Find a pedestrian accident lawyer in Scottsdale: hit by a car on foot or on a bike

Last checked November 8, 2026

If a car hit you while walking or biking in Scottsdale, Scottsdale Police usually has the report, sold through CARFAX CRASHDOCS.12 Arizona drivers must use care to avoid hitting anyone, even when a walker makes a mistake.3 You generally have 2 years to sue,4 or 180 days for a claim against the city.5

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Road map of Scottsdale showing the 11-mile Indian Bend Wash multiuse path and Shea Boulevard, a segment with severe crashes in the city's count
Half of Scottsdale's 22 traffic deaths involved walking or biking. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

How dangerous is walking or biking in Scottsdale?

The city's two-year report is hard to read if you have lost someone or been badly hurt. It records 22 traffic deaths in 2023 and 2024. Eight were in crashes involving people on foot and 3 were on bikes.67 People walking and biking were a small share of crashes: 141 and 150 out of 7,341.8

But those crashes were far more deadly. About 0.3% of all collisions were fatal, compared with 2.0% of bicycle crashes and 5.7% of pedestrian crashes.9 Across Maricopa County in 2024, ADOT counted 1,516 pedestrian crashes with 158 killed, and 991 bicycle crashes with 27 killed.1011

Light and hours both show up in the data. A city safety presentation using 2019 to 2023 data found that dark-but-lighted streets led for the crashes that kill or badly hurt people on foot, even though daylight led all pedestrian crashes.1213 Pedestrian crashes in the 2023-2024 report ran higher from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 7 to 8 p.m.14

Who is at fault when a car hits a pedestrian in Scottsdale?

What happenedArizona rule
You were in a crosswalk and no signal was workingDrivers must slow or stop for you on their side of the road15
You crossed outside a crosswalkYou must yield to cars, which can affect blame16
Either wayDrivers must still use care to avoid hitting anyone3
You share some blameYour award goes down by your share, and it is not wiped out17

Scottsdale crossings have their own equipment. Pedestrian hybrid beacons, used on busy streets, run only when someone pushes the button.18 Rectangular flashing beacons at mid-block crossings warn drivers that they have to yield.19 If you pressed the button or the lights were flashing, say that to the officer and write it down.

I got hit on my bike in Scottsdale. What are my rights?

A rider on the road has the same rights and duties as a driver, with some special rules.20 Drivers passing you must leave at least three feet.21 A driver who clips your handlebars while passing is the classic case for that rule.

The most common bike crash in the city's report was an angle crash with a non-incapacitating injury.22 Those happened most from noon to 2 p.m., from 3 to 4 p.m. and from 5 to 6 p.m.23 Think of a car pulling out of a driveway or a turn lane into your path. Note the direction each of you was going, because angle crashes turn on who had the right of way.

Do the e-bike and scooter rules in Scottsdale affect a claim?

  • Class 1 and 2 e-bikes may use multiuse paths and sidewalks. Class 3 may not.24
  • Motorized scooters are barred from streets and bike lanes where the limit is 40 mph or more.25
  • Parked devices may not block the part of a public sidewalk that people mainly walk on.26

An insurer may point to these rules if you were riding where you were not allowed. That can lead to a fault argument, but not automatically to no claim. If a parked scooter tripped you, photograph the company name on it. To report one, the city points people to Scottsdale EZ.27

What if I was hurt on the Indian Bend Wash path in Scottsdale?

The 11-mile path has more than 24 underpass and bridge crossings, so riders and walkers rarely meet street traffic.28 Crashes there are more often between path users. The city asks everyone to stay in the right lane and leave the left for two-way traffic and passing.29 If a rider or e-bike hit you on the path, get a name, because there will not be a car insurer to call right away.

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

  1. Call 911 and get care. HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn is a Level I trauma center.30
  2. Ask for the DR number. You will need it to buy the report online.31
  3. Go back or send someone to photograph the crossing, the signal and the lights.
  4. Ask businesses nearby for video the same week.
  5. If a sidewalk, signal or city vehicle played a part, ask Safety and Risk Management for the claim form.32

What should I ask a pedestrian accident lawyer in Scottsdale?

  • How do you answer a claim that I crossed in the wrong place?
  • Will you get the camera video before it is gone?
  • If the driver has little insurance, does my own auto policy help?33
  • Is the city or a property owner responsible for the lighting or the crossing? A public agency claim has a 180-day limit.5

Questions

How long do I have to sue after being hit by a car in Scottsdale?

Generally 2 years.4 A claim against a public agency is due within 180 days.5

Can I recover money if I was jaywalking in Scottsdale?

