Call For A Free Consultation(602) 345-1818
Call For A Free Consultation(602) 345-1818
Tempe is one of the most dynamic cities in the Phoenix metro area. With Arizona State University bringing more than 80,000 students to its main campus, a thriving Mill Avenue entertainment district, and major freeway corridors cutting through the heart of the city, Tempe sees an enormous volume of daily traffic. Unfortunately, that traffic volume translates directly into a high rate of car accidents, many of which leave drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and cyclists with life-altering injuries.
If you or a loved one has been hurt in a car accident in Tempe, attorney Jared J. Pehrson and the team at Impact Legal are ready to help. We handle every aspect of the insurance and legal process so you can focus on healing. Our firm works on a contingency-fee basis, which means you pay nothing unless we recover compensation on your behalf.
Call (602) 345-1818 today or contact us online to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation.
Tempe sits at a geographic crossroads within the Valley of the Sun, and that position creates unique traffic challenges that contribute to a persistently high accident rate. Understanding the factors that make Tempe roads dangerous can help you appreciate why having a knowledgeable local attorney matters after a crash.
The Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway runs along Tempe’s northern and eastern edges, connecting the city to Mesa, Scottsdale, and the greater East Valley. Interstate 10 passes through south Tempe, serving as the primary east-west artery linking Phoenix to Tucson. The convergence of these two major freeways near the Broadway Curve creates one of the most congested and accident-prone stretches of highway in all of Arizona. Rush-hour slowdowns, sudden lane changes, and rear-end collisions are everyday occurrences along this corridor. Merging traffic near the I-10 and Loop 202 interchange is particularly hazardous, and multi-vehicle pileups are not uncommon during peak commute hours.
Arizona State University’s main campus in Tempe is the largest public university campus in the United States by enrollment. With more than 80,000 students attending classes, the streets surrounding campus, particularly University Drive, Apache Boulevard, Rural Road, and Mill Avenue, experience an extraordinary mix of vehicle, pedestrian, bicycle, and scooter traffic. Students walking or riding between classes, apartment complexes, and campus buildings create countless conflict points with motor vehicles. Distracted driving and distracted walking near campus contribute to a significant number of collisions each semester.
When ASU hosts football games at Sun Devil Stadium, tens of thousands of fans flood into Tempe over a short window of time. The surge in traffic around Rural Road, Rio Salado Parkway, and the Tempe Town Lake area leads to gridlock, aggressive driving, and impaired motorists. Beyond football, Tempe Town Lake hosts major events throughout the year, including the Ironman Arizona triathlon, Tempe Festival of the Arts, and Fourth of July celebrations, all of which bring heavy traffic and elevated accident risk. The Mill Avenue nightlife scene also generates late-night traffic that often involves drivers who have been drinking.
Tempe has experienced continuous construction related to Valley Metro light rail expansion, road widening projects, and new commercial and residential developments. Construction zones along Apache Boulevard, University Drive, and surrounding arterials narrow lanes, shift traffic patterns, and create confusion for drivers unfamiliar with detours. Temporary signage, uneven pavement, and reduced speed zones are frequent sources of collisions. The light rail tracks themselves present additional hazards. Drivers making illegal turns across tracks or failing to yield to rail vehicles cause preventable accidents every year.
Certain Tempe roads and intersections consistently appear in crash data. Baseline Road, which forms Tempe’s southern boundary, carries heavy east-west traffic between I-10 and the East Valley. The intersection of Rural Road and University Drive near the ASU campus is a well-known collision hotspot. The Mill Avenue bridge over Tempe Town Lake funnels traffic from Scottsdale southbound into downtown Tempe, often causing congestion and fender-benders. Apache Boulevard, running parallel to University Drive, handles significant commuter and bus traffic and is a frequent site of rear-end and sideswipe collisions.
At Impact Legal, we represent Tempe accident victims in a wide range of collision types, including:
No matter what type of collision you were involved in, Impact Legal has the experience and resources to investigate the crash, establish liability, and pursue the compensation you are owed. If your accident involved a commercial truck or motorcycle, we handle those cases as well.
