Hit by a car while walking in Tucson: your rights and finding a pedestrian accident lawyer

Last checked November 8, 2026

Pedestrians were 34 of Tucson's 95 traffic deaths in 2025.1 Tucson Police handles crashes on city streets.2 Drivers have to use care around anyone on the road, even when a walker makes a mistake.3 You generally have 2 years to sue a driver.4 A claim over a city street is due in 180 days.5

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Road map of Tucson marking Speedway Boulevard and the Grant Road intersections at Oracle and Alvernon, named as high-priority pedestrian locations in the city plan
Two-thirds of Tucson pedestrian crashes happen on 4% of its streets. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Where are pedestrians hit most in Tucson?

On a surprisingly small part of the map. The City's safety plan found that from 2014 to 2018, 66% of all pedestrian crashes, and 68% of the fatal or incapacitating ones, happened on just 4% of Tucson streets.6 Minor and principal arterials make up 11% of centerline miles but carried 88% of the worst crashes.7

  • Grant Road at Oracle Road is a Tier 1 location in the plan.8
  • Grant Road at Alvernon Way is Tier 1 as well.9
  • So is Stone Avenue at Speedway Boulevard.10
  • Speedway from the rail undercrossing east of I-10 to Wilson Avenue is part of the pedestrian High Injury Network.11

If you were hit at one of these spots, tell your lawyer. A location the City itself has flagged is useful background, even though it does not prove who was at fault in your case.

How bad is the pedestrian problem in Tucson?

It has been serious for years. Move Tucson reported 39 pedestrians killed in 2019, more than half of all traffic deaths that year.12 In 2025 the count was 34.1 Across Pima County in 2024, ADOT recorded 237 pedestrian crashes, with 52 people killed and 196 hurt.13

What if a Tucson street was dark when you were hit?

Darkness is a large part of this. City staff reported that 40% of pedestrian crashes happen in the dark, and that copper wire theft is keeping some lights out.14 A dark road does not excuse a driver who failed to look. It may also raise a second question: who was responsible for that light?

If a street light was out, go back in daylight and at night and take photos, and note the pole number if you can. Report the outage to Tucson 311, which takes street light issues.15 Reporting it creates a record, and it may keep the next person safer.

Who has the right of way in a Tucson crosswalk?

What happenedThe rule
Crossing in a crosswalk, no working signal, on the driver's half of the roadThe driver must slow or stop16
Crossing at a corner with no paintThe City says there is an unmarked, legal crosswalk at any intersection unless signs prohibit crossing17
Crossing mid-block, away from a crosswalkYou must yield to cars, which can affect blame18
Any of theseThe driver still has to use care to avoid hitting you3

Crossing outside a crosswalk does not end your claim. Arizona reduces an award by your share of fault instead of barring it.19 Expect the insurer to call you a jaywalker, and do not agree to a percentage on the phone.

How do HAWK crossings work in Tucson, and who is at fault?

Tucson uses crossings many visitors have never seen. A HAWK signal stays dark until someone presses the button.20 When it goes solid red, drivers must stop. During the alternating flashing red, a driver may go only after a full stop and after making sure there is no danger to people crossing.21

A PELICAN is different. It is a mid-block signal on a major street that crosses in two stages with a median island in between.22 If you were hit at either kind of crossing, write down which button you pressed and what the signal showed. Ask nearby businesses about cameras soon.

Can you make a claim against the City of Tucson for a dangerous crossing?

Sometimes, but the deadline is short. Report damaged crosswalk paint or a broken signal through 311.23 A claim against the City has to reach the City Clerk within 180 days of your injury.5 It is up to you to confirm the Clerk's office received the form, and if 60 days pass with no answer, the form treats the claim as denied.24

Any later lawsuit against a public agency must be filed within one year.25 Do not wait for a driver's insurance claim to finish first. These deadlines run at the same time.

Does this apply if you were on a bike in Tucson?

Much of it does. A person riding on the road or shoulder has the same rights and duties as a driver, with some special rules,26 and a driver passing you must leave at least three feet.27 Four bicyclists were among Tucson's 2025 traffic deaths,1 and Pima County saw 140 bicycle crashes in 2024.28

When should you call a pedestrian accident lawyer in Tucson?