Possibly. You must yield outside a crosswalk,16 but drivers must still use care.3 Your share of fault lowers the award.17

Where can e-bikes ride in Scottsdale?

Class 1 and 2 may use multiuse paths and sidewalks. Class 3 may not.24

Do drivers have to give me three feet on my bike?

Yes. Drivers passing a bike must leave at least three feet.21

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Scottsdale

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. Scottsdale Police, Records Request, checked 2026-11-08. “The Scottsdale Police Department has partnered with CARFAX CRASHDOCS.org to provide our collision reports online for convenience and secure access.”
  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. A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
  5. Arizona Revised Statutes 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
  6. City of Scottsdale, 2024 Traffic Volume and Collision Report, checked 2026-11-08. “Twenty-two (22) total traffic fatalities were recorded in 2023 and 2024”
  7. City of Scottsdale, 2024 Traffic Volume and Collision Report, checked 2026-11-08. “three (3) bicycle related collision and eight (8) crashes”
  8. City of Scottsdale, 2024 Traffic Volume and Collision Report, checked 2026-11-08. “involved bicyclists and 141 involved pedestrians”
  9. City of Scottsdale, 2024 Traffic Volume and Collision Data, checked 2026-11-08. “Fatal traffic incidents represented approximately 0.3% of all traffic collisions – 2.0% and 5.7% of bicycle and pedestrian related crashes, respectively.”
  10. ADOT, 2024 Arizona Crash Facts, checked 2026-11-08. “Maricopa 1,516 158 1,358 158 1,425”
  11. ADOT, 2024 Arizona Crash Facts, checked 2026-11-08. “Maricopa 991 27 964 27 973”
  12. Scottsdale Transportation Commission packet, Aug. 21, 2025, checked 2026-11-08. “KSI (KA) only = Dark-Lighted conditions leads”
  13. Scottsdale Transportation Commission packet, Aug. 21, 2025, checked 2026-11-08. “2019 – 2023 (5 years of crashes, common for safety analysis)”
  14. City of Scottsdale, 2024 Traffic Volume and Collision Data, checked 2026-11-08. “Pedestrian related crashes were recorded at higher rates between 2 – 4 PM (7.8% each) and 7 – 8 PM (7.8%)”
  15. 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”
  16. 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.”
  17. 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”
  18. City of Scottsdale, Pedestrian Crossings, checked 2026-11-08. “pedestrian hybrid beacons operate only when a pedestrian activates the crossing button”
  19. City of Scottsdale, Pedestrian Crossings, checked 2026-11-08. “alert drivers of their responsibility to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk”
  20. 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”
  21. 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.”
  22. City of Scottsdale, 2024 Traffic Volume and Collision Data, checked 2026-11-08. “The predominant bicycle crash type in 2023 and 2024 was an angle type collision resulting in a non-incapacitating injury”
  23. City of Scottsdale, 2024 Traffic Volume and Collision Data, checked 2026-11-08. “Bicycle collisions tended to occur most often from 12 – 2 PM, 3 – 4 PM, and 5 – 6 PM”
  24. City of Scottsdale, Electric Bikes, Scooters, checked 2026-11-08. “Class 1 and 2 electric bicycles are allowed on multiuse paths and sidewalks, but class 3 electric bicycles are not.”
  25. City of Scottsdale, Electric Bikes, Scooters, checked 2026-11-08. “Motorized scooters are prohibited on streets (including bike lanes) with speed limits of 40 miles per hour or greater.”
  26. City of Scottsdale, Electric Bikes, Scooters, checked 2026-11-08. “Do not park devices on public sidewalks in areas that obstruct the portion used primarily by pedestrians.”
  27. City of Scottsdale, Electric Bikes, Scooters, checked 2026-11-08. “Scottsdale EZ, the city’s one-stop report-a-problem application”
  28. City of Scottsdale, Paths & Trails, checked 2026-11-08. “An 11-mile multiuse path runs through the greenbelt and features more than 24 underpass and bridge crossings”
  29. City of Scottsdale, Paths & Trails, checked 2026-11-08. “Path users should travel in the right lane and keep the left lane open for two-way traffic and passing.”
  30. Arizona Department of Health Services, Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “7400 E. Osborn, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 10/27/24 10/27/27”
  31. Scottsdale Police, Records Request, checked 2026-11-08. “You will need the last name of an involved party, date of collision, the departmental report number (DR#) and a valid credit card”
  32. City of Scottsdale, Safety and Risk Management, checked 2026-11-08. “will provide a Notice of Claim form upon request”
  33. 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”

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