PHOENIX — An Arizona couple says they’re fighting on two fronts: helping their teenage daughter recover from a devastating head-on collision, and battling a set of startling legal and financial demands from other families involved in that same crash.

Now, months after the wreck on a rural highway west of Maricopa, the parents are urging state lawmakers to close what they call a painful gap in victims’ rights.

Nathan and Debi McDaniel still replay the afternoon of February 8, 2025, when their daughter, Ruth, was hit on State Route 238 near mile marker 41. They say the scene is etched permanently into their memories.

“I've never experienced anything like that before,” Debi recalled. “There were children screaming and crying from the other vehicle.”

Ruth was found drifting in and out of

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