Car accidents in Tempe range from minor fender-benders to catastrophic high-speed crashes on I-10 and Loop 202. The injuries our clients suffer include:
Tempe accident victims often receive initial treatment at Tempe St. Luke’s Medical Center (now part of the Abrazo health system) or nearby St. Luke’s Medical Center in Phoenix. Emergency rooms stabilize patients, but ongoing treatment, including physical therapy, orthopedic care, and neurological evaluations, can continue for months or years. Impact Legal accounts for all current and future medical costs when building your claim.
Arizona law allows car accident victims to seek compensation for all losses caused by another party’s negligence. In a Tempe car accident case, you may be entitled to recover:
Not sure what your claim might be worth? Use our pain and suffering calculator to get an initial estimate, then call us for a detailed case evaluation.
Two Arizona statutes are particularly important for anyone involved in a car accident in Tempe:
Under Arizona Revised Statutes Section 12-542, you have two years from the date of your car accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. If you miss this deadline, the court will almost certainly dismiss your case, and you will lose your right to recover compensation. Two years may sound like plenty of time, but building a strong case requires prompt investigation, evidence preservation, and medical documentation. We strongly encourage you to contact a Tempe car accident lawyer as soon as possible after your crash.
Arizona follows a pure comparative fault system under ARS 12-2505. This means that even if you were partially at fault for the accident, you can still recover compensation, but your award will be reduced by your percentage of fault. For example, if you are found to be 20 percent at fault and your total damages are $100,000, you would receive $80,000. Insurance companies routinely try to shift blame onto accident victims to reduce the amount they have to pay. Attorney Jared Pehrson aggressively counters these tactics to protect your recovery.
When you choose Impact Legal, you get a dedicated attorney, not a case manager or paralegal, who personally oversees every stage of your case. Here is what our process looks like:
Throughout this process, you will have direct access to attorney Jared Pehrson. We return calls promptly, provide regular case updates, and make sure you always understand where your case stands.
What you do in the hours and days after a car accident can significantly impact the outcome of your case. Follow these steps to protect your health and your legal rights:
Under Arizona’s statute of limitations (ARS 12-542), you have two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. Property damage claims also carry a two-year deadline. While most cases settle before a lawsuit is necessary, the filing deadline is absolute. Contacting a lawyer early gives you the best chance of building a strong case and preserving critical evidence.
Arizona’s pure comparative fault law (ARS 12-2505) allows you to recover compensation even if you share some blame for the accident. Your award is reduced by your percentage of fault, but you do not lose your right to compensation entirely. Insurance companies frequently try to exaggerate your fault to reduce their payout. An experienced attorney will fight to ensure fault is allocated fairly.
Every case is unique. The value of your claim depends on the severity of your injuries, the cost of your medical treatment, your lost income, the degree of pain and suffering, and the strength of the evidence. Minor soft tissue injuries may settle for several thousand dollars, while cases involving traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, or permanent disability can be worth hundreds of thousands or more. We provide a realistic case valuation during your free consultation.
Almost never. Initial settlement offers from insurance companies are designed to close your claim as quickly and cheaply as possible. They rarely account for the full cost of your medical treatment, especially future care needs, or for non-economic damages like pain and suffering. Once you accept a settlement and sign a release, you cannot go back and ask for more money. Let an attorney at Impact Legal review any offer before you respond.
Yes. If the at-fault driver has no insurance or insufficient coverage, you may be able to file a claim under the uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) provision of your own auto insurance policy. Arizona law requires insurers to offer UM/UIM coverage, and many drivers carry it without realizing it. Attorney Jared Pehrson can review your policy and identify all available sources of compensation.
If you have been injured in a car accident in Tempe, whether on I-10, Loop 202, Mill Avenue, University Drive, Baseline Road, or any other road in the city, Impact Legal is here to fight for you. Attorney Jared J. Pehrson offers free consultations and works on a no-win, no-fee basis. There is absolutely no risk in calling to discuss your case.
Call (602) 345-1818 now or fill out our online contact form to get started.
Serving accident victims in Tempe and throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area, including Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Chandler, and Gilbert. Learn more about our full range of personal injury legal services.
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