Tempe Car Accident Lawyer
Car Accident Injury Claims in Tempe: A Car Accident Lawyer on Your Side
A car accident lawyer in Tempe can work out who was at fault, deal with the insurance companies and tell you which deadlines apply, usually 2 years from the injury for a claim against another driver (A.R.S. 12-542(1)). Tempe drivers crash where Loop 101, Loop 202, US 60 and I-10 run through and beside the city, and on the busy surface streets around the ASU campus, Mill Avenue and Tempe Town Lake. We start by phone, and your first call is a free case review.
- Filing deadline
- 2 years from the injury
- A.R.S. 12-542(1)
- Fault rule
- Pure comparative fault, no percentage bar
- A.R.S. 12-2505
- Minimum liability insurance
- $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident / $15,000 property
- A.R.S. 28-4009
Where Car Crashes Happen in Tempe
Tempe covers about 40 square miles and had 180,587 residents at the 2020 census, and ASU's Tempe campus alone enrolled more than 55,500 students in fall 2025. Traffic reaches the city from every direction. Interstate 10, the Maricopa Freeway, and U.S. 60, the Superstition Freeway, part ways inside Tempe. Loop 202, the Red Mountain Freeway, follows the north bank of the Salt River, and Loop 101 turns into the Price Freeway where it meets Loop 202 and then runs south to US 60. The I-10 Broadway Curve in Tempe was estimated to carry 294,000 vehicles a day in a 2006 estimate, on a stretch described as 16 to 20 lanes wide.
Off the freeways, the city names its own trouble spots. Tempe became the first Arizona city recognized as a Vision Zero city in 2018, and it picks safety corridors for stricter enforcement by looking at three years of serious and fatal crash locations. Recent corridors have included Rural Road, University Drive, McClintock Drive, Elliot Road, 48th Street, Baseline Road and Warner Road. Tempe had 24 traffic fatalities in 2023, with 18 of those crashes attributed to excessive speeding (AZ Family, 2023 data). If your crash happened on one of those streets, tell us, because how the city has studied that stretch of road can matter to your claim.
Arizona
Tempe Roads, Hospitals and Shopping Centers Tied to Car Crash Claims
A car wreck lawyer in Tempe starts with exactly where the crash happened, because that tells us which agency wrote the report, which cameras may have recorded it and which hospital treated you. These are the places that come up most for Tempe car crashes.
Baseline Road
A 3.9 mile corridor that received a $12 million U.S. DOT grant for safety work. AZ Family reported 35 serious or fatal crashes there in recent years (September 2024), including 8 left-turn collisions and 6 angle crashes, and a city engineer said three lanes each way encourage speeding.
McClintock Drive, Rural Road and University Drive
All three have been named Tempe safety corridors with stricter enforcement. Rural Road from 6th Street to Playa del Norte and University Drive from 52nd Street to Hardy Drive were on the early 2024 list.
Loop 101 and Loop 202 interchange near Tempe Marketplace
Tempe Marketplace, with more than 100 shops and a 16 screen cineplex, sits near this interchange, so freeway traffic and shoppers turning into parking lots share the same ramps.
Arizona Mills at US 60 and I-10
A single-level mall at the southeast corner of US 60 and I-10 with about 6,000 free parking spaces. Crashes in the lot and at its entrances are a different setting from a street crash, and we look at who owns the lot and who has cameras.
HonorHealth Tempe Medical Center, 1500 S. Mill Ave
A 74 bed hospital with an emergency department. The state's designated trauma center list dated December 2025 shows no trauma center with a Tempe address.
Banner Desert Medical Center (Mesa) and Chandler Regional Medical Center
The two Level I trauma centers closest to Tempe, at 1400 S. Dobson Rd in Mesa and 1955 W. Frye Rd in Chandler.
What a Car Accident Lawyer in Tempe Wants You to Do After a Street or Freeway Crash
These steps apply whether you were stopped at a light on Rural Road or in traffic on the Price Freeway.
- 1
Call 911 and get checked out.
Arizona law requires a driver in a crash that causes injury or death to give notice immediately to local police, the county sheriff or the highway patrol (A.R.S. 28-666). Many injuries show no or seemingly minor symptoms at first, so tell the responders and the doctor about every ache.
- 2
Tell the officer what happened.
If you believe you were not at fault, make sure you explain this to the officer, and ask for the report number before you leave.
- 3
Photograph the scene.
If safely possible, before any vehicle is moved, take photos of the vehicles, the lane markings, signals, skid marks and any damage to the road.
- 4
Be careful with the other side's insurer.
You do not have to agree to a recorded statement, and an early comment about how you feel can injure your legal rights. Send the adjuster to us.
- 5
Call us before you sign anything.
We will explain your legal rights and the deadlines that may apply to your situation. You can reach us any time by phone at (602) 584-8054.
How a Tempe Rear End Accident Lawyer Answers the Usual Fault Arguments
Rear-end crashes are common in stop-and-go traffic on University Drive, Rural Road and the freeway ramps. Arizona law says a driver shall not follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent, with due regard for speed, traffic and road conditions (A.R.S. 28-730). Insurance companies and attorneys often negotiate the percentage of fault anyway, and a lower percentage on the other driver means a lower payment to you.
