Hit by a car while walking or biking in Chandler: your rights and next steps

Last checked November 8, 2026

If a car hit you while walking in Chandler, call 911 and get your report from Chandler Police.1 Drivers must use care to avoid anyone on the road, even when a walker makes a mistake.2 You generally have 2 years to sue.3 Claims about city streets carry a 180-day notice.45

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Road map of Chandler showing Arizona Avenue from Ray Road to the northern city limit, the stretch of a city study on walking and biking crashes
Drivers in Arizona must give a bike at least three feet when passing. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

How many people are hit by cars around Chandler?

We could not find a current total for Chandler alone. County numbers show the scale. In 2024, Maricopa County had 1,516 pedestrian crashes, with 158 people killed and 1,425 hurt.6 It had 991 bicycle crashes the same year, with 27 people killed and 973 hurt.7

One city study looks closer to home. It reviewed Arizona Avenue from Ray Road to the northern city limit from 2018 to 2022. It found nine crashes involving people walking or biking. Six involved bicyclists, three involved pedestrians and one was fatal.8 Nine sounds small, but those are only the reported ones on a short stretch.

The city is also planning for this. Chandler's roadway safety plan is still being written, and the final version is due in July 2027.9 Designers are working on about 2.5 miles of protected bike lanes along Frye Road.10

Who had the right of way in my Chandler crosswalk crash?

What happenedArizona ruleWhy it matters
You were in a crosswalk with no working signalThe driver must slow or stop for you on their half of the road11Strong starting point
You crossed away from a crosswalkYou must yield to cars12Can be used to put part of the blame on you
You made a mistake of any kindThe driver must still use care not to hit you2Fault can be shared, and the claim is still alive13
You were on a bike in the roadYou have the rights and duties of a driver14Stop signs and signals apply to you too
A car passed your bikeIt must leave at least three feet15Tell the officer how close it came

Chandler asks people on foot to use the push button at a signal.16 If you pressed it, say so in your statement. It is a small detail that shows you were crossing the way the signal asks.

Can I ride an e-bike on Chandler trails and sidewalks?

The city says no motorized vehicles, e-bikes included, are allowed in Chandler parks, on trails or on sidewalks.17 Its bike page links to a guide that sorts out where each kind of small vehicle may go, based on state law and Chandler Ordinance 5164.18

This cuts both ways in an injury case. If an e-bike hit you on the 6.5-mile Paseo Trail along the Consolidated Canal,19 the rider may have broken a city rule. If you were on an e-bike there when you were hurt, expect an insurer to raise it. A rule like this does not decide fault by itself. It is one fact among several.

A trail injury that does not involve a car can also bring different rules. See our Chandler slip and fall page for how free recreational land can change what you must prove.

What should I do after being hit by a car in Chandler?

  1. Stay still if you are badly hurt and let medics move you. Chandler Regional at 1955 W. Frye Rd. is a state-designated Level I trauma center.20
  2. Ask a bystander to take photos and to give you a name and phone number.
  3. Keep your shoes, clothing and bike, unwashed and unrepaired.
  4. Do not use the police website to report it. Chandler's online form leaves out vehicle collisions.21 Call 911 or 480-782-4130.22
  5. Look for your report on crashdocs.org or BuyCrash.com, or send a records request.2324
  6. Check your own auto policy for uninsured motorist coverage, which insurers must offer in writing.25 Ask whether it applies when you were on foot.

Who investigates a serious pedestrian crash in Chandler?

Chandler Police's Vehicular Crimes Unit handles all fatal and serious injury collisions.26 Between 2021 and 2025 the city recorded 74 crashes with at least one death and 356 with a severe injury, across all road users.27 A pending investigation can hold up your report, because records are not released until the officer finishes.28

If the driver was drunk, that adds another path. Eight of the 15 people killed on Chandler's roads in 2024 died in alcohol-related crashes.29 A licensed bar or store may also answer for your injuries if a court or jury finds it served someone obviously intoxicated.30

What if a broken sidewalk or missing crosswalk played a part in Chandler?

Tell a pedestrian accident lawyer in Chandler right away. A claim about city property has a notice deadline of 180 days, served on the City Clerk.45 An email does not count.31 The form asks for one specific settlement amount.32 You may have only one year after that to file in court.33

Questions

Can a pedestrian sue if hit by a car in Chandler?

Yes, generally within 2 years.3 Partial fault lowers the award but does not end the claim.13

Do cars have to stop for me in a Chandler crosswalk?

Where no signal is working, drivers must slow or stop when you are on their half of the road.11

How close can a car pass my bike?

No closer than three feet until it is safely past.15

Are e-bikes allowed on the Paseo Trail?

