Phoenix personal injury lawyers

Representing injured people across Phoenix

Phoenix is the largest city in Arizona and the center of its freeway network, which means it is also where the most serious collisions in the state happen. Interstate 10 and Interstate 17 cross here. Loop 202, SR-51, and Grand Avenue cut through the grid at angles that create conflict points found nowhere else in the Valley. Add year-round dry driving conditions, wide arterials built for speed, and a population that keeps growing, and the result is a city that generates a very high volume of injury claims.

Sher Law Group is a boutique Arizona personal injury firm. We deliberately take a limited number of cases so that the attorney you speak with on the first call is the attorney who handles your claim through settlement or trial. If you were hurt anywhere in Phoenix, downtown, Ahwatukee, Maryvale, Deer Valley, Laveen, or anywhere between, we can tell you within one conversation whether you have a claim worth pursuing.

Where serious Phoenix crashes happen

Phoenix collision patterns concentrate in a handful of well-known places:

• The Stack (I-10 / I-17 interchange); multi-level, high-speed weaving between through traffic and exiting traffic. Rear-end and sideswipe collisions here happen at freeway speeds and frequently involve multiple vehicles.
• The Mini Stack (I-10 / SR-51 / Loop 202); the convergence just east of downtown, with short merge distances and heavy commuter volume in both directions.
• The Broadway Curve (I-10 through south Phoenix and Tempe); one of the most heavily traveled stretches of freeway in Arizona, with a long history of congestion-related chain-reaction collisions.
• The Deck Park Tunnel (I-10 beneath Margaret T. Hance Park); sudden lighting changes, lane drops, and merging traffic entering and exiting downtown.
• Grand Avenue (US-60); the diagonal that cuts across the street grid, producing six-way intersections and unusual angles of approach that drivers consistently misjudge.
• 7th Street and 7th Avenue reverse lanes; the peak-hour flow reversal is a persistent source of head-on and sideswipe collisions, particularly involving drivers unfamiliar with the system.
• Major east–west arterials; Camelback, Indian School, Thomas, McDowell, Bell, and Northern. Left-turn and red-light-running collisions cluster at their crossings with the major north–south streets.
• Downtown and the light rail corridor; pedestrian, cyclist, and turning-vehicle conflicts around the Valley Metro line, event traffic, and the bar district.

Arizona consistently ranks among the worst states in the country for pedestrian deaths per capita, and Phoenix accounts for a large share of that. Wide multi-lane arterials, long gaps between signalized crossings, and extreme summer heat that pushes foot traffic into early morning and late night hours all contribute.

The deadlines that decide Phoenix claims

Arizona's filing deadlines are unforgiving, and the shortest ones apply to exactly the cases people are least likely to recognize as time-sensitive:

• Two years; most injury and wrongful death claims. A.R.S. § 12-542 sets the general limitations period.
• 180 days; notice of claim against a public entity. This is the deadline that ends the most valid cases. Under A.R.S. § 12-821.01, any claim against the City of Phoenix, Maricopa County, the State of Arizona, ADOT, Valley Metro, or a public school district requires a written notice of claim served within 180 days of when the claim accrues. The notice must include a specific settlement demand and the facts supporting it. An improperly drafted notice is treated as no notice at all.
• One year; suit against a public entity. A.R.S. § 12-821 shortens the two-year window to one year for public entity defendants.
• One year; strict liability dog bite. A.R.S. § 11-1025 imposes strict liability on dog owners regardless of the animal's history, but A.R.S. § 11-1020 allows only one year to bring that claim.

If a city bus, a light rail vehicle, a government-owned truck, a dangerous roadway design, or a poorly maintained public sidewalk contributed to your injury, the practical deadline is 180 days; not two years. Cases involving Valley Metro and City of Phoenix vehicles are common, and the notice requirement is routinely missed.

Fault, apportionment, and damages under Arizona law

Arizona applies pure comparative negligence under A.R.S. § 12-2505. Your damages are reduced in proportion to your own fault, but your claim is never barred outright. Unlike states that cut off recovery at 50% fault, an Arizona plaintiff found 80% responsible still recovers 20%. Insurance adjusters understand this precisely, which is why the first recorded statement they request is aimed at getting you to accept some share of blame.

Arizona also uses several liability under A.R.S. § 12-2506. Each defendant is generally responsible only for their own percentage of fault rather than the entire judgment. In multi-vehicle freeway collisions, common on the Broadway Curve and at the Stack, correctly apportioning fault among every involved driver, and identifying every applicable insurance policy, is what determines the actual recovery.

On the question of caps: there are none. Article 2, Section 31 of the Arizona Constitution expressly prohibits any law limiting the amount of damages recoverable for causing death or injury. Arizona is one of a small number of states with that protection written into its constitution.

