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A pedestrian accident can change your life in seconds. When a driver fails to yield, drives distracted, speeds, or operates a vehicle while impaired, a person on foot can suffer serious injuries and face an uncertain recovery.
At Desert Star Law Group, our Phoenix pedestrian accident attorneys help injured people and families pursue accountability and compensation after serious crashes. We investigate the crash, identify potentially responsible parties, preserve available evidence, and handle insurance communications while you focus on treatment and recovery.
You should not have to face medical bills, lost income, and the uncertainty that follows a serious crash alone.
Call (602) 686-9936 for a free consultation with a pedestrian accident lawyer in Phoenix. You pay no attorney’s fees unless we recover compensation for you.
Many pedestrian crashes are preventable and result from a driver’s inattention, traffic-law violation, impaired driving, or unsafe roadway conditions. Drivers have a duty to operate their vehicles with reasonable care, including keeping a proper lookout and responding safely to foreseeable roadway hazards.
Arizona law requires drivers to yield in many crosswalk situations. Under A.R.S. § 28-792, when traffic-control signals are not in place or are not operating, a driver must yield to a pedestrian who is in a crosswalk on the driver’s half of the roadway, or close enough from the other half to be in danger.
That rule can apply to both marked crosswalks and unmarked crosswalks at intersections. A driver may be responsible when they turn through a crosswalk, accelerate through an intersection, or fail to look for a pedestrian before entering the roadway.
A driver does not need to be looking away for long to cause a life-changing crash. Reading a text, entering directions, changing music, eating, or checking a notification can take a driver’s attention from the road at the exact moment a pedestrian enters a crosswalk.
Evidence of distraction may include phone records, vehicle data, traffic-camera footage, surveillance video, and witness testimony. Prompt legal action can help preserve evidence before it is overwritten or lost.
Speed reduces a driver’s time to react and increases the force of impact. A motorist may be liable for speeding, following too closely, making an unsafe turn, racing through a yellow light, or driving too fast for weather, lighting, or traffic conditions.
Busy commercial corridors and major intersections can be especially hazardous when drivers are focused on beating a traffic signal rather than watching for a person crossing the street.
Alcohol, cannabis, prescription medications, and illegal drugs can impair judgment, vision, reaction time, and a driver’s ability to recognize hazards. An impaired driver can be held civilly liable even if criminal charges are pending or were never filed.
In cases involving extreme misconduct, such as impaired driving combined with highly reckless conduct, punitive damages may be available. Arizona requires proof of more than ordinary negligence for punitive damages, often described as conduct showing an “evil mind” or conscious disregard for a substantial risk of harm.
Not every pedestrian collision is solely the driver’s fault. In some cases, a dangerous roadway condition contributed to the crash, including:
Claims involving the City of Phoenix, Maricopa County, the State of Arizona, or another public entity require immediate attention because special notice and filing deadlines may apply.
Pedestrian injuries can affect every part of a person’s life. Some people need emergency surgery and months of rehabilitation. Others face chronic pain, mobility limitations, cognitive symptoms, or trauma that makes it difficult to return to normal routines.
Common injuries include:
A claim may need to account for immediate medical treatment as well as future care, reduced earning capacity, mobility needs, and psychological treatment.
Fault depends on the facts. In many cases, the driver is responsible because they have a legal duty to watch for pedestrians and operate their vehicle safely. But other parties may share responsibility, including a commercial employer, rideshare company, vehicle owner, property owner, contractor, or government entity.
A driver is not automatically at fault merely because a vehicle struck a pedestrian. Liability depends on the evidence, including the location of the crash, traffic signals, visibility, vehicle speed, roadway design, and the actions of everyone involved.
However, drivers have an ongoing duty to exercise reasonable care. They cannot ignore a pedestrian simply because the pedestrian may not have had the right-of-way. Arizona pedestrian law requires a driver to exercise due care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian and to give warning when necessary.
Being partially at fault does not automatically prevent recovery in Arizona. The state follows a pure comparative-negligence system under A.R.S. § 12-2505. Your compensation can be reduced by your percentage of fault, but there is no fault percentage that automatically bars a claim.
For example, a pedestrian may have crossed outside a crosswalk, but the driver may still have been speeding, distracted, impaired, or failed to keep a proper lookout. The evidence may affect how insurers, a judge, or a jury evaluate fault.
