Two clocks
The filing deadline. Arizona generally allows two years from the date of a crash to file most injury claims. Claims involving a city, county, or state entity require a notice of claim within 180 days.
The evidence window. Intersection and business camera footage is commonly overwritten within weeks. Repairs erase vehicle evidence. Witnesses become harder to reach. A lawyer's first-week work — preservation requests, photographs, witness contact — depends on getting started before that window closes.
Signals that it's time
Any injury that required treatment. A recorded-statement request from the other driver's insurer. A fault suggestion from an adjuster. An early settlement offer. An uninsured or underinsured driver. Any of these is a reasonable point to call.
What waiting can cost
Not the right to file — that's protected for two years. What fades is the ability to prove what happened. A claim with preserved evidence and complete records is on firmer ground than one being reconstructed months later.
Where to go from here
The law is covered in our Arizona car accident guide, and there's a full guide on how to choose a car accident lawyer in Phoenix. A free consultation is available any hour — in English or Spanish. (602) 217-0000.