Find a car accident lawyer in Mesa: your report, your car and your deadlines

Last checked November 8, 2026

After a car wreck on a Mesa street, Mesa Police writes the report,1 and it costs $2.60 online if your name is on it.2 You need the DR number and crash date.3 Arizona generally gives you 2 years to sue,4 and your award drops by your share of the blame.5

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Road map of Mesa with the arterial street grid, marking Dobson Road at University Drive and 8th Avenue at Alma School Road
Your Mesa crash report costs $2.60 online if you are named on it. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Where do most car accidents happen in Mesa?

On the wide main roads. Over 90% of Mesa's 175 serious injury crashes in 2024 were on arterial streets,6 and in 2023, 38 of the 41 deadly crashes were on an arterial or at an arterial intersection.7 Mesa's reported crashes rose 3.3% in 2023.8 ADOT, which counts all reported crashes, shows 8,022 in Mesa for 2024, with 3,531 people hurt.9

The regional planning agency ranks the 100 highest-risk intersections in the Valley. Two of them touch Mesa:

  • Dobson Road and University Drive, ranked 86th, shared with Tempe, with 75 crashes from 2018 to 2022.10
  • 8th Avenue and Alma School Road, ranked 100th, with 49 crashes in those years.11

If your wreck was at one of those corners, tell your lawyer. It does not prove anyone was careless, but it can point to where cameras and past records may exist.

What causes car wrecks in Mesa?

Mesa's traffic staff looked at the serious crashes and found the same two pictures again and again: angle crashes and left turns.12 The violations police cite most are failure to yield and going too fast.13 Over the 11 years from 2014 to 2024, a quarter of deadly crashes involved a cited failure to yield.14

Alcohol and drugs show up too. Impairment was a factor in 16 of 41 deadly crashes in 202315 and was cited in 29% of them in 2024.16 If you think the other driver was impaired, tell the officer at the scene and write down what you saw or smelled.

How do I get my car accident report in Mesa?

  1. Find your DR number. It is the departmental report number the officer gave you.3
  2. Go to LexisNexis BuyCrash, where Mesa sells reports from February 24, 2009 to today.17
  3. Pay with a card in your own name to get the $2.60 price.2
  4. No luck online? Mesa Police sells crash reports directly for $5.18 Records is at 59 S. Hibbert, 480-644-2310, Monday through Thursday.19 That address was announced as temporary in 2025, so call ahead.20

A wreck on US-60 or a Loop freeway has a different owner. State troopers investigate state highways,21 and you should wait at least 14 days before calling DPS.22 It costs $9 for the first nine pages by mail.23

Will Mesa Police write a report for a parking lot crash?

Often not. Under department policy, a crash on private property is not a reportable traffic collision.24 Officers do write it up if someone was hurt or killed, if a driver was reckless or impaired, if damage tops $5,000, or if it was a hit and run.25 Otherwise you are told to trade information.

So do your own report at the shopping center. Photograph plates, damage and where the cars ended up. Get the other driver's license and insurance. Ask the store right away about camera footage. Arizona law also requires a driver to report a crash that hurts or kills someone to police, the sheriff or the highway patrol right away.26

Where was my car towed after a wreck in Mesa?

The city splits tow work by zone. If police called the tow, northwest of Lindsay and Broadway goes to Valley Express Towing at 661 W. Broadway Road, 480-899-4621.27 Southwest of that corner goes to ACT Towing at 261 E. 10th Drive, 480-833-7278.28

Police may impound a car for 20 or 7 days for certain violations. In that case the tow company cannot release it on its own. You have to go through Mesa Police, at 480-644-6080.29

Who pays for a car wreck in Mesa?

CoverageWhat Arizona says
Other driver's liability insuranceAt least $25,000 per person, $50,000 per crash, $15,000 property30
Your uninsured motorist coverageYour insurer must offer it in writing and add it if you ask31
If you share the blameYou can still recover, but your award is reduced5
Seat beltsFront-seat riders must wear one, but this statute does not say how skipping it affects your claim32

A $25,000 policy can be gone after one hospital stay. Banner Desert on South Dobson Road is state-designated Level I,33 and Banner Baywood is Level III.34 Banner patients can ask for records through MRO Patient Central.35 Get them early so your claim shows the whole picture.