If defective infrastructure, inadequate lighting, poor signal timing, or unsafe roadway maintenance contributed to the crash, a public entity may be involved. These cases are different from an ordinary claim against a private driver.
Under A.R.S. § 12-821.01, a claimant generally must serve a notice of claim on the relevant public entity within 180 days. A lawsuit against a public entity or employee is generally subject to a one-year deadline under A.R.S. § 12-821. Missing these deadlines can end a valid claim, so it is important to speak with a pedestrian accident attorney in Maricopa County as soon as possible.
Desert Star Law Group pursues the full range of damages available under Arizona law, which may include:
An early settlement offer may not account for future treatment, missed earnings, or complications that become clearer over time. Before accepting an offer, consider speaking with a Phoenix pedestrian accident attorney about the full scope of your losses.
There is no reliable average settlement that can predict what a pedestrian accident case is worth. The value of a claim depends on factors such as the severity of the injuries, available insurance coverage, the strength of the liability evidence, lost income, future treatment needs, and how the injuries affect daily life.
An attorney can review the facts of your case and explain the damages that may be available. Past results and settlement amounts do not guarantee a similar outcome in another case.
A strong pedestrian accident claim is built on evidence, timing, and a clear account of how the crash changed your life. Desert Star Law Group prepares each case carefully to address disputes over fault, injuries, and the value of your losses.
Our process may include:
You deserve a legal team that treats your recovery as the priority. Call Desert Star Law Group at (602) 686-9936 to speak with a Phoenix pedestrian accident lawyer about your options.
For most Arizona personal injury claims, the general deadline to file a lawsuit is two years from the date of injury under A.R.S. § 12-542. That deadline can be different in cases involving a government entity, a minor, a wrongful death claim, or other special circumstances.
If your crash may involve a city street, public crosswalk, traffic signal, school district, government vehicle, or roadway-design issue, do not wait. The 180-day notice-of-claim requirement for public-entity claims can apply long before the usual two-year personal injury deadline.
Even when the filing deadline seems far away, it is wise to seek legal guidance promptly. Important records, witnesses, and roadway information may become more difficult to obtain over time.
You should consider contacting a pedestrian accident lawyer in Phoenix promptly if:
Speaking with an attorney early can help you understand your options, protect your rights, and make informed decisions about your claim.
After a pedestrian crash, you need a legal team that sees the full picture: medical care, lost income, transportation challenges, insurance pressure, and the uncertainty that follows a serious injury. Desert Star Law Group helps injured pedestrians pursue accountability while working to connect clients with quality medical care, including clients without health insurance.
We are committed to a client-first approach. Desert Star Law Group works to ensure that clients receive more from a settlement than the firm receives in fees, even if that means reducing our fee.
If you or a loved one was hit by a vehicle while walking in Phoenix, Mesa, Glendale, Tucson, or elsewhere in Arizona, contact us at (602) 686-9936 for a free consultation. A Phoenix pedestrian accident attorney at Desert Star Law Group can review your situation and explain your next steps.
He was driving straight through a green light at a familiar intersection when an oncoming vehicle suddenly made a left turn directly in front of him. He didn’t have time to react before the vehicles collided, which triggered the airbags.
He was sent to the hospital from the scene, underwent 2 back surgeries, and required extensive physical therapy. He’s back to 100% with a $370,000 settlement.
She was traveling on the highway in moderate traffic when a vehicle behind her began weaving between lanes at a high rate of speed. Moments later, that vehicle lost control and collided with several cars, setting off a chain-reaction crash that ultimately impacted her vehicle.
After the collision, she experienced neck and upper back pain along with persistent headaches. She was later diagnosed with cervical and thoracic strain, as well as a concussion. She ended up having back surgery and underwent a course of treatment for her head injury that included physical therapy and monitored recovery. Over time, her symptoms resolved, and she returned to her normal routine without ongoing limitations. $150,000 Settlement
He was a dog groomer who made house calls in his truck. While grooming a dog he was bitten, severing several tendons in his dominant hand. He required surgery to repair the tendons and almost a year of PT to regain full range of motion. He carries scars on his arm that will last a long time. Settled for $150,000.
