Tempe Personal Injury Lawyer

Personal Injury Lawyer in Tempe, Arizona, After a Crash or Fall

If you were hurt in Tempe, a personal injury lawyer can explain your legal rights, handle the insurance company, and tell you what deadlines apply. Tempe mixes ASU foot traffic, bike lanes, light rail, and four major freeways in a small footprint, and each of those settings creates its own kind of injury claim. Most Arizona injury claims must be filed within two years (A.R.S. 12-542).

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A downtown Phoenix street canyon at midday, light rail tracks in the pavement, pedestrians far away as small figures

Filing deadline: 2 years from the injury; A.R.S. 12-542(1)
Bars and restaurants: A licensee can be liable for selling to an obviously intoxicated person or a person under 21; A.R.S. 4-311
Bicycle helmets: No statewide law; Some local ordinances for minors

The Tempe Town Lake area with a long bridge and the Mill Avenue area skyline, golden hour

A Personal Injury Lawyer in Tempe Sees a Different Mix of Cases

Tempe is small by area but busy by any measure. Arizona State University draws tens of thousands of students, staff, and visitors every day. Mill Avenue and the streets around Tempe Town Lake are full of walkers, cyclists, and scooter riders. Light rail and the Tempe Streetcar share the road with cars, and the Loop 101, Loop 202, US-60, and I-10 freeways all pass through or beside the city. That combination produces more pedestrian, bicycle, and rideshare cases than you might see in a quieter suburb.

Valley Accident Law is a Scottsdale firm, not a Tempe office, and our attorney is a short trip from most of Tempe, about 7.7 miles by road from downtown. If you are searching for a Tempe injury law firm, we are a personal injury law firm that serves Tempe from Scottsdale, and we start by phone. If you are looking for a personal injury attorney in Tempe, what you want is someone who explains your legal rights clearly, answers your calls, and tells you the truth about the insurance company's likely approach. That is how we work.

Common Injury Situations in Tempe

These are the kinds of situations that come up most often for people hurt in and around Tempe, and an accident lawyer in Tempe starts by asking which one fits.

Pedestrians and cyclists near campus and Mill Avenue: Crosswalks around ASU and Mill Avenue see heavy foot and bike traffic. A turning driver who does not look for a person crossing, or a driver who opens a door into a bike lane, can cause serious injuries. See our pages on pedestrian accidents and bicycle accidents.
Rideshare crashes: Tempe's nightlife and campus mean a lot of Uber and Lyft rides. Insurance rules change depending on whether the app was off, on, or carrying a passenger, and our rideshare accident page explains how.
Freeway crashes at the interchanges: Where Loop 101 meets Loop 202 and US-60, and where I-10 and US-60 part ways, drivers merge across several lanes in a short distance. Lane changes at speed and sudden slowdowns cause serious rear-end and sideswipe crashes. A car accident lawyer in Tempe looks at the crash report, vehicle damage, and any camera footage to work out who moved into whose lane.
Collisions involving trucks: Commercial trucks use I-10 and the Loop 202 to move freight through the Valley. A truck accident lawyer in Tempe looks at driver logs, maintenance records, and the carrier's practices, which are not available from a regular passenger-car crash.
Injuries connected to alcohol service: A bar or restaurant that sells to an obviously intoxicated person or someone under 21 may be liable if the sale was a proximate cause of the injury (A.R.S. 4-311). An intoxicated adult cannot sue for their own injuries, so these claims depend on the facts.

Arizona

Tempe Roads and Places That Matter to Your Claim

A claim often turns on where something happened. Knowing the setting helps us look for the right evidence, such as camera footage, witnesses, and the agency that holds the report.

Mill Avenue and Tempe Town Lake
A dense mix of pedestrians, cyclists, scooters, and drivers, especially on evenings and event days.
Rio Salado Parkway and Apache Boulevard
Roads shared with the light rail and Tempe Streetcar, where turning drivers and pedestrians can conflict.
Loop 101 (Price Freeway) and Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway)
Heavy commuter freeways. Loop 101 becomes the Price Freeway where it meets Loop 202, and lanes merge across the interchanges.
I-10 and US-60
High-speed corridors that carry both commuters and commercial trucks.
Tempe Police Department
Usually writes the crash report for crashes on Tempe city streets. Ask the responding officer for the report number.
Arizona State University campus
A large concentration of crosswalks, bike lanes, and pedestrian crossings, so ask the responding officer which agency wrote the report if the incident happened on campus property.

How Fault Gets Argued in Tempe Cases

Arizona uses pure comparative fault, so you may recover even if you share some of the blame, with your compensation reduced by your percentage (A.R.S. 12-2505). Insurance companies and attorneys often negotiate the percentage of fault, and in a college-town setting the arguments tend to follow a pattern.

