Accident help
After a crash in Arizona, get somewhere safe and call 911 if anyone is hurt. Trade names, insurance and plate numbers. Take photos of both cars and the street. Ask which agency responded. Which state's rules apply depends on where the crash happened, not where you live. A free case check organizes what happened, a licensed attorney reviews it, and it decides nothing.
Free. Not legal advice. Starting a case check does not mean we represent you.
Where this comes from
We checked these original sources on September 5, 2026. Each link opens the source so you can read it for yourself.
Original links
Request records from the Arizona Department of Public Safety
Arizona Public Services Portal records request
Citizen's Report of a Collision
Highway Patrol Division
Arizona law on notice of a vehicle accident, section 28-666
Arizona law on the written accident report, section 28-667
General rules where the crash happened
Because the crash happened in Arizona, Arizona traffic and fault rules are the first ones to check. Other state law may also matter depending on where people live, vehicles are registered, policies were issued, employers operate, and companies are based. A lawyer must decide which law controls the particular case.
A secondary state-by-state chart classifies Arizona as an at-fault jurisdiction. Fault generally affects legal responsibility, but that does not mean a particular person or insurance company automatically owes or pays a claim. Payment depends on the facts, current law, available coverage, and the policy you actually have. That policy may separately list MedPay or PIP on its declarations page.
A secondary state-by-state chart indicates that insurers in Arizona generally must offer uninsured motorist coverage on applicable auto policies. The source does not confirm what was offered, selected, or rejected on the policy you actually have, or whether coverage applies or pays. Check that policy and its declarations page for uninsured motorist or UM; the policy terms and facts control.
Other states can matter too, depending on where the people live, where the vehicles are registered, where the policies were issued and which companies were involved. A lawyer decides which law applies to your facts.
Check any other stateArizona Department of Public Safety, Public Records Unit
State troopers write the report for crashes on Arizona interstates and state highways. City police or a county sheriff keeps the report for the roads they patrol, and the state says it does not hold those. Here is how to ask for a copy.
01
Look at the paper the officer gave you at the scene. If a state trooper responded, the Department of Public Safety keeps the report. The state says crashes on town, city or county roads are not its records, so ask that agency instead.
Arizona Department of Public Safety02
For a state highway report, the department says to go to its Public Services Portal, create an account, and choose the option to request a report or records. You can also ask in person or by mail. The same page lists the fee before you send anything.
Arizona Department of Public Safety03
The state records page says troopers send finished reports to the records unit within about two weeks, and asks you to wait that long before checking. Have the date, the highway and mile marker, and the drivers' names ready when you ask.
Arizona Department of Public Safety04
If no trooper came out to a small crash on a state highway, Arizona has an online Citizen's Report of a Collision. The state sets limits on injuries, damage and the number of cars. It gives you a police report number your insurance may want, and it takes the place of a crash investigation.
Arizona Department of Public Safety05
Arizona law limits who gets an unredacted crash report. It lists a person in the crash, the owner of a vehicle in it, their representative, certain insurers, and an attorney or licensed private investigator representing someone involved. Asking for a report to sell something is not allowed.
Arizona State LegislatureAgencies change their forms, portals and fees. Open the linked page before you pay for anything, and keep a copy of every request you send.
A driver reporting duty, not a claim window
Arizona law tells a driver in a crash that hurt or killed someone to give notice of the accident immediately, by the quickest means of communication, to the local police if it happened in a city, the county sheriff's office, or the nearest highway patrol office. This is a reporting duty to law enforcement. It is not a window for making a claim, and it does not start any claim step.
Arizona State LegislatureFederal fatal-crash counts, 2022 to 2024
| County | Fatal crashes | People who died | Share of the state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maricopa County | 1,836 | 1,955 | 52.2% |
| Pima County | 505 | 542 | 14.4% |
| Pinal County | 235 | 269 | 6.7% |
| Mohave County | 172 | 192 | 4.9% |
| Coconino County | 152 | 179 | 4.3% |
| Yavapai County | 149 | 168 | 4.2% |
These are crashes in which at least one person died within 30 days, as counted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They are not a count of all crashes, injuries, insurance claims or lawsuits, and most crashes are not in this file at all.
The counts are not adjusted for population, road miles or how much people drive, so they cannot say one place is more dangerous than another. A crash appearing here does not show who was at fault, whether anyone was insured or whether anyone has a claim.
Questions
It depends on who responded. For a crash on an interstate or state highway, the Department of Public Safety says to use its Public Services Portal, or to ask in person or by mail. For a city street, ask the city police. Outside city limits, ask the county sheriff.
If the crash was on a state highway and it fits the limits the state lists for injuries, damage and number of cars, Arizona has an online Citizen's Report of a Collision that gives you a report number. For anything bigger, the state says to call and ask for a trooper. Keep your photos and the other driver's insurance card.
Arizona law lets a person in the crash, the owner of a vehicle in it, and their representative get an unredacted copy, along with certain insurers, an attorney licensed to practice law, and a licensed private investigator representing someone involved. Agencies cannot release a report for commercial solicitation.
If someone was hurt or killed, Arizona law tells the driver to give notice immediately, by the quickest means, to the local police, the county sheriff's office, or the nearest highway patrol office. Calling 911 from the scene does that. This is a reporting duty to law enforcement, not a claim step.
Yes. A free case check works the same from Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma, Flagstaff or a small town, in English or Spanish. You can call or text. Gregory S. Hach reviews what you send as the initial attorney reviewer. If another law firm may be able to help, you are asked first.
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A quick reality check
This page cannot decide fault, medical cause, insurance coverage, legal deadlines, case value or whether you have a claim. Those questions depend on the complete facts, records, state law and a licensed attorney's review.
Last updated
We opened every Arizona agency page linked here on this date and rewrote anything that had changed.
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