How long do I have after a car accident in Mesa?

If the other side isYou haveNotes
A private driver or companyGenerally 2 years to sue4A minor's time usually waits until 1836
City of Mesa vehicle or street180 days to file with the City Clerk37Deemed denied after 60 days38
Any public agency, when you sue1 year39After your claim is filed

Small cases can stay close to home. Maricopa justice courts hear civil lawsuits up to $10,000,40 and East Mesa Justice Court is at 222 E. Javelina Avenue.41 Larger disputes go to Superior Court, which sends those under $50,000 to arbitration.42

What should I ask a car accident lawyer in Mesa?

  • Do you think my case is worth hiring a lawyer for, given my medical bills?
  • What happens if the other driver has only the minimum policy?
  • How will you deal with shared fault if the insurer blames me?
  • Who pays case costs if we do not win?

Questions

How much is a Mesa accident report?

$2.60 online if your card's name is on the report, or $5 directly from Mesa Police.218

Who investigates a car wreck on the US-60 in Mesa?

Arizona DPS troopers investigate state highways.21

What is the most common kind of serious crash in Mesa?

Angle crashes and left turns.12

Can I still get paid if the wreck was partly my fault?

Yes, in Arizona, but your award drops by your share of the blame.5

Find out if you are owed money.

A free case review. $0 upfront. No fee unless you win.