What the other insurer may say
- You stopped suddenly or your brake lights were not working.
- You were also looking at your phone.
- Your pain started before the crash.
- Your car was barely damaged, so you cannot be badly hurt.
What can answer it
- Photos of both vehicles and the following distance before impact, if safely possible.
- Footage from nearby businesses or traffic cameras, before it is overwritten.
- Medical records from your first visit, which show when symptoms began.
- Repair estimates and photos of the damage, since a small dent does not rule out a real injury.
If a Drunk Driver Caused Your Crash
Arizona makes it unlawful to drive impaired to the slightest degree, or with an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more within two hours of driving (A.R.S. 28-1381). A drunk driving accident lawyer in Tempe also asks where the driver was drinking. A bar or restaurant may be liable if it sold to an obviously intoxicated person or a person under 21, the person consumed the alcohol, and that consumption was a proximate cause of the injury (A.R.S. 4-311). You likely have only one year from the crash to bring that claim against the establishment, compared with generally two years against the driver, so call immediately. If the drunk driver was an adult who hurt only themselves, the law is different, so these cases depend on the facts.
Crash Reports and Records for a Tempe Car Accident
A car accident attorney in Tempe asks for these records first, and collecting the right paper early makes every later conversation with an insurer easier.
- Tempe Police Department report
Tempe Police usually writes the report for crashes on Tempe city streets. Ask the responding officer for the report number, then see our guide to getting a police report in Arizona.
- Arizona Department of Public Safety report
For a crash on a freeway, the Arizona Department of Public Safety may hold the report. DPS is headquartered at 2222 W. Encanto Blvd. in Phoenix, and its website has a Citizen's Report Of A Collision link and a Records Request service.
- Your own policy
If the other driver had no insurance or too little, your uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may apply, and written notice to your own insurer is due within 3 years (A.R.S. 12-555). Read about Arizona insurance minimums to see how little a minimum policy pays.
- Camera footage and witnesses
Businesses along Mill Avenue, University Drive and the shopping centers keep video for a limited time. Get witness names and phone numbers at the scene if you can.
Where a Tempe Car Accident Case Is Heard and How Far We Are
If a claim does not settle, an injury lawsuit is filed in Maricopa County Superior Court, which has a Central Court Building at 201 W. Jefferson in Phoenix and a Southeast location at 222 E. Javelina Ave. in Mesa. Which location a case lands in follows the court's assignment rules, and we confirm that when we file. Smaller property damage disputes go to small claims, up to $5,000, or justice court, up to $10,000 (A.R.S. 22-503, 22-201), and the county's University Lakes and Kyrene justice courts sit at 201 E. Chicago Street in Chandler. An auto accident lawyer in Tempe can tell you which of those courts fits your claim, and our guide to Maricopa County courts explains the difference.
Our office is at 5635 N Scottsdale Rd, Suite 170, Scottsdale, AZ 85250, about 7.7 miles by road from downtown Tempe, and most people never need to come in at first because we start by phone. Call any time. Office visits Monday to Friday, 9 to 5. If you were hurt just across a city line, we also handle claims for car accident victims in Mesa, Chandler and Scottsdale. For the statewide rules, read our guide from an Arizona car accident lawyer, and for the city overview see our personal injury lawyer in Tempe page.
Other Tempe Injury Claims We Handle
A car crash is one of several ways people are hurt in Tempe.
Related pages
Types of car accident claims
Questions
Questions about Tempe car accident cases
Which police department writes the report after a crash in Tempe?
Tempe Police usually writes the report for crashes on Tempe city streets, and the Arizona Department of Public Safety may hold the report for a freeway crash. Ask the officer at the scene for the report number and which agency to contact.
Where would a lawsuit over my Tempe crash be filed?
An injury lawsuit is filed in Maricopa County Superior Court. The court has locations in downtown Phoenix and in Mesa, and the assignment rules decide where a case is heard. We confirm that when we file.
Is there a trauma center in Tempe?
The state's designated trauma center list dated December 2025 shows none with a Tempe address. HonorHealth Tempe Medical Center on South Mill Avenue has an emergency department, and the closest Level I trauma centers are Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa and Chandler Regional Medical Center in Chandler. Emergency crews decide where a seriously hurt person goes.
What if a city of Tempe vehicle hit me?
A notice of claim against a public entity generally must be filed within 180 days after the claim accrues, with a lawsuit generally following within one year (A.R.S. 12-821.01, 12-821). These rules have exceptions, so call us and we will explain how they apply to you.
Can I still recover if I was partly at fault?
Often yes. Arizona uses pure comparative fault with no percentage bar, so your compensation is reduced by your share of the blame instead of being cut off (A.R.S. 12-2505). Insurers often negotiate that percentage, which is why the evidence matters.
Do you have an office in Tempe?
No. Our office is in Scottsdale, about 7.7 miles by road from downtown Tempe. We help people hurt in Tempe and across the Phoenix metro, and we begin with a phone call. You pay no attorney fee unless we recover money for you.
Free case review
Talk With Us About Your Tempe Car Crash
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.
Call any time. Office visits Monday to Friday, 9 to 5.
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