KTAR News reported that southbound State Route 143 reopened after a five-vehicle crash near the Phoenix airport. According to the outlet, the highway was closed at University Drive for more than an hour during the Tuesday morning commute. The report did not describe injuries or state a cause, and no determination of fault has been made public.
When five vehicles collide, Arizona law does not force an injured person to pick a single at-fault driver. Under A.R.S. § 12-2505, the state applies 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, that percentage may be split among several drivers, meaning several insurance policies are potentially available. This matters when one driver's liability limits fall short of the medical bills. It also means each insurer has a financial reason to shift blame onto the others and onto the person making the claim, often before anyone has read the police report. The practical response is to preserve evidence early: scene photographs, vehicle damage from every angle, witness contact information, and a full copy of the investigating agency's report once it is released.
Fault Is Apportioned, Not Assigned to One Driver
A.R.S. § 12-2505 sets Arizona's comparative fault rule, and it has two consequences in a pileup. First, your own share of responsibility reduces your recovery but does not end your claim. There is no cutoff percentage in Arizona; a plaintiff found mostly at fault still recovers the remainder. Second, each defendant is generally responsible for its own percentage rather than for the entire verdict, so identifying every driver who contributed matters financially. A rear-driver who was following too closely, a driver who stopped in a travel lane, and a driver who changed lanes without clearance can all carry a share.
Practically, this means you want the identity and insurer of every vehicle involved, not just the one that struck you. Ask the investigating agency for the full report, including the diagram and any supplemental pages, and request the names of all listed drivers. If a driver left the scene, A.R.S. § 28-661 sets out the duty to stop and remain after a crash involving injury or death, and a violation is relevant evidence.
The Deadlines That Control Your Claim
Most Arizona personal injury claims must be filed in court within two years under A.R.S. § 12-542. Insurance adjusters often keep a file open past that point without telling you the deadline is near; a claim number is not a lawsuit, and settlement talks do not extend the statute.
A shorter clock applies if a public entity or public employee is a potential defendant. A.R.S. § 12-821.01 requires a written notice of claim served within 180 days of when the claim accrues, with a specific sum demanded, before suit can proceed. Because freeway crashes can involve government vehicles, roadway conditions, or on-duty employees, it is worth confirming early whether any party is governmental. Missing the 180-day notice bars the claim even if the two-year deadline is still open.
Steps That Protect a Multi-Vehicle Claim
Get evaluated medically even if you walked away. Adjusters treat gaps between the crash date and the first treatment date as evidence that the injury came from something else, and soft tissue and head injuries frequently present over the following days.
Beyond that: photograph every vehicle and the final rest positions if you are still at the scene; write down what you remember the same day, including the order in which you felt impacts, because impact sequence drives fault analysis in chain-reaction cases; keep every bill, explanation of benefits, and out-of-pocket receipt; and check your own policy for uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage plus medical payments coverage, which can respond when the at-fault drivers' limits are exhausted across several claimants. Give your own insurer the basic facts, but do not give a recorded statement to another driver's insurer before you understand what is being alleged about your share of fault.
If you were involved in this closure or another freeway collision in the area, you can read more about how we handle these claims on our Phoenix car accident practice page.