Insurance coverage in Phoenix collisions

Arizona's mandatory minimum liability limits are $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident, and $15,000 in property damage. A single night in a Phoenix trauma center can exceed the per-person minimum before treatment even begins. That makes identifying every layer of available coverage the most consequential early step in a serious case:

• Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. A.R.S. § 20-259.01 requires Arizona insurers to offer UM and UIM coverage in writing. When the at-fault driver carries state minimums or nothing at all, your own UM/UIM coverage is frequently the largest recovery available. Critically, settling with the at-fault driver's carrier without your UIM insurer's written consent can waive that claim entirely.
• Medical payments coverage. MedPay covers treatment costs without regard to fault and without waiting for liability to be resolved.
• Commercial and rideshare policies. Delivery vehicles, commercial trucks, and Uber and Lyft drivers carry substantially higher limits. For rideshare, the available coverage depends on which phase of the trip the driver was in at the moment of the collision; app off, waiting for a request, en route, or carrying a passenger.

Where your Phoenix case is handled

Phoenix sits in Maricopa County. Civil injury lawsuits are generally filed in Maricopa County Superior Court in downtown Phoenix, with smaller claims proceeding through a Maricopa County Justice Court. Traffic citations issued to the other driver are prosecuted separately in Phoenix Municipal Court. A citation or guilty plea there can support your civil claim, but it does not resolve liability for insurance purposes and cannot be relied on as a substitute for proving fault.

Crash reports for collisions within city limits generally come from the Phoenix Police Department. Collisions on I-10, I-17, Loop 202, Loop 101, and SR-51 are typically investigated by Arizona DPS. Obtaining the correct report quickly matters more than most people expect: officer narratives contain errors, diagrams get reversed, and contributing factors get miscoded; and once an adjuster has built a liability position on a flawed report, it becomes considerably harder to move.

Phoenix cases we handle

• Car accidents; freeway, arterial, intersection, and multi-vehicle collisions
• Motorcycle accidents; including left-turn-across-path and lane-change collisions
• Pedestrian accidents; crosswalk, mid-block, and light rail corridor strikes
• Bicycle accidents; canal path crossings, door-zone collisions, and arterial right hooks
• Rideshare accidents; Uber and Lyft, as passenger, driver, or third party
• Dog bites; strict liability claims under A.R.S. § 11-1025
• Slip and falls; retail, apartment, hotel, and commercial premises liability
• Wrongful death; claims on behalf of surviving spouses, children, and parents

What to do after a Phoenix accident

1. Call police and stay at the scene. A.R.S. § 28-661 requires drivers to stop and render reasonable assistance after any collision involving injury or death. Make sure a report is generated.
2. Get medical care the same day. Adjusters treat any delay in treatment as evidence that the injury was minor or unrelated. Head, neck, and back injuries frequently do not present symptoms for 24 to 72 hours.
3. Document the scene. Vehicle positions, damage from multiple angles, road conditions, signal timing, lighting, and street signs. In downtown Phoenix and along the light rail corridor there is extensive camera coverage, but most systems overwrite within days.
4. Identify witnesses yourself. Officers frequently do not record witnesses who leave before the report is written.
5. Decline the other insurer's recorded statement. You have no obligation to give one, and its purpose is to establish comparative fault against you.
6. Watch the 180-day clock. If a city vehicle, a bus, light rail, or a public roadway hazard was involved, the notice of claim deadline is running from the day of the incident.
7. Talk to a lawyer before accepting an offer. Early offers arrive precisely because the insurer expects the true cost of the injury to exceed them.

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to file a personal injury claim in Phoenix?

Two years for most claims under A.R.S. § 12-542. If a public entity such as the City of Phoenix or Valley Metro is involved, you must serve a notice of claim within 180 days under A.R.S. § 12-821.01 and file suit within one year under A.R.S. § 12-821. Strict liability dog bite claims carry a one-year deadline under A.R.S. § 11-1020.

Can I recover if I was partly at fault?

Yes. Under Arizona's pure comparative negligence rule, A.R.S. § 12-2505, your recovery is reduced by your share of fault but never eliminated.

Where are Phoenix injury lawsuits filed?

Generally in Maricopa County Superior Court in downtown Phoenix, or in a Maricopa County Justice Court for smaller claims. Traffic citations proceed separately in Phoenix Municipal Court.

How do I get my Phoenix crash report?

From the Phoenix Police Department for collisions inside city limits, or from Arizona DPS for crashes on I-10, I-17, Loop 202, and SR-51. Getting the correct report early makes errors in it far easier to address.

Is there a cap on damages in Arizona?

No. Article 2, Section 31 of the Arizona Constitution prohibits any law limiting damages for death or personal injury.

What does a Phoenix personal injury lawyer cost?

Nothing up front. We work on contingency and are paid only from a recovery. The consultation is free.

Phoenix areas we serve

We also represent injured clients in Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Glendale, Chandler, Peoria, Surprise, and across the rest of Arizona.