What to Do After Being Hit While Walking in Arizona
Pedestrians are blamed for their own injuries more often than any other group of road users. In Arizona, being partly at fault reduces a claim rather than ending it — and drivers owe duties that apply wherever you were crossing.
Immediately afterward
Get emergency care and let the record reflect every symptom, including the ones that seem minor next to an obvious injury. Ask that police attend and take a report. If you can, note the vehicle, the direction of travel, the light and traffic conditions, and anyone who stopped.
Not in a crosswalk? You can still recover
Crossing outside a crosswalk may put a share of fault on you, but Arizona's pure comparative rule reduces recovery by that share instead of barring it. Drivers still owe a duty of due care toward anyone on the roadway, and the failure to keep a proper lookout is negligence regardless of where you were.
If the driver left, or had no insurance
A hit-and-run is usually pursued as an uninsured motorist claim on your own policy — and that coverage can apply even though you were on foot. Household policies are worth reviewing, not only your own, and prompt reporting to police and to the insurer generally matters to preserving it.
Deadlines and what can be recovered
Two years for most claims; 180 days for a notice of claim where a city bus, a government vehicle, or a dangerous public roadway is involved. Arizona places no cap on injury or death damages, which matters here because pedestrian injuries are so often catastrophic.
Frequently asked questions
I was jaywalking. Can I still bring a claim in Arizona?
Usually yes. It may assign you a share of fault, which reduces recovery under pure comparative negligence, but it does not end the claim.
The driver drove off. What can I do?
Report it to police immediately and notify your own insurer — a hit-and-run is generally handled as an uninsured motorist claim, and that coverage can reach pedestrians.
This article is general information about Arizona injury law, not legal advice. Every case is different — talk to a lawyer about your situation.
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