  • You were taken to Banner UMC Tucson or Carondelet St. Joseph's, the Level I trauma centers.2930
  • You may have a claim against the City and need to meet the 180-day deadline.
  • The insurer says you caused the crash by crossing where you did.
  • The driver left. See our hit-and-run steps.

Questions

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

Generally 2 years.4 City claims have a 180-day limit.5

Am I at fault if I crossed outside a crosswalk?

You must yield there, but drivers still have to use care,3 and shared fault only lowers an award.19

Is a corner with no paint a legal crosswalk in Tucson?

Yes. The City says any intersection has an unmarked legal crosswalk unless signs prohibit crossing.17

What does a flashing red HAWK light mean?

Drivers must fully stop and may go only if no one is in danger.21

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Tucson

Hit while walking or biking

Arizona

Sources

  1. City of Tucson, Complete Streets Coordinating Council materials 04/22/2026, checked 2026-11-08. “last year there were 95 total fatalities (38 auto, 34 pedestrian, 21 motorcycle, 4 bicycles).”
  2. 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.”
  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. 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.”
  6. City of Tucson, Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (2020), checked 2026-11-08. “Between 2014 and 2018, 66% of all pedestrian crashes and 68% of fatal and incapacitating injury pedestrian crashes occurred on just 4% of our streets.”
  7. City of Tucson, Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (2020), checked 2026-11-08. “88% of fatal and incapacitating pedestrian crashes occur on or at minor or principal arterial roadways, which collectively comprise 11% of centerline miles in Tucson.”
  8. City of Tucson, Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (2020), checked 2026-11-08. “| W Grant Rd & N Oracle Rd | Tier 1 |”
  9. City of Tucson, Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (2020), checked 2026-11-08. “| E Grant Rd & N Alvernon Way | Tier 1 |”
  10. City of Tucson, Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (2020), checked 2026-11-08. “| N Stone Ave & E Speedway Blvd | Tier 1 |”
  11. City of Tucson, Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (2020), checked 2026-11-08. “| Speedway Blvd | Rail undercrossing east of I-10 to N Wilson Ave |”
  12. City of Tucson, Move Tucson Existing Conditions, checked 2026-11-08. “In 2019 alone, 39 pedestrians were”
  13. ADOT, 2024 Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, checked 2026-11-08. “| Pima | 237 | 51 | 186 | 52 | 196 |”
  14. City of Tucson, Complete Streets Coordinating Council materials 04/22/2026, checked 2026-11-08. “40% of pedestrian crashes happen in the dark.”
  15. City of Tucson, Street Maintenance Requests, checked 2026-11-08. “Street light issues”
  16. 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”
  17. City of Tucson, Pedestrian Safety brochure, checked 2026-11-08. “There is an unmarked, legal crosswalk across any intersection”
  18. 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.”
  19. 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”
  20. City of Tucson, Bicycle & Pedestrian Push-Button Crossings, checked 2026-11-08. “The signals remain off until a pedestrian activates the system by pressing a button.”
  21. City of Tucson, Bicycle & Pedestrian Push-Button Crossings, checked 2026-11-08. “Drivers are allowed to proceed during the flashing red after coming to a full stop”
  22. City of Tucson, Bicycle & Pedestrian Push-Button Crossings, checked 2026-11-08. “The PELICAN is placed mid-block on major streets”
  23. City of Tucson, Street Maintenance Requests, checked 2026-11-08. “Damaged pavement markings: striping, crosswalks, or legends”
  24. beta.tucsonaz.gov, checked 2026-11-08. “It is your sole responsibility to confirm that the Clerk’s office has received your form.”
  25. A.R.S. § 12-821, checked 2026-11-08. “shall be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues and not afterward”
  26. 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”
  27. 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.”
  28. ADOT, 2024 Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, checked 2026-11-08. “| Pima | 140 | 9 | 131 | 9 | 132 |”
  29. Arizona DHS, State Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “1625 N. Campbell Ave, Tucson, AZ 85719 11/11/24 11/11/27”
  30. 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”

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