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Mesa

Car accident

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. Mesa Police, Criminal Justice Information Division, checked 2026-11-08. “Fees are $2.60 for involved parties if name on credit card matches a name on the accident report.”
  3. Mesa Police, Criminal Justice Information Division, checked 2026-11-08. “Require a Mesa Police Department departmental report number (DR#), date of accident and a valid credit card”
  4. A.R.S. § 12-542(1), checked 2026-11-08. “there shall be commenced and prosecuted within two years after the cause of action accrues, and not afterward, the following actions: 1. For injuries done to the person of another”
  5. A.R.S. § 12-2505(A), 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”
  6. City of Mesa, City of Mesa Crashes presentation, checked 2026-11-08. “Over 90% occurring on arterial streets”
  7. City of Mesa, 2023 Crash Report, checked 2026-11-08. “38 of the 41 fatal crashes were along an arterial roadway or at an arterial”
  8. City of Mesa, 2023 Crash Report, checked 2026-11-08. “In 2023, the total number of reported motor vehicle crashes increased by 3.3% from the previous year.”
  9. ADOT, 2024 Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, checked 2026-11-08. “| Mesa | 8,022 | 46 | 2,503 | 5,473 | 48 | 3,531 | 356 | 8 | 224 |”
  10. Maricopa Association of Governments, Top 100 Intersections by Crash Risk 2018-2022, checked 2026-11-08. “| 86 Mesa/ Tempe | Mesa | DOBSON RD & UNIVERSITY DR | 75 | 0.175 | 0.536 | 0.244 | 0.373 |”
  11. Maricopa Association of Governments, Top 100 Intersections by Crash Risk 2018-2022, checked 2026-11-08. “| 100 Mesa | Mesa | 8TH AVE B & ALMA SCHOOL RD | 49 | 0.114 | 0.521 | 0.273 | 0.357 |”
  12. City of Mesa, City of Mesa Crashes presentation, checked 2026-11-08. “Predominant crash manners – angle and left turn”
  13. City of Mesa, City of Mesa Crashes presentation, checked 2026-11-08. “Predominant cited violations – failure to yield and speed too fast”
  14. City of Mesa, City of Mesa Crashes presentation, checked 2026-11-08. “A quarter of all fatal crashes from 2014 – 2024 in Mesa involved a cited violation of failing to yield.”
  15. City of Mesa, 2023 Crash Report, checked 2026-11-08. “Impairment by either alcohol or drugs was a factor in 16 (39%) of the 41 fatal crashes within Mesa in 2023.”
  16. City of Mesa, City of Mesa Crashes presentation, checked 2026-11-08. “29% citing impairment as a factor”
  17. Mesa Police, Criminal Justice Information Division, checked 2026-11-08. “Non-criminal accident reports are available online from February 24, 2009 to present.”
  18. Mesa Police, Criminal Justice Information Division, checked 2026-11-08. “Crashes can be obtained directly through Mesa Police for $5.00”
  19. Mesa Police, Criminal Justice Information Division, checked 2026-11-08. “59 S. Hibbert Mesa, AZ 85210”
  20. City of Mesa, Temporary Move of Police Headquarters, checked 2026-11-08. “have temporarily moved from the Mesa Police Department Headquarters located at 130 N. Robson to 59 S. Hibbert.”
  21. Arizona DPS, Request Records, checked 2026-11-08. “maintains records for collisions (accidents) that were investigated by DPS Troopers occurring on an Interstate or State Highway”
  22. Arizona DPS, Request Records, checked 2026-11-08. “Please wait at least 14 days to check on report availability”
  23. Arizona DPS, Request Records, checked 2026-11-08. “Paper report via U.S. Mail - $9.00 for the first nine pages; $0.10 for each additional page”
  24. Mesa Police, Policy 2.7.105 Traffic Collision Investigations, checked 2026-11-08. “Traffic collisions occurring on private property do not meet the definition of “Reportable Motor Vehicle Traffic Collision.””
  25. Mesa Police, Policy 2.7.105 Traffic Collision Investigations, checked 2026-11-08. “Death or injury to any person. 2. Reckless driving. 3. Impairment of an operator due to alcohol and/or drugs. [ALEAP 23.1D] 4. Property damage in excess of $5,000.00. 5. Hit and run.”
  26. A.R.S. § 28-666(A), checked 2026-11-08. “The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of a person shall give notice of the accident immediately by the quickest means of communication”
  27. Mesa Police, Towing Information, checked 2026-11-08. “Thompson Diversified (Valley Express Towing) 661 W. Broadway Rd. Mesa, AZ 85210 480-899-4621”
  28. Mesa Police, Towing Information, checked 2026-11-08. “ACT Towing (All City Towing) 261 E. 10th Drive Mesa, AZ 85210 480-833-7278”
  29. Mesa Police, 20- or 7-Day Impound Information, checked 2026-11-08. “You can ONLY arrange to have your vehicle released by contacting the Mesa Police Department.”
  30. A.R.S. § 28-4009(A)(2)(b), checked 2026-11-08. “(i) $25,000 because of bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident. (ii) Subject to the limit for one person, $50,000 because of bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in any one accident. (iii) $15,000 because of injury to or destruction of property of others in any one accident.”
  31. 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”
  32. A.R.S. § 28-909(A), checked 2026-11-08. “Each front seat occupant of a motor vehicle that is designed for carrying ten or fewer passengers [...] shall either: 1. Have the lap and shoulder belt properly adjusted and fastened while the vehicle is in motion.”
  33. Arizona DHS, State Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “Banner Desert Medical Center 1400 South Dobson Rd., Meza, AZ 85202 06/10/24 06/10/27”
  34. Arizona DHS, State Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “Banner Baywood Medical Center 6644 E. Baywood Ave., Mesa, AZ 85206 09/05/24 02/25/27”
  35. Banner Health, Patient Medical Records, checked 2026-11-08. “you can request your medical records from any Banner Health hospital, provider office, or urgent care location.”
  36. A.R.S. § 12-502, checked 2026-11-08. “the period of such disability shall not be deemed a portion of the period limited for commencement of the action”
  37. City of Mesa, Claim Form (updated 08/03/2026), checked 2026-11-08. “shall file the claim with the Mesa City Clerk within 180 days after the claim accrues.”
  38. City of Mesa, Claim Form (updated 08/03/2026), checked 2026-11-08. “your claim is deemed denied 60 days after the filing of the claim”
  39. A.R.S. § 12-821, checked 2026-11-08. “shall be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues and not afterward”
  40. Maricopa County Justice Courts, About, checked 2026-11-08. “small claims up to $5,000, and civil lawsuits for amounts up to $10,000”
  41. Maricopa County Justice Courts, Court Locations, checked 2026-11-08. “222 E. Javelina Ave, Suite C Mesa AZ 85210”
  42. Maricopa County Superior Court, Compulsory Arbitration, checked 2026-11-08. “Compulsory Arbitration is a mandatory program for disputes valued under $50,000.”

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