Hit by a drunk driver in Tucson: find a lawyer and learn who pays
Tucson had 387 alcohol-related crashes in 2024, with 23 people killed and 259 hurt. The drunk driver's insurer usually pays first. In Arizona you can also bring a claim against a bar that sold to someone obviously drunk. A suit against the drunk driver or a bar is due in 2 years. Do not count on the criminal case to pause that clock.
Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (32)
Which Tucson office helps me with the DUI case?
It depends on where the case was filed. Ask the officer for the case number, then use this table.
| If the case is in | Who helps victims | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Tucson City Court | City victim line at (520) 791-5483 | Court dates, and how to ask for repayment of your losses |
| A case handled by the County Attorney | Victim advocates at (520) 724-5525, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Someone to go with you to hearings |
| Pima County Justice Court | The court itself, for dates only | The police report is not filed there, so ask the agency that wrote the citation |
Tucson Police also lets crime victims sign up for case updates online with a case number and date of birth. If the person drove away and you have a tip, 88-CRIME is 520-882-7463. Immigration status does not change how Tucson Police describes its mission, which covers all community members.
A criminal judge can order the driver to pay back your full economic loss. That is restitution, and it does not replace a civil claim for pain, lost future income or a lasting injury.
Who pays for a drunk driving crash in Tucson?
- The driver's auto insurer. Arizona requires only $25,000 per person, which a hospital stay can use up quickly.
- Your own uninsured or underinsured coverage, if you bought it. Arizona insurers have to offer that coverage in writing, so check your policy papers.
- A bar, restaurant or store that sold the alcohol, if the sale fits Arizona's liquor law.
- The driver personally. A DUI injury debt is not wiped out in bankruptcy.
- Arizona's victim compensation fund, which pays last and needs no conviction. In Pima County, apply through the office at 32 N. Stone Ave., 14th Floor, (520) 724-5525.
Each defendant in Arizona generally pays only its own percentage of fault. If a jury puts 80% on the driver and 20% on a bar, the bar's insurer owes only the 20%. Arizona bars any law capping injury damages, and punitive damages take clear and convincing proof of an evil mind.
Can I sue the Tucson bar that served the drunk driver?
Sometimes. The legal test is narrow. The seller must have served a person who was obviously intoxicated, which means the signs of impairment would be plain to a reasonable person. Other claims against sellers are limited by statute.
- A friend's party is different. Social hosts generally are not liable for serving adults.
- An adult who rode along and knew the driver was drunk generally cannot sue the bar.
- You can look up the business with the state's public search for issued liquor licenses.
- State liquor investigators take complaints and look into over-service. A complaint can create a record, but it will not pay your bills.
Bar evidence is often short lived. A tab, a receipt or a video recording may be replaced within weeks. Ask a lawyer to send a written request to save it right away. If you only know a venue from a text or a card charge, that is enough to start.
What should I do in the first week after a DUI crash in Tucson?
- Get your report. Tucson Police sells collision reports through Crashdocs, and the Records Section is at 270 S. Stone Ave.
- On a state highway, the report comes from Arizona DPS, and it can take at least 14 days.
- Get your records. Request Banner hospital records from MRO Patient Central. Both of Tucson's Level I trauma centers, Banner University Medical Center and Carondelet St. Joseph's, are state-designated.
- Do not give the other insurer a recorded statement about alcohol, speed or fault until you have advice.
A government claim is rare in these cases. But if the impaired driver was at work in a City of Tucson vehicle, you have 180 days to file with the City Clerk.
Questions
How long do I have to sue a drunk driver in Tucson?
Generally 2 years. Do not count on a criminal DUI case to pause that deadline.
Can I get money if the drunk driver has no insurance in Tucson?
Your uninsured motorist coverage may pay. Arizona's victim compensation fund is a last resort.
Am I partly to blame if I was speeding when a drunk driver hit me?
It can reduce your award, but it does not end your claim.
Do I need the driver to be convicted first?
No. A civil claim is separate, and compensation from the state fund needs no conviction.
Hit by a drunk driver in Tucson? See if you are owed money.
