Tempe Car Accident Lawyer
Tempe packs a major university, a nightlife district, a street-level light rail line and one of the most congested stretches of freeway in Arizona into a small footprint. The result is a city where an unusually large share of serious crashes involve someone who was not in a car at all. If another driver hurt you, we handle Tempe car accident claims so you can concentrate on recovering.
The Broadway Curve and the freeways
I-10 bends through Tempe at the Broadway Curve, one of the busiest and most congested stretches of freeway in the state, where I-10 and US-60 traffic converge. US-60, the Superstition Freeway, runs east-west across the south of the city, the Loop 101 forms the eastern edge, and SR-143 runs up the west side toward the airport. Congestion-driven collisions dominate here — rear-end chains and lane-change crashes in stop-and-go traffic rather than high-speed single impacts.
The university, Mill Avenue, and everyone not in a car
The main university campus puts a dense population of people on foot, on bicycles and on e-scooters into the streets around Apache Boulevard, University Drive, Rural Road and Mill Avenue. The Mill Avenue bar and restaurant district adds late-night foot traffic and impaired drivers to the same blocks. A Tempe crash is far more likely than most to involve a pedestrian, a cyclist or a scooter rider — and those claims turn on different evidence than a two-car collision does.
Light rail running in the street
The light rail runs at street level along Apache Boulevard and through the Mill Avenue area, sharing intersections with cars, turning traffic and pedestrians. A collision involving a train, or caused by one, brings a public transit operator into the claim. That changes the deadline as well as the defendant, because a much shorter notice period applies before you can sue a government entity.
Arizona deadlines and where a Tempe claim is filed
Injury cases here are generally handled through the Maricopa County Superior Court. Arizona generally gives you two years to file, but a much shorter notice deadline — often about 180 days — applies before you can sue a government entity, which is a live issue in Tempe given the transit and university presence. Arizona follows a pure comparative-fault rule, so being partly at fault reduces what you recover rather than barring it.
After a crash in Tempe: reporting and care
The Arizona Department of Public Safety generally handles crashes on I-10, US-60 and the Loop 101, while the Tempe Police Department covers city streets, and campus incidents may involve university police as well. Get an official report whichever agency responds. Tempe and neighboring Mesa have hospital and trauma resources for serious injuries, and prompt care both protects your health and documents the crash while the record is contemporaneous.
How we help injured Tempe drivers, riders and pedestrians
We handle the report, the records, the video and the insurers, and build a claim that reflects your injuries — while Arizona deadlines keep running. Our office is a short drive southeast in Gilbert. The review is free and confidential. Se habla español.
Frequently asked questions
I was hit on an e-scooter near campus. Is that still a car accident claim?
If a driver caused it, yes — the claim runs against that driver and their insurer much as it would if you had been in a car. What differs is the evidence. Scooter app records, the rental terms, helmet and lighting questions, and any argument about where you were riding all tend to come up in a way they would not otherwise.
The light rail was involved. Does that change my deadline?
It can, significantly. Bringing a claim against a public transit operator generally requires a written notice well before the ordinary filing deadline — often about 180 days. If a train or transit vehicle was involved in any way, treat the timeline as short until it is confirmed.
How long do I have to file a car accident claim in Tempe?
Arizona generally allows two years, but the deadline is much shorter — often about 180 days — when a government entity is involved. Given how much of Tempe traffic touches transit and public property, confirm your deadline right away.
Hurt in Tempe? Find out where you stand.
A quick, confidential review — about two minutes, no cost, no obligation.
This is general information about Arizona injury claims, not legal advice. Every case is different.