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If you’re involved in a motor vehicle accident in Arizona, the Arizona Crash Report filled out by the investigating police officer is a key piece of evidence in your claim. The insurance company will use this report as part of its determination of fault, and the police officer’s testimony in a deposition or at trial will likely be based on the report.
You need to know what your crash report says – and what to do if it doesn’t match your recollection of events.
Arizona Crash Report
https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/documents/final_crash_report.pdf
Page 1
Sections 1-3 give an overview of the crash, including the date and time, number of vehicles involved, number of injuries and death, location, and overall conditions.
Click here to download a printable PDF version of How to Read Your Arizona Car Accident Report.
Pay attention to the Secondary Collision box in Section 4. If it’s checked, that means your accident was the result of a previous accident, and the driver who caused that accident may also be partially liable for your injuries.
Section 5 describes each “traffic unit” (vehicle or other road user) involved in the crash, including the driver and the vehicle itself.
Section 6 describes any vehicle passengers, including which vehicle (unit) they were seated in, where they were seated, and whether they were injured.
Sections 7 and 8 describe vehicle and non-vehicle property damage, respectively.
Section 9 contains contact information for any witnesses, who may be key to proving a claim.
Section 10 contains citation information – which may help establish fault.
Page 2
Carefully review each marked section on this page. It describes how the accident happened and what types of negligence (such as distracted driving or fatigue) may have contributed to the crash.
The unit numbers used to label columns on this page should match up with the unit numbers on the previous page.
The final section describes the sequence of events – a blow-by-blow of how the accident happened. Take note if what you remember doesn’t match.
Page 3
The officer draws a pictorial diagram of what happened in the crash, including each vehicle’s location and direction of travel.
Pay close attention to the narrative section, as the officer may record details here that aren’t mentioned anywhere else in the report.