What insurers often argue

The pedestrian or cyclist was not in the crosswalk or bike lane.
The rider was distracted by a phone or headphones.
The injured person was not wearing a helmet or reflective gear.
The injured person was already hurt before the crash.

What evidence can help answer

Nearby business and campus cameras, if they have not been overwritten.
Witness names and phone numbers from the scene.
Medical records from the first visit, which show when symptoms began.
Photos taken, if safely possible, before any vehicle is moved.

Pages That Match Common Tempe Cases

Each of these pages is written for Tempe. Start with the one that matches how you were hurt, and an injury lawyer in Tempe can explain the rest.

Step by step

What to Do After an Injury in Tempe

The first days matter. These steps work for almost every kind of Tempe injury.

A downtown Mesa street with low brick buildings, wide sidewalks, light rail stop, midday

1
Get checked by a doctor.
Level I trauma centers serve the whole Valley, including Valleywise Health, Banner University Medical Center Phoenix, HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn, and St. Joseph's Hospital. The Level I centers closest to Tempe are Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa and Chandler Regional Medical Center in Chandler, and HonorHealth Tempe Medical Center on South Mill Avenue has an emergency department. For less serious injuries, urgent care or your own doctor is fine. Many injuries show no or seemingly minor symptoms at first.
2
Report it to Tempe Police.
If you believe you were not at fault, make sure you explain this to the officer. Ask for the report number.
3
Photograph what you can.
If safely possible, before any vehicle is moved, take photos of vehicles, signals, crosswalks, and skid marks.
4
Be cautious with insurance calls.
You are not required to agree to a recorded statement with the other side's insurer. An early comment about how you feel can injure your legal rights.
5
Call us.
We will explain your legal rights and the deadlines that may apply to your situation.

Downtown Phoenix skyline at blue hour from a parking structure, mid-rise towers, no readable building names

Hit-and-Run Crashes and Where Tempe Cases Are Heard

A driver who leaves the scene of a crash with injuries is committing a serious offense. Arizona requires a driver to stop, identify themselves, and render aid, and leaving the scene of an injury or fatal crash is a felony (A.R.S. 28-661, 28-663). If the driver is never found, your own uninsured motorist coverage may still help, and we will go over your policy with you.

If a claim does not settle, an injury lawsuit is filed in Maricopa County Superior Court, which hears cases countywide, with the downtown Phoenix courthouse and regional courthouses. Smaller disputes, such as property damage claims up to $5,000, go to small claims, and justice court handles claims up to $10,000 (A.R.S. 22-503, 22-201). Each case is different, so call us for a plain-language answer about where yours would go.

Camelback Mountain seen across a wide Phoenix-area arterial road with cars waiting at a red light

If a City or Government Vehicle Was Involved

A notice of claim against a public entity generally must be filed within 180 days after the claim accrues (A.R.S. 12-821.01), and a lawsuit generally must follow within one year after accrual (A.R.S. 12-821). These rules have exceptions, so call us and we will explain how they apply to you. For more, read our guide to the Arizona statute of limitations.

Other cities we serve

Questions

Questions about Tempe personal injury cases

Do you have an office in Tempe?

No. Our office is in Scottsdale at 5635 N Scottsdale Rd, Suite 170, Scottsdale, AZ 85250. We help people hurt in Tempe and across the Phoenix metro.

I was a student hit by a car near campus. Can I make a claim?

Yes, being a student does not change your rights. A driver who fails to yield or drives carelessly may be responsible, and we will explain your options.

What if I was riding a scooter or a bike without a helmet?

Arizona has no statewide bicycle helmet law, and fault is decided on the facts. Insurers often raise it anyway, so we help you respond.

Can a bar be responsible if a drunk driver hurt me?

Sometimes. A bar or restaurant may be liable if it sold to an obviously intoxicated person or a person under 21 and the sale was a proximate cause (A.R.S. 4-311). We review the facts of each case.

Do I need an auto accident attorney in Tempe if the crash happened on a freeway?

It can help. Freeway crashes often involve several vehicles and more than one insurer, and the Arizona Department of Public Safety may hold the report. We can explain who to contact and what to ask for.

How much does it cost to talk with you?

You pay no attorney fee unless we recover money for you. Request a free case review and we will explain how costs are handled.

Free case review

Let Us Explain Your Legal Rights After a Tempe Injury

Call (602) 584-8054 or request your free case review. Our experienced and friendly attorney will explain your legal rights and what to do next. The earlier you call, the better, but it's never too late to find out your legal rights.

(602) 584-8054

Call any time. Office visits Monday to Friday, 9 to 5.