Call For A Free Consultation(602) 345-1818
Call For A Free Consultation(602) 345-1818
Last reviewed: January 2026 by Jared J. Pehrson
If you were hurt in a car accident in Phoenix, AZ, call Impact Legal Car Accident Attorneys at (602) 345-1818. Attorney Jared J. Pehrson handles each case personally. No bouncing between paralegals. No volume-driven intake. You talk to the attorney who actually works your file.
We handle car accident claims across Maricopa County, from rear-end crashes on the I-10 Stack Interchange to T-bones at intersections in central Phoenix. Free case review. No attorney’s fees unless we recover.
You’re dealing with medical appointments, a wrecked car, lost income, and an insurance adjuster who calls before you’ve even finished your first ER visit. We step in and take that off your plate.
Here’s what we actually do on a Phoenix car accident case:
Jared J. Pehrson is the attorney on your file. He’s an Arizona trial attorney who has handled complex personal injury matters across the state. Read more about his background and approach.
Most people don’t realize how lopsided a car accident claim is until they’re in one. The other driver’s insurance company has adjusters who handle hundreds of claims a year, defense attorneys on retainer, and a documented playbook for reducing payouts. You have whatever you’ve Googled at 11 p.m. with a concussion.
Here’s what changes when an attorney represents you:
The adjuster has to go through us. Adjusters often call within 24 to 48 hours of the crash, before you know the extent of your injuries. They ask for recorded statements and quick settlements. Once we’re on the file, those calls stop. You won’t accidentally say something that gets used against you later.
We can demand the right documents. Insurance companies don’t volunteer policy limits, available UM/UIM coverage, or umbrella policies. We send formal requests. In Arizona, the carrier has to disclose liability policy limits on written request under A.R.S. § 20-259.01-related discovery rules.
We calculate the full value, not the obvious value. The adjuster looks at your ER bill. We look at the ER bill, the future surgery your orthopedist says you’ll need in three years, the wage loss your career trajectory will take, and the non-economic harm Arizona law allows you to recover.
Litigation is real, not a bluff. Some carriers settle differently when the law firm on the other side actually tries cases. Whether or not your case ends up in court, the willingness to file matters.
We don’t publish settlement ranges or “average” verdict numbers, and you should be skeptical of any firm that does. Every case turns on its own facts. What we can do is explain the factors that drive claim value in Arizona.
Injury severity and treatment. A soft-tissue strain that resolves in six weeks is not the same case as a herniated disc requiring fusion surgery. Documented imaging, specialist opinions, and the length of active treatment all matter.
Future medical care. If a treating physician believes you’ll need ongoing care (injections, physical therapy, surgery), that future cost is recoverable. We work with life-care planners on serious cases.
Lost income and earning capacity. Time missed from work is straightforward. Reduced earning capacity (you can’t go back to the same job, or can’t work full-time) is more complex and often more valuable.
Available insurance. This is the ceiling on many cases. Arizona’s minimum liability limit is $25,000 per person. If the at-fault driver carries minimums and caused $200,000 in damages, the $25K policy is what’s actually collectible from them. UM/UIM coverage on your own policy fills that gap if you have it.
Liability strength. Clear liability (rear-end with admission, red-light runner on video) moves faster and settles higher than disputed liability.
Comparative fault. Arizona reduces your recovery by your percentage of fault (more on that below).
Documentation. Cases with consistent medical treatment, clear records, and contemporaