Car Accident Lawyer in Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix recorded 38,210 crashes in 2024. Two hundred ninety-nine were fatal. Three hundred seventy-nine people died. That's more than one person killed on Phoenix roads every day for a year, and Maricopa County accounts for 73 percent of every crash in Arizona.

If you were in a car crash in Phoenix, on I-10, I-17, Loop 101, Loop 202, or one of the wide arterials that carry the city's daily traffic, this page explains what makes Phoenix cases different, which Arizona statutes apply, and what we investigate when we take one.

Call us at (602) 654-0202 or use the intake form. The consultation is free. We don't charge unless we recover for you.

Phoenix Roads Were Built for Throughput, Not Safety

The city's deadliest car crashes don't cluster on the freeways. They cluster on the arterials, seven lanes wide, with continuous turn lanes and half-mile gaps between signals. Roads designed to move cars fast, not to keep people in them alive.

The City of Phoenix knows exactly where. Its Road Safety Action Plan, adopted September 7, 2022, ranks 75th Avenue and Indian School Road the single highest-crash-risk intersection in the city, and 67th Avenue and Indian School Road second. Five of the 20 worst intersections in Phoenix sit on that one road. We documented it in the investigation into Phoenix's deadliest intersections, including the federal grant the city won to fix the corridor and the year construction is scheduled to start.

When a crash happens at an intersection the city already flagged as dangerous, that record matters. It is evidence the hazard was known. We pull it.

The Freeway Network

I-10, I-17, Loop 101, Loop 202, SR-51, and US-60 give Phoenix more freeway miles per capita than most metro areas, and each corridor has its own crash profile. Speeds are higher, truck volume is heavier, and the injuries are more severe. I-10 through the West Valley runs roughly 48 percent commercial truck traffic. When a passenger car at freeway speed gets struck by a truck, the physics are brutal.

Wrong-way and impaired driving make the freeways worse after dark. Maricopa County recorded 3,544 alcohol-related crashes in 2024, 64 percent of the state total. When an impaired driver causes a crash, Arizona's dram shop law may also hold the bar or restaurant that over-served them liable.

Arizona Car Accident Law That Applies in Phoenix

Ron DeBrigida, J.D. reviews this section. These are the statutes that come up in every Phoenix car crash case.

Statute of limitations (ARS 12-542). Two years from the date of the crash to file a personal injury lawsuit. For wrongful death, two years from the date of death under ARS 12-611. If a government road or signal defect contributed, ARS 12-821.01 requires a notice of claim within 180 days of the injury. That 180-day clock is the one people miss.

Pure comparative fault (ARS 12-2505). Arizona doesn't bar recovery if you share some fault. Your compensation gets reduced by your fault percentage. Even at 49 percent fault, you recover 51 percent of your damages. Insurance adjusters are trained to inflate that number. We counter it with crash reconstruction and the ADOT crash report.

Minimum insurance limits (ARS 28-4009). Arizona requires $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident in bodily injury liability, and $15,000 in property damage. Many Phoenix drivers carry the minimum. We check for underinsured motorist coverage on every case and look at all potentially liable parties, including any government entity responsible for road design.

At-fault state. Arizona doesn't use no-fault auto insurance. The at-fault driver's liability policy pays your damages. You don't file with your own carrier first unless the other driver is uninsured or you're seeking collision coverage.

What We Investigate on Phoenix Car Crash Cases

Every case starts with evidence. Here's what we pull on a typical Phoenix car crash.

ADOT crash report and signal data. The Arizona Crash Information System records intersection-level data, including officer-coded contributing factors and crash diagrams. For crashes at signalized arterials or freeway interchanges, we pull the full report and, where available, the city traffic signal timing logs.

Surveillance and traffic camera footage. Businesses along the major arterials and freeway frontage roads run exterior cameras. Gas stations, retail centers, and distribution facilities all have coverage. We send spoliation letters within 24 to 48 hours of intake. Footage overwrites on 30-day cycles.

Commercial vehicle records. If a truck was involved, we pull the carrier's FMCSA safety rating, the driver's qualification file, electronic logging device data, and hours-of-service records. Trucking companies send rapid-response teams to crash scenes within hours. We match that speed.

Road condition and prior-notice documentation. If intersection geometry, signal timing, drainage, or surface defects contributed, we document the condition and check for prior complaints, safety studies, or repair orders on that segment, the kind of record that turns a known hazard into a claim.

Damages in Phoenix Car Crash Cases

Arizona has no cap on compensatory damages in personal injury cases. Economic damages (medical bills, lost wages, future care costs) and non-economic damages (pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress) are evaluated without an arbitrary limit.

What you can recover depends on the severity of your injuries, how the crash affects your ability to work, and the at-fault party's coverage. If the driver was underinsured, we look at your own policy, any employer liability if a commercial vehicle was involved, and any third-party liability from road conditions.

Punitive damages can apply in cases involving reckless or intentional conduct, a drunk driver, or a carrier who knowingly put an unqualified driver on the road. Arizona doesn't cap those either.

What It Costs to Hire Us

Nothing upfront. We handle every Phoenix car crash case on contingency.

You don't pay us unless we recover money for you. No hourly rate. No retainer. Case costs may apply in some circumstances, and we discuss those in the intake call before we start. If we take your case and don't win, you owe us nothing for attorney fees.

Call (602) 654-0202 or use the intake form below. Hablamos espanol.

All Injury Cases in Phoenix

Car crashes are one part of what we handle in Phoenix. See the Phoenix injury law overview for pedestrian, truck, motorcycle, wrongful death, and other case types across Maricopa County. For car accident law statewide, the Arizona car accident overview covers the statutes and crash patterns that apply across the state.