/20/24 11/20/26”
  9. Arizona DHS, State Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “250 E. Dunlap Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85020 04/24/24 04/24/27”
  10. phoenix.gov, checked 2026-11-08. “Contact the tow company to determine which lot they have stored your vehicle.”
  11. phoenix.gov, checked 2026-11-08. “Contact the City of Phoenix Public Records and Services Unit to request release information at 602 495-2096.”
  12. phoenix.gov, checked 2026-11-08. “The following 10 options are available on the portal to submit Public Record requests:”
  13. phoenix.gov, checked 2026-11-08. “Various factors affect processing time including the request size, complexity, and nature of the records sought.”
  14. Arizona DPS, Request Records, checked 2026-11-08. “Paper report via U.S. Mail - $9.00 for the first nine pages; $0.10 for each additional page”
  15. Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, Report Request, checked 2026-11-08. “Unincorporated areas of Maricopa County (jurisdiction of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)”
  16. Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, Report Request, checked 2026-11-08. “Allow seven (7) business days after the accident for the report to be uploaded.”
  17. phoenix.gov, checked 2026-11-08. “$10.00 flat fee $0.25 per page (printed only) Traffic Crash +$0.25 per page Free for digital release”
  18. phxpublicsafety.phoenix.gov, checked 2026-11-08. “some requests require an upfront portal convenience fee of $5.00”
  19. azdot.gov, checked 2026-11-08. “from 2020 through 2024, there were nearly six crashes a day in the study area, with most being rear-end and sideswipe crashes.”
  20. azdot.gov, checked 2026-11-08. “With more than 300,000 vehicles passing through the I-10 Broadway Curve area on an average weekday”
  21. Maricopa Association of Governments, Top 100 Intersections by Crash Risk 2018-2022, checked 2026-11-08. “| 1 Phoenix | Phoenix | 67TH AVE & MCDOWELL RD | 229 | 0.534 | 0.986 | 1.038 | 0.886 |”
  22. Maricopa Association of Governments, Top 100 Intersections by Crash Risk 2018-2022, checked 2026-11-08. “| 10 Phoenix | Phoenix | 99TH AVE & LOWER BUCKEYE RD | 429 | 1.000 | 0.234 | 0.829 | 0.574 |”
  23. ADOT, 2024 Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, checked 2026-11-08. “| Phoenix | 37,472 | 265 | 10,449 | 26,758 | 278 | 15,057 | 1,351 | 95 | 822 |”
  24. A.R.S. § 20-259.01(A), checked 2026-11-08. “Every insurer writing automobile liability or motor vehicle liability policies shall make available to the named insured thereunder and by written notice offer the named insured and at the request of the named insured shall include within the policy uninsured motorist coverage”
  25. A.R.S. § 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
  26. phoenix.gov, checked 2026-11-08. “Be filed with the City Clerk Department within 180 days after the cause of action accrues,”
  27. Valley Metro, Notice of Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “Valley Metro Attention: Risk Management 101 N. 1st Avenue, Suite 1300 Phoenix, AZ 85003”
  28. Valley Metro, Notice of Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “Please note, Valley Metro is a brand name only. Valley Metro Rail, Inc. operates light rail service.”
  29. A.R.S. § 12-821, checked 2026-11-08. “shall be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues and not afterward”
  30. A.R.S. § 12-2505(A), checked 2026-11-08. “the claimant's action is not barred, but the full damages shall be reduced in proportion to the relative degree of the claimant's fault”
  31. A.R.S. § 28-909(A), checked 2026-11-08. “Each front seat occupant of a motor vehicle that is designed for carrying ten or fewer passengers [...] shall either: 1. Have the lap and shoulder belt properly adjusted and fastened while the vehicle is in motion.”
  32. Arizona Revised Statutes 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
  33. Maricopa County Justice Courts, About, checked 2026-11-08. “small claims up to $5,000, and civil lawsuits for amounts up to $10,000”
  34. Maricopa County Superior Court, Compulsory Arbitration, checked 2026-11-08. “Compulsory Arbitration is a mandatory program for disputes valued under $50,000.”

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