Find a train accident lawyer in Tempe: freight, light rail and streetcar claims
Three kinds of trains run in Tempe, and each has a different owner. Union Pacific runs freight. Valley Metro runs light rail and the streetcar. A claim against Valley Metro is due in 180 days. A claim against the freight railroad generally has 2 years. A railroad has to save its event recorder data for only 1 year.
Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (32)
Which train hit you in Tempe, and who do you claim against?
Start with the train, because the owner decides the deadline and the office that gets your notice.
| Train | Who runs it | Where the claim goes | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freight on the Union Pacific line | Union Pacific Railroad, a private company | The railroad or its insurer | Generally 2 years to sue |
| Light rail (nine Tempe stops) | Valley Metro Rail, Inc. | Valley Metro Risk Management, 101 N. 1st Avenue, Suite 1300, Phoenix, or [email protected] | 180 days |
| Tempe Streetcar (3.1 miles, 14 stops) | Valley Metro, on Mill and Ash avenues, sharing the road | Same Valley Metro office | 180 days |
Light rail has nine stops in Tempe. The streetcar is 3.1 miles long with 14 stops. If Valley Metro does not answer within 60 days, treat the claim as denied. Once it counts as denied, you have one year to sue Valley Metro.
What proof from a Tempe train crash can disappear?
A freight train's event recorder keeps speed and brake data. After a reportable accident, the railroad has to save that data for the FRA. The duty ends 1 year after the accident.
Send a written request to preserve the data soon after the crash. Ask the railroad to keep video, dispatch calls and crew records too. The rule above only names the recorder.
For a light rail or streetcar crash, a Tempe Police report is a place to start. Reports are online through BuyCrash from November 1, 2021, but fatal and criminal ones are not on it.
Who watches over railroad crossings and light rail safety in Tempe?
ADOT is Arizona's State Safety Oversight Agency for rail transit such as light rail. For freight crossings, the Arizona Corporation Commission handles steps to build or change a crossing. For a Tempe freight crossing, its railroad office is at 1300 West Washington Street, Suite 220, Phoenix, 602-262-5601.
Every crossing has a blue sign with the railroad's emergency number and a crossing ID. Use it to report a stalled vehicle or an unsafe condition. Blocked crossings are a different problem. The FRA says no federal law covers them.
Does Tempe's railroad quiet zone make crossings less safe?
Not by itself, but it changes what you hear. The quiet zone covers the Union Pacific line north of Broadway Road, city limit to city limit, and began on Jan. 25, 2012. Train horns are barred there except in certain situations.
Tempe's own advice still applies. Trains overhang the tracks by at least three feet on each side. Trains can run on any track, at any time, in either direction. If your car stalls on the tracks, get everyone out and far away.
What if you were hurt working for a railroad?
A railroad employee hurt on the job uses a federal law, not Arizona workers' comp. Federal law makes a railroad liable in damages to an employee hurt on the job, and you have 3 years to start the action. That is longer than the 2 years for most Arizona injury claims.
Does it matter if you were on the tracks?
Yes. It is illegal to enter private railroad property anywhere but a designated crossing. In Arizona, a railroad owes a trespasser only a duty to avoid wilful or wanton injury. If you were at a marked crossing, that limit does not apply.
Questions
How long do I have to sue after a light rail crash in Tempe?
File a claim with Valley Metro in 180 days. If it is denied or ignored for 60 days, you have one year to sue.
Do crossing gates always protect me?
Not always. When federal money helped pay for the warning devices, some state claims about them can be barred. Other claims, like speed, may stay open.
Where do I report a hurt rider on light rail?
Riders use the Alert VM app, a security officer or the emergency call buttons. Tempe sends streetcar and light rail complaints to 602-253-5000.
How common are crossing crashes?
The national figure is more than 2,000 crossing incidents and 200 deaths a year. We did not find a verified Tempe count.
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See if I’m owed moneySources (32)
- A.R.S. 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-09. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
- A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
- 49 CFR 229.135, checked 2026-11-09. “This preservation requirement shall expire one (1) year after the date of the accident”
- Valley Metro, Notice of Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “Valley Metro Attention: Risk Management 101 N. 1st Avenue, Suite 1300 Phoenix, AZ 85003”
- Valley Metro, Notice of Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “If you do not receive a response to your claim within sixty (60) days of your submission, you can assume that the claim has been denied.”
- City of Tempe, Railroad Quiet Zone, checked 2026-11-09. “The Quiet Zone includes the portion of the Union Pacific Railroad north of Broadway Road from city limit to city limit.”
- City of Tempe, Railroad Quiet Zone, checked 2026-11-09. “activation of train horns is prohibited except in certain situations”
- Federal Railroad Administration, checked 2026-11-09. “It is illegal to access private railroad property anywhere other than a designated pedestrian or roadway crossing.”
- A.R.S. 12-557, checked 2026-11-09. “does not owe a duty of care to a trespasser except to refrain from causing intentional, wilful or wanton injury”
- Valley Metro, Notice of Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “Please note, Valley Metro is a brand name only. Valley Metro Rail, Inc. operates light rail service.”
- Valley Metro, Tempe Streetcar, checked 2026-11-08. “differs from light rail in that it shares the roadway with vehicle traffic”
- City of Tempe, Transit, checked 2026-11-09. “with nine stops in Tempe”
- City of Tempe, Transit, checked 2026-11-09. “Tempe Streetcar is 3.1 miles long with 14 stops”
- A.R.S. § 12-821, checked 2026-11-08. “shall be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues and not afterward”
- 49 CFR 229.135, checked 2026-11-09. “preserve the data recorded by each such device for analysis by FRA”
- Tempe Police, Public Records Request, checked 2026-11-08. “Accident reports approved for public release are available online from November 1, 2021 to the present.”
- Tempe Police, Public Records Request, checked 2026-11-08. “accidents involving criminal reports such as DUIs and fatal traffic accident reports are not available”
- ADOT, State Safety Oversight, checked 2026-11-09. “ADOT is the designated State Safety Oversight Agency in Arizona.”
- Arizona Corporation Commission, crossing procedures, checked 2026-11-09. “1300 W. Washington Street, suite 220, Phoenix, AZ 85007 | 602-262-5601 | azcc.gov PROCEDURES FOR ESTABLISHING A NEW CROSSING OR MODIFYING AN EXISTING CROSSING”
- 49 CFR Part 234, Subpart E, checked 2026-11-09. “display the information necessary for the public to report an unsafe condition”
- Federal Railroad Administration, Blocked Crossings, checked 2026-11-09. “There are no federal laws or regulations pertaining to blocked crossings.”
- City of Tempe, Railroad Quiet Zone, checked 2026-11-09. “established a railroad Quiet Zone in Tempe on Jan. 25, 2012”
- City of Tempe, Railroad Quiet Zone, checked 2026-11-09. “Trains overhang the tracks by at least three feet on each side.”
- City of Tempe, Railroad Quiet Zone, checked 2026-11-09. “Trains can run on any track, at any time, in either direction.”
- 45 U.S.C. 51, checked 2026-11-09. “shall be liable in damages to any person suffering injury while he is employed by such carrier”
- 45 U.S.C. 56, checked 2026-11-09. “No action shall be maintained under this chapter unless commenced within three years from the day the cause of action accrued.”
- Norfolk Southern v. Shanklin (U.S. 2000), checked 2026-11-09. “pre-empts state tort claims concerning a railroad's failure to maintain adequate warning devices at crossings where federal funds have participated in the devices' installation”
- CSX v. Easterwood (U.S. 1993), checked 2026-11-09. “only insofar as it asserts that CSX's train was traveling at an excessive speed”
- 49 U.S.C. 20106, checked 2026-11-09. “Nothing in this section shall be construed to preempt an action under State law seeking damages for personal injury, death, or property damage alleging that a party”
- Valley Metro, Safety, checked 2026-11-08. “On rail, riders can use the Alert VM app, speak with a security officer or Customer Experience Representative, or use emergency call buttons”
- City of Tempe, Transit, checked 2026-11-08. “Call 602-253-5000 for bus, Orbit, light rail, streetcar and express route complaints”
- Federal Railroad Administration, checked 2026-11-09. “Nationally, more than 2,000 incidents and 200 fatalities at grade crossings occur each year.”