Last updated: October 15, 2026
If you were injured, the other driver is blaming you, or the insurance offer doesn’t cover your bills, it is usually worth talking to an Arizona car accident lawyer. If no one was hurt and the damage is minor and clear-cut, you can often handle it with the insurance company yourself.
Sources: A.R.S. 12-2505 (comparative negligence), A.R.S. 12-542 (two-year deadline), A.R.S. 28-4009 (minimum insurance), via azleg.gov.
Arizona’s minimum bodily injury coverage is $25,000 per person (A.R.S. 28-4009). A hospital stay can exceed that quickly. When the at-fault driver’s limits are low, recovering the rest usually depends on finding other coverage, such as your own underinsured motorist policy, an employer’s policy or another responsible party. That is one of the clearest signs that a lawyer can change the outcome.
In an at-fault state, the person who caused the crash is responsible for the harm, and their liability insurance pays the injured people. Arizona does not require personal injury protection (PIP) coverage the way no-fault states do. Every driver must carry at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident in bodily injury liability coverage and $15,000 in property damage liability coverage (A.R.S. 28-4009). For more detail, see Is Arizona a no-fault state?
Arizona uses pure comparative negligence (A.R.S. 12-2505). A jury assigns each party a percentage of fault, and your damages are reduced by your own percentage. You can still recover even if you were mostly at fault.
Because every percentage point matters, the fight over fault is often the most important part of a claim. Insurers know this, which is why they ask early questions designed to shift some blame onto you.
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Arizona gives you two years from the date of the crash to file an injury lawsuit (A.R.S. 12-542). If a government vehicle or a road condition was involved, a notice of claim is due within 180 days. Full details: Arizona statute of limitations for injury claims.
If you are comparing firms, our guide on how to choose a personal injury lawyer lists the questions worth asking.
Usually yes if you were injured, fault is disputed, or the insurance offer does not cover your medical bills and lost income. Usually not if no one was hurt, the damage is minor and the other driver’s insurer has accepted fault. In that case you can often handle the claim yourself.
No. Arizona is an at-fault (tort) state. The driver who caused the crash pays for the other person’s injuries and damage through their liability insurance. Every Arizona driver must carry at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident in bodily injury liability coverage and $15,000 in property damage coverage (A.R.S. 28-4009).
Insurance adjusters, and if necessary a jury, look at the police report, statements from drivers and witnesses, photos and video, damage patterns, vehicle data and the traffic laws that applied, such as following too closely or failing to yield on a left turn. Fault is often shared and is assigned as a percentage.
Each driver’s recovery is reduced by their own share of fault under Arizona’s pure comparative negligence rule (A.R.S. 12-2505). If you have $100,000 in damages and are found 20% at fault, you can recover up to $80,000. You can recover even if you were more at fault than the other driver.
The driver whose negligence caused the crash, and sometimes others: a vehicle owner who let an unfit driver use the car, an employer whose employee was driving for work, a rideshare company’s insurer, or a government entity responsible for a dangerous road. Each can carry a share of fault.
You can give basic facts, such as your name, contact information and the time and place of the crash. You are not required to give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer, and it is usually wise not to until you understand your injuries and your claim. See insurance adjuster tactics to watch for.
Talk it through with our team. Learn more about our Phoenix car accident lawyer and Mesa car accident lawyer teams. Call our team at 480-329-5084, available 24/7 in English, Spanish and Serbo-Croatian.
About this page. Written by Elmm Law Group, an Arizona personal injury law firm with offices in Phoenix and Mesa. Statutes cited are linked to azleg.gov. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Because our firm specializes in personal injury cases and handles them exclusively, we provide one-on-one Client-Attorney contact to ensure our clients feel heard. Also, we don’t get paid unless you do! Our team can provide multilingual services in English, Spanish, and Serbo-Croatian.
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