No. Chandler bars motorized vehicles, including e-bikes, from its parks, trails and sidewalks.17

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Chandler

Hit while walking or biking

Arizona

Sources

  1. Arizona DPS, Request Records, checked 2026-11-08. “If the report you are requesting was the result of a collision that occurred on a town, city or county road, contact the law enforcement agency in that jurisdiction.”
  2. A.R.S. § 28-794, checked 2026-11-08. “every driver of a vehicle shall: 1. Exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian on any roadway.”
  3. A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
  4. Arizona Revised Statutes 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
  5. City of Chandler, Law Department, checked 2026-11-08. “you must serve a notice of claim on the Chandler City Clerk”
  6. ADOT, 2024 Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, checked 2026-11-08. “| Maricopa | 1,516 | 158 | 1,358 | 158 | 1,425 |”
  7. ADOT, 2024 Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, checked 2026-11-08. “| Maricopa | 991 | 27 | 964 | 27 | 973 |”
  8. City of Chandler, Arizona Avenue Shared Use Path and Sidewalk Gap Study, checked 2026-11-08. “a total of nine (9) non-motorized user crashes were reported within the analyzed Arizona Avenue corridor”
  9. City of Chandler, Roadway Safety Action Plan, checked 2026-11-08. “The final plan will be published in July 2027.”
  10. City of Chandler, Frye Road Protected Bike Lanes, checked 2026-11-08. “approximately 2.5 miles of protected bike lanes along Frye Road”
  11. A.R.S. § 28-792(A), checked 2026-11-08. “the driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way, slowing down or stopping if need be in order to yield, to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a crosswalk when the pedestrian is on the half of the roadway on which the vehicle is traveling”
  12. A.R.S. § 28-793(A), checked 2026-11-08. “A pedestrian crossing a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles on the roadway.”
  13. A.R.S. § 12-2505, checked 2026-11-08. “the claimant's action is not barred, but the full damages shall be reduced in proportion to the relative degree of the claimant's fault”
  14. A.R.S. § 28-812(A), checked 2026-11-08. “A person riding a bicycle on a roadway or on a shoulder adjoining a roadway is granted all of the rights and is subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle”
  15. A.R.S. § 28-735(A), checked 2026-11-08. “When overtaking and passing a bicycle proceeding in the same direction, a person driving a motor vehicle shall exercise due care by leaving a safe distance between the motor vehicle and the bicycle of not less than three feet until the motor vehicle is safely past the overtaken bicycle.”
  16. City of Chandler, Traffic Signals, checked 2026-11-08. “To safely cross the street, push the pedestrian button to signal your intent.”
  17. City of Chandler, Paseo Trail, checked 2026-11-08. “Motorized vehicles (including e-bikes) are prohibited from all Chandler parks, trails, and sidewalks.”
  18. City of Chandler, Bikes and Scooters, checked 2026-11-08. “local ordinance (Chandler Ordinance 5164)”
  19. City of Chandler, Paseo Trail, checked 2026-11-08. “The 6.5-mile Paseo Trail features a 10-foot-wide concrete multi-use pathway on the eastern side of the Consolidated Canal.”
  20. Arizona Department of Health Services, Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “1955 W. Frye Rd., Chandler, AZ 85224 07/01/25 07/01/28”
  21. Chandler Police, File a Police Report, checked 2026-11-08. “Any vehicle collision (public and private property)”
  22. Chandler Police, Non-Emergencies, checked 2026-11-08. “non-emergency number, 480-782-4130, should be used to report delayed crimes”
  23. Chandler Police, Request a Police Report, checked 2026-11-08. “The Chandler Police Department has partnered with crashdocs.org and BuyCrash.com to provide accident reports online.”
  24. Chandler Police, Request a Police Report, checked 2026-11-08. “If you are unable to locate your accident report on either of these sites, please submit a records request below.”
  25. A.R.S. § 20-259.01(A), checked 2026-11-08. “Every insurer writing automobile liability or motor vehicle liability policies shall make available to the named insured thereunder and by written notice offer the named insured and at the request of the named insured shall include within the policy uninsured motorist coverage”
  26. Chandler Police, Traffic Section, checked 2026-11-08. “The Vehicular Crimes Unit investigates all fatal, serious injury, and high-profile traffic collisions.”
  27. City of Chandler, Roadway Safety Action Plan, checked 2026-11-08. “Of those, 356 resulted in a severe injury and 74 resulted in one or more fatalities.”
  28. Chandler Police, Request a Police Report, checked 2026-11-08. “Records are not releasable until the case is completed by the officer.”
  29. ADOT, 2024 Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, checked 2026-11-08. “| Chandler | 4,267 | 14 | 1,263 | 2,990 | 15 | 1,856 | 181 | 8 | 98 |”
  30. Arizona Revised Statutes 4-311, checked 2026-11-08. “A licensee is liable for property damage and personal injuries”
  31. City of Chandler, Law Department, checked 2026-11-08. “Please note that emailing your claim does not constitute proper filing or service.”
  32. City of Chandler, Claim Form, checked 2026-11-08. “Please state a specific amount for which you will settle your claim.”
  33. A.R.S. § 12-821, checked 2026-11-08. “shall be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues and not afterward”

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