Hit by a car while walking or biking in Phoenix: what to do and who is responsible

Last checked November 8, 2026

If a car hit you while walking on a Phoenix street, Phoenix Police usually has the report,1 and you generally have 2 years to sue.2 Even if you crossed outside a crosswalk, drivers must still use care.3 If a broken signal or city road played a part, a claim may be due in 180 days.4

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Road map of Phoenix showing its High Injury Network, 31.9 miles of road holding 11% of fatal and serious injury crashes
41% of Phoenix fatal crashes, 2020-2024, involved pedestrians. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

How many people are hit by cars while walking in Phoenix?

More than many people expect. The city's 2024 summary lists 806 pedestrian collisions and 304 bicycle collisions.5 Over the 2020 to 2024 period, 41% of the city's fatal crashes involved someone on foot.6 In all of Maricopa County in 2024, ADOT counted 158 pedestrians killed and 1,425 injured.7

A careful note on the trend: the city's yearly average of pedestrian fatal and serious crashes moved from 263 to 250 between its two study periods, and the city says that change is not statistically significant.8 In plain words, it is too soon to call that a real drop.

When and where are people on foot hit in Phoenix?

Evenings and fast streets. A 2026 city study found more of the worst pedestrian crashes happen in dark, dawn or dusk conditions, mostly in the evening.9 Over half of the pedestrian deaths and severe injuries it studied were on 40 mph streets, even though those streets are only about a quarter of the road miles studied.10

A small part of the map carries a heavy load. The High Injury Network is 31.9 miles of road, less than 1% of Phoenix streets, with 11% of the fatal and serious injury crashes.11 If you were hit after dark, go back in daylight and take photos of the street lights, the crossing and any shade or signs that block the view. It can show what the driver could and could not see.

Who had the right of way when you were hit in Phoenix?

Where you wereThe rule
Crosswalk with no working signalDrivers must slow or stop for you on their side of the road12
Crossing outside a crosswalkYou must yield to cars, which can affect who is blamed13
Any spot on the roadDrivers must still use care to avoid hitting anyone, even when a walker makes a mistake3
At a HAWK signalDrivers stop on red, and on flashing red may go only if it is safe for people crossing14

Phoenix has 118 HAWK signals, the crossings with a push button and a yellow and red light overhead.14 If you pushed the button, say so in your report. Crossing mid-block does not end your claim either. Arizona reduces your money by your share of the fault instead of barring it.15

What if you were hit on a bicycle in Phoenix?

Bicyclists were in 5% of Phoenix fatal crashes from 2020 through 2024.16 A city study counted 2,671 bicyclist injury crashes over eight years, next to 5,832 for people walking.17 A person riding on the road or shoulder has the same rights and duties as a driver, with some special rules.18 Drivers passing you must leave at least three feet until they are safely past.19

Keep the bike as it is. Do not repair it or throw out a damaged helmet until someone has looked at them.

What if a broken light or bad crossing in Phoenix played a part?

Then the shortest deadline may be yours. If a broken signal, a missing crossing or a road defect helped cause the crash, a claim against the City of Phoenix is due within 180 days.4 It goes to the City Clerk Department at 200 W. Washington Street, 15th Floor.20 A person injured on or by Valley Metro has the same short clock, and its claims go to Risk Management.2122

Report the problem as well. A lifted or cracked sidewalk or a pothole goes to 602-262-6441, a line the city watches around the clock.23

What should you do this week if you were hit while walking in Phoenix?

  1. Get the report number. For a city street, the Phoenix Police portal takes requests under Traffic Crash.24
  2. Ask nearby stores and apartment offices for video now. It often gets recorded over within days.
  3. Find out who treated you. Valleywise Health and St. Joseph's are both state-designated Level I trauma centers.2526 Valleywise records start at (602) 344-5266.27
  4. Check your auto policy, even if you were on foot. Uninsured motorist coverage can matter when a driver has little or no insurance.28

Do you need a pedestrian accident lawyer in Phoenix?

