12 News reported that eastbound US 60 reopened at State Route 74 following a four-vehicle crash. According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the crash resulted in serious injuries. DPS did not tell 12 News how many people were involved. No determination of fault has been reported.
When four vehicles collide, Arizona law does not force an injured person to prove which single driver was responsible. Under A.R.S. § 12-2505, Arizona uses pure comparative fault: a jury assigns each party, including the injured person, a percentage of responsibility, and damages are reduced by that percentage rather than barred outright. Someone found ten percent at fault still recovers ninety percent of proven damages. In a chain-reaction collision, more than one driver is often assigned a share, which means more than one insurance policy may be available. That matters when injuries are serious and a single policy limit will not cover medical care and lost income. Arizona also allows two years from the date of injury to file suit under A.R.S. § 12-542, and that deadline passes quickly when liability is contested among several carriers. Preserving the vehicles, the scene data, and the official report before anything is repaired or discarded protects the ability to prove those percentages later.
Why Multi-Vehicle Crashes Are Different From Two-Car Crashes
In a two-car collision, the insurance fight is usually one carrier against another. With four vehicles, each insurer has an incentive to point at the other three. Adjusters commonly delay payment while they argue about sequence: who struck whom first, who had time to stop, who was following too closely. That delay lands on the injured person, who is the one receiving medical bills.
Three things usually decide the question. First, physical evidence on the vehicles, including crush patterns and paint transfer, which disappears once cars are repaired or sold for salvage. Second, electronic data recorded by modern vehicles, which can show speed and braking in the seconds before impact. Third, the official investigation. An investigating agency's conclusion is not binding on a jury, but it anchors the discussion.
Because A.R.S. § 12-2505 allows fault to be spread across several parties, a claim against only the most obvious driver can leave money on the table. Every vehicle in the sequence should be evaluated, and so should every available policy, including your own underinsured motorist coverage.
What to Do in the First Weeks
Get evaluated, even if you walked away. Serious internal injuries and spine injuries frequently present a day or more later, and a gap in treatment becomes the insurer's main argument that you were not badly hurt.
Request the official crash report once it is available, and keep the claim number for every carrier that contacts you. Write down what you remember while it is fresh, including the order in which you felt impacts; in a four-vehicle crash, that detail carries weight.
Tell your own insurer that you were involved. Do not give a recorded statement to another driver's insurer before you understand your injuries. Early statements get quoted back months later, usually out of context.
Do not let your vehicle be repaired, totaled out, or hauled away until it has been photographed and, if the injuries are severe, inspected. Once it is gone, it is gone. Keep damaged property, including a car seat, a helmet, or a phone.
Deadlines and Legal Duties
The general deadline to file a personal injury lawsuit in Arizona is two years from the date of injury under A.R.S. § 12-542. If a death results, claims are brought under the wrongful death statutes, A.R.S. § 12-611 through A.R.S. § 12-613, and the claim for the losses the person suffered before death survives under A.R.S. § 14-3110.
If a government entity or a public employee turns out to be involved in any way, a written notice of claim must be served within 180 days of when the claim accrues under A.R.S. § 12-821.01, and that shorter window is unforgiving. It is a reason to identify every potentially responsible party early rather than after the fact.
Arizona law also requires drivers involved in a crash resulting in injury to stop and remain at the scene under A.R.S. § 28-661. If a driver leaves, that does not end a claim; your own uninsured motorist coverage may apply.
If you or a family member was hurt in this collision, our Arizona car accident attorneys can explain what your claim is worth and who may be responsible.