The I-10 between Phoenix and Tucson looks easy on a map. Flat, straight, wide. Then a dust storm rolls off the fields near Picacho Peak and everyone's driving blind. If a truck hit you on that stretch, or anywhere else in Arizona, this is what you need to know about timing.
The truck accident statute of limitations in Arizona appears to be 2 years from the date of the crash (A.R.S. § 12-542). Wrongful death generally runs 2 years from the date of death. If a government vehicle or entity was involved, formal written notice is generally required first, on its own clock: 180 days. The evidence clock is shorter than all of them.
How current these numbers are
A licensed attorney checked these Arizona figures against the cited statutes on 2026-09-20. Statutes still change (Florida cut its injury period in half in 2023; Louisiana doubled its own in 2024), so confirm with an Arizona lawyer before you rely on them.
What makes Arizona different
Arizona pairs a short 180-day notice of claim with something most states do not: once a public entity is a defendant, the lawsuit itself must be filed within ONE year rather than two. A government-involved truck crash in Arizona effectively runs on half the ordinary clock, and Arizona courts have declined to toll the notice period for minors the way the general statute is tolled.
What driving I-10 is really like
Arizona throws heat and dust at truckers more than snow, though Flagstaff gets plenty of that too. Summer monsoon haboobs can drop visibility to zero on I-10 around Casa Grande and Eloy, and chain-reaction pileups follow. Tires blow out when pavement tops 150 degrees, and you'll see shredded retreads in the lanes all summer. I-17 climbs almost a mile from Phoenix to Flagstaff, with runaway ramps on the descent and a lot of weekend cars that don't know how to drive near a truck on a grade. I-40 across the north is transcontinental through-traffic, and I-19 out of Nogales runs heavy with Mexican produce loads in winter, many hauled by carriers based across the border.
Arizona is a border and through-traffic state. Produce and manufactured goods cross at Nogales and Douglas onto I-19 and I-10, while I-40 carries transcontinental freight that never stops in Arizona at all — which makes the responsible carrier hard to reach once it has left. Crashes pile up on I-10 (Phoenix–Tucson–New Mexico), I-40 (Kingman–Flagstaff–Holbrook), I-17 between Phoenix and Flagstaff, I-8 toward Yuma and I-19 to the Nogales port of entry.
Picture this on I-19
Say you're driving a reefer north on I-19 out of Nogales at 4 a.m., loaded with tomatoes from Sinaloa. A City of Tucson box truck rolls through a merge near Green Valley and takes out your steer axle. You're hurt, your load is a loss, and you figure there's plenty of time because a buddy at the truck stop said so. But if a public entity is involved, the notice rules in the table below apply, and they are nothing like the ordinary deadline. Finding out who owned that box truck is the first job, not the last.
The four Arizona deadlines that matter
| Deadline | Period | Runs from | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal injury lawsuit | 2 years | the date of the crash | A.R.S. § 12-542 |
| Wrongful death claim | 2 years | the date of death | A.R.S. § 12-542; § 12-611 |
| Notice — state entity | 180 days | the date of the crash | A.R.S. § 12-821.01 |
| Notice — city, county or district | 180 days | the date of the crash | A.R.S. § 12-821.01 |
If a government vehicle was involved in Arizona
Shortest government notice window found for Arizona: 180 days (A.R.S. § 12-821.01). It comes due long before the ordinary deadline, it's a precondition to suing, and missing it usually bars the claim entirely. Suit against a public entity must then be filed within one year of accrual under A.R.S. § 12-821 — half the ordinary period. The same 180-day notice of claim applies to cities, counties and school districts.
Public fleets you could realistically be hit by here: ADOT plow and maintenance trucks, Maricopa County equipment, City of Phoenix and City of Tucson fleets, Valley Metro, and tribal government vehicles. Not sure the vehicle was one of these? Work to the shorter deadline until someone confirms otherwise.
If the injured person was a minor
Tolled to age 18 in Arizona under A.R.S. § 12-502. The clock generally doesn't start until the injured person turns 18. Arizona courts have held the public-entity notice of claim is not tolled the same way. Treat a government claim as urgent regardless of age. That pause covers the court deadline, not the evidence: a carrier may destroy a driver's logs six months after the crash no matter the injured person's age, and in many states a government notice deadline isn't tolled for a child either.
When the Arizona clock starts
Applies. Arizona's clock runs when the plaintiff knows or reasonably should know of the injury and its cause.
Your Arizona dates, calculated
Enter your crash date. Arizona is preselected, and nothing you type is sent anywhere.
The evidence clock runs faster than 2 years
- Dashcam and telematics video: often 30 days or less (No federal retention requirement — vendor and carrier policy only).
- ECM / black box data: overwritten as the tractor runs; often lost on repair or resale.
- Driver logs: six months (49 CFR § 395.8(k)(1)).
- Maintenance records: one year while the vehicle is in the carrier's control (49 CFR § 396.3(c)).
- Annual inspection report: 14 months (49 CFR § 396.21(b)(1)).
Until a written preservation letter reaches the carrier, destroying records at the end of a retention period is routine and lawful. The FMCSA regulations and evidence guide explains each record.
Three things to do now in Arizona
- Request the crash report from the Arizona Department of Public Safety if it happened on an interstate. City crashes in Phoenix or Tucson go through local police.
- If a dust storm was involved, note the time and exact milepost. National Weather Service dust warnings and ADOT message-board records can show what drivers were told.
- Cross-border carriers from Sonora often run under a separate USDOT number and insurance. Photograph the door decals and any Mexican plates before the rig is moved.
Fault rules and damages caps are covered on the Arizona truck accident lawyer page.
Crashed near the Arizona line?
A crash a few miles over a border can fall under a different deadline. If you're not sure which state you were in, check both.
| State | Injury deadline | Wrongful death |
|---|---|---|
| California | 2 years | 2 years |
| Nevada | 2 years | 2 years |
| Utah | 4 years | 2 years |
| New Mexico | 3 years | 3 years |
Compare any state with the filing deadline calculator, or see the full state index.
Next steps
- Get a preservation letter to the carrier. It's the most time-critical step.
- Confirm whether a government entity was involved. If so, your 2 years deadline may give way to 180 days.
- Don't give a recorded statement to the trucking company's insurer.
- Get the Arizona crash report; it names the carrier, DOT number and insurer.
- Have a lawyer licensed in Arizona confirm these dates against the current statute.
Sources
- Hours of Service — records of duty status retention — 49 CFR § 395.8 (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)
- Inspection, Repair, and Maintenance — record retention — 49 CFR Part 396 (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)
- Accident register requirements — 49 CFR § 390.15 (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)
- Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts — Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Federal regulations and crash statistics are updated periodically. Figures cited on this page reflect the referenced publications at the time of writing; check the source for the current edition.