Think about it if you have serious injuries, if the driver left the scene, or if a city street may be involved. A lawyer can tell you whether you have a claim against more than one party. Ask early if any public agency might be responsible, because 180 days goes fast while you are healing.

Questions

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

Yes, generally within 2 years.2 If you were partly at fault, your award is reduced but not erased.15

What if I was not in a crosswalk in Phoenix?

You had to yield to cars, and that can affect blame.13 Drivers still had a duty to use care.3

Who has the report if I was hit on a Phoenix street?

Phoenix Police handles crashes on city streets.1 On a freeway or state highway it is Arizona DPS.29

How close can a car pass my bike in Phoenix?

A driver must leave at least three feet until safely past.19

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Phoenix

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. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
  3. 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.”
  4. phoenix.gov, checked 2026-11-08. “Be filed with the City Clerk Department within 180 days after the cause of action accrues,”
  5. City of Phoenix, 2024 Traffic Collision Summary (July 2025), checked 2026-11-08. “Pedestrian Collisions 806 Bicycle Collisions 304”
  6. City of Phoenix, 2025 Road Safety Action Plan Annual Report, checked 2026-11-08. “41% involved PEDESTRIANS”
  7. ADOT, 2024 Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts (copy on phoenix.gov), checked 2026-11-08. “Maricopa 1,516 158 1,358 158 1,425”
  8. City of Phoenix, 2025 Road Safety Action Plan Annual Report, checked 2026-11-08. “Pedestrian KSI 263 250 Decreasing No”
  9. City of Phoenix, Pedestrian Risk Network Report (March 2026), checked 2026-11-08. “Greater numbers of pedestrian KSI crashes occur during reduced lighting conditions (dark, dawn, and dusk), mostly during evening hours”
  10. City of Phoenix, Pedestrian Risk Network Report (March 2026), checked 2026-11-08. “over half of all pedestrian KSIs and around 45% of all bicyclist KSIs studied occur on streets with 40 mph posted speed limit”
  11. City of Phoenix, 2025 Road Safety Action Plan Annual Report, checked 2026-11-08. “31.9 MILES (81 SEGMENTS) are identified on roadways”
  12. 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”
  13. 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.”
  14. City of Phoenix, HAWK Traffic Signals, checked 2026-11-08. “Phoenix currently has 118 HAWKs located throughout the city!”
  15. 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”
  16. City of Phoenix, 2025 Road Safety Action Plan Annual Report, checked 2026-11-08. “5% involved BICYCLISTS”
  17. City of Phoenix, Pedestrian Risk Network Report (March 2026), checked 2026-11-08. “5,832 pedestrian and 2,671 bicyclist injury crashes in the City occurred in the 8-year study period”
  18. 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”
  19. 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.”
  20. phoenix.gov, checked 2026-11-08. “a copy of the claim form to: City of Phoenix City Clerk Department 200 W. Washington Street, 15th Floor Phoenix, AZ 85003”
  21. Arizona Revised Statutes 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
  22. Valley Metro, Notice of Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “Valley Metro Attention: Risk Management 101 N. 1st Avenue, Suite 1300 Phoenix, AZ 85003”
  23. City of Phoenix, myPHX311 Street Maintenance, checked 2026-11-08. “please call 602-262-6441”
  24. phoenix.gov, checked 2026-11-08. “The following 10 options are available on the portal to submit Public Record requests:”
  25. Arizona DHS, State Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “Valleywise Health 2601 E. Roosevelt, Phoenix, AZ 85008 12/19/24 12/19/27”
  26. Arizona DHS, State Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “St. Joseph’s Hospital & Medical Center 350 W. Thomas Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85013 11/20/24 11/20/26”
  27. valleywisehealth.org, checked 2026-11-08. “Contact our Release of Information office at (602) 344-5266.”
  28. 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”
  29. 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”

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