12 Resources for Accident Victims in Arizona

12 Resources for Accident Victims in Arizona

Arizona funds public programs and nonprofit services that cover medical care, household bills, insurance disputes and workplace injuries after an accident.

Key Takeaways

• Many resources for accident victims in Arizona can provide help with medical care, financial needs, insurance issues and other challenges that may arise after an accident.
• 211 Arizona is one starting point for financial assistance after a car accident because it screens callers for local rent and utility programs in your own county.
• The Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions offers car accident help with coverage questions and takes complaints against insurers, but it won't decide who caused your crash.
• The Arizona Crime Victim Compensation Program only applies when a crime caused your injuries, and it pays after your health insurance and auto coverage do.
• If you were hurt on the job, help after an accident comes through the Industrial Commission of Arizona instead of a claim against your employer.

Did you know that there are many resources for accident victims in Arizona? Most personal injury claims take months to settle, but state programs and nonprofit groups may be able to help with medical care and everyday expenses while your claim is still open.

Are There Resources To Help After an Accident in Arizona?

Several Arizona resources can help after an accident. Some handle emergencies or mental health support, while others deal with health coverage, everyday expenses, insurance questions, workplace injuries or accidents that involved a crime.

Emergency and Crisis Help After an Accident

Call 911 if you need police, firefighters or paramedics after an accident. If you or someone with you is having a mental health emergency, call or text 988 instead.

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline answers calls, texts and chats 24 hours a day, and a counselor can stay on the line with you and then connect you with a provider near you. When someone's physical safety is at risk during a mental health crisis, 911 will get help there faster.

Financial Assistance After a Car Accident in Arizona 

If money is tight after your crash, thsome organizations maye able to help while you're waiting on your car accident claim. 

211 Arizona for Financial and Community Assistance

211 Arizona can connect you with local programs for rental assistance, utilities, food, transportation, medical expenses and legal aid. You can dial 2-1-1 from anywhere in the state or search its statewide referral database by ZIP code. This can be a useful first stop when you need more than one kind of financial assistance after a car accident. 

AHCCCS for Medical Coverage

Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System Medical Assistance may provide health coverage if you're between the ages of 19 and 64 and earn at or below 138% of the federal poverty level. You can apply for AHCCCS coverage online through Health-e-Arizona Plus or by calling 1-855-HEA-PLUS. 

If the application feels confusing, more than 150 community partner organizations around the state will sit down and fill it out with you at no cost. 

Arizona DES for Food, Cash and Basic Needs Assistance

The Arizona Department of Economic Security runs Nutrition Assistance, which most people still call “food stamps,” along with a program that pays part of your summer cooling bill. You can apply for its benefit programs online, and your eligibility depends on your household income and size. Even if you earn too much for AHCCCS, you can still qualify for Nutrition Assistance.

Car Accident Help With Insurance Claims in Arizona 

When an insurer drags out your claim, denies it or handles the settlement unfairly, you can file a complaint through the Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions. What DIFI won't do is assign fault for the crash or argue with the company about what your claim is worth.



Help After an Accident That Involved a Crime

There are resources available to you if the other driver broke the law, which in Arizona usually means driving under the influence or leaving the scene of an injury collision.

Arizona Attorney General Crime Victim Resources

The Arizona Attorney General's Crime Victims' Guide walks through what happens from the arrest through sentencing and restitution. It also explains what a victim advocate does. That's someone in the prosecutor's office who tells you when hearings are scheduled and helps you ask the judge to hear from you before the driver is sentenced.

Arizona Crime Victim Compensation Program

The Arizona Crime Victim Compensation Program may reimburse out-of-pocket losses caused directly by a crime, including medical bills, counseling, funeral costs and lost wages.

The Arizona Criminal Justice Commission oversees the compensation program, and the county attorney's office where the crime happened handles the claim. You'll need to report the crime to police within 72 hours and file within two years, unless there's a good reason you couldn't.

MADD Arizona for Drunk and Drugged Driving Crashes

MADD Arizona can assign you a victim advocate at no cost after a drunk or drugged driving crash. That advocate can go with you to court and help you write a victim impact statement, which is the account of how the crash changed your life that a judge reads before sentencing. You don't have to wait for a conviction to ask for MADD's support services.

Legal Help After an Accident in Arizona

Plenty of people put off calling a lawyer because they assume they can't afford one. The State Bar of Arizona Public Service Center lists legal aid organizations that represent Arizonans under certain income limits, and it lets you check whether an attorney holds an active license in this state. The center will provide neutral information rather than recommending a specific law firm.

Mental Health Help After a Serious Accident

Mental Health America offers a free, confidential screening for post-traumatic stress, and it lists serious accidents among the events that can cause it. Trouble sleeping and replaying the crash are common after a serious collision, and they can last long after the physical injuries heal.

The screening gives you a score and suggested next steps, but you won’t receive a diagnosis from it. A lot of people bring the result to the doctor who's already treating their injuries, because doing so is an easier way to start that conversation.

Help After a Workplace Accident in Arizona

Arizona's workers' compensation system may pay your medical costs and part of your lost wages if you were hurt on the job, regardless of whether or not anyone was at fault. You file a Worker's Report of Injury with the Industrial Commission of Arizona within one year of the date you were hurt, and the commission holds a hearing if the insurance carrier turns your claim down.

Your employer has separate deadlines with ADOSH, the commission's safety division. Employers have to report a workplace fatality within eight hours and report a hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye within 24 hours. And if another driver hit you while you were working, you may have an injury claim against that driver on top of your workers' comp claim.

Sargon Law Group Is a Resource for Accident Victims in Arizona

Agencies and nonprofits can help with your bills, your insurance coverage and your recovery, but they don't determine whether you may have a personal injury claim. Sargon Law Group can help you understand your legal options if someone else's negligence caused your injuries.

We represent injured people in Arizona, California and Colorado. If you're weighing when to hire a lawyer while you sort through the other resources for accident victims in Arizona, contact Sargon Law Group to schedule a free consultation.