According to 12 News, five people were hospitalized after a two-car crash in west Phoenix. The collision was reported near 59th Avenue and Thomas Road at around 9 p.m. No further details about the vehicles, the people involved, or the cause have been reported.
When several people are hurt in a two-vehicle collision, Arizona law treats each injured person as having a separate claim, including passengers, who are almost never at fault for anything. Fault is divided by percentage under A.R.S. § 12-2505, the state's pure comparative fault rule; a person found partly responsible can still recover damages, reduced by that person's share. That rule matters most when investigators have not yet determined how a collision happened and both drivers dispute it. Most injury claims must be filed within two years under A.R.S. § 12-542, and if a government entity or employee is involved, a written notice of claim is due within 180 days under A.R.S. § 12-821.01. The practical problem in multi-victim collisions is money: one policy often has to cover several serious injuries, so identifying every available source of coverage, including underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy, usually decides what a claim is actually worth.
Fault is a percentage in Arizona, not a yes or no
A.R.S. § 12-2505 sets out pure comparative fault. A jury assigns each party a share of responsibility, and an injured person's award is reduced by that person's own share. There is no cutoff; someone found 60 percent at fault can still recover 40 percent of the damages. This has two practical consequences after a two-car collision.
First, an insurer's early statement that its driver was not responsible is an opening position, not a finding. Fault is determined by evidence: the police investigation, physical damage, scene measurements, traffic signal data, and independent witnesses.
Second, insurers routinely try to shift a percentage onto the injured person by suggesting speed, distraction, or a missed seat belt. Recorded statements given in the first days after a collision are the raw material for that argument. You are required to cooperate with your own insurer under your policy; you are not required to give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurer.
The deadlines that quietly end claims
Two years from the date of injury is the general deadline for personal injury claims in Arizona under A.R.S. § 12-542. Miss it and the claim is gone regardless of how strong it was.
A much shorter deadline applies if a public entity or public employee is involved, such as a city, county, or state vehicle, or a public agency alleged to have contributed to a hazard. A.R.S. § 12-821.01 requires a written notice of claim served on the correct public officials within 180 days of when the claim accrues, and it must state a specific settlement amount and the facts supporting it. That notice is technical, and defects in it are a common reason claims against government defendants are dismissed.
Claims involving a minor, or a person who died, have their own timing and standing rules under A.R.S. § 12-611 to A.R.S. § 12-613 and A.R.S. § 14-3110. If any of those apply, get the timeline confirmed early rather than assuming the two-year rule covers it.
Practical steps in the first weeks
- Request the collision report from the investigating agency once it is released, and check that your name and the vehicle you were in are recorded correctly.
- Follow the discharge instructions and go to every follow-up appointment. Gaps in treatment are used to argue that an injury resolved or was never serious.
- Notify your own auto insurer promptly. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on your policy, or on a resident relative's policy, is often the only realistic source of full compensation when several people are injured by one at-fault policy.
- Photograph visible injuries as they change, and keep every bill, out-of-pocket receipt, and record of missed work.
- Do not post about the collision or your recovery on social media. Those posts are routinely obtained and used against injured people.
- Preserve the vehicle, or at least photograph it thoroughly, before it is repaired or sold for salvage. Damage patterns are evidence about speed and impact direction.
If you or a family member was injured in a collision in the Valley, our Phoenix car accident attorneys can explain what deadlines apply to your situation and what coverage may be available.