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See if I’m owed moneySources (32)
- ADOT, 2024 Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, checked 2026-11-08. “| Tucson | 5,977 | 93 | 2,571 | 3,313 | 96 | 3,644 | 387 | 23 | 259 |”
- Arizona Revised Statutes 4-311, checked 2026-11-09. “The licensee sold spirituous liquor either to a purchaser who was obviously intoxicated, or to a purchaser under the legal drinking age without requesting identification”
- A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
- Pima County Attorney, Victim Services, checked 2026-11-09. “Advocates are available Monday thru Friday from 8am to 5pm”
- 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”
- Pima County Attorney, Victim Services, checked 2026-11-09. “For Tucson City Court cases, which are not handled by PCAO”
- Pima County Justice Courts, Criminal and DUI, checked 2026-11-09. “a police report is not filed with the Court.”
- Tucson Police, Victim Rights Information, checked 2026-11-08. “You will need your case number and the victim's date of birth.”
- Tucson Police, Frequently Asked Questions, checked 2026-11-08. “88-CRIME (520-882-7463)”
- Tucson Police, Frequently Asked Questions, checked 2026-11-08. “That means all community members, regardless of immigration status.”
- Arizona Revised Statutes 13-603, checked 2026-11-09. “in the full amount of the economic loss as determined by the court”
- 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.”
- 11 U.S.C. 523(a)(9), checked 2026-11-09. “for death or personal injury caused by the debtor's operation of a motor vehicle, vessel, or aircraft if such operation was unlawful because the debtor was intoxicated”
- Arizona Criminal Justice Commission, checked 2026-11-09. “the compensation program is always the payer of last resort”
- Arizona Criminal Justice Commission, Compensation Program, checked 2026-11-09. “Pima County Crime Victim Compensation Program 32 N. Stone Ave., 14th Floor Tucson, AZ 85701 (520) 724-5525”
- Arizona Revised Statutes 12-2506, checked 2026-11-09. “the liability of each defendant for damages is several only and is not joint”
- Arizona Constitution, article 2, section 31, checked 2026-11-09. “No law shall be enacted in this state limiting the amount of damages to be recovered for causing the death or injury of any person”
- Swift Transportation v. Carman (Ariz. 2022), checked 2026-11-09. “To establish an evil mind requires clear and convincing evidence”
- Arizona Revised Statutes 4-311, checked 2026-11-09. “significantly uncoordinated physical action or significant physical dysfunction that would have been obvious to a reasonable person”
- Arizona Revised Statutes 4-312, checked 2026-11-09. “except as provided in section 4-311, a person, firm, corporation or licensee is not liable in damages to any person who is injured”
- Arizona Revised Statutes 4-301, checked 2026-11-09. “A person other than a licensee or an employee of a licensee”
- Arizona Revised Statutes 4-312, checked 2026-11-09. “who was present with the person who consumed the spirituous liquor at the time the spirituous liquor was consumed and who knew of the impaired condition”
- Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control, ABC Online, checked 2026-11-09. “Use the search below to find licenses that have been issued.”
- Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control, checked 2026-11-09. “responding to complaints, and investigating violations such as underage sales, over-service, unlicensed operations, and other unlawful activities.”
- Tucson Police, Request Public Records, checked 2026-11-08. “Collision reports are stored electronically in a secure database and are available for purchase at Crashdocs.”
- Tucson Police, Request Public Records, checked 2026-11-08. “Tucson Police Department Records Section 270 S Stone Ave Tucson, AZ 85701-1917”
- 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”
- Arizona DPS, Request Records, checked 2026-11-08. “Please wait at least 14 days to check on report availability”
- Arizona DHS, State Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “1625 N. Campbell Ave, Tucson, AZ 85719 11/11/24 11/11/27”
- Arizona DHS, State Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “Carondelet St. Joseph’s Hospital 350 N. Wilmot Rd., Tucson, AZ 85718 01/14/25 01/14/28”
- City of Tucson, File a Notice of Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “Claimants have 180 days from an accident or injury to file a claim against the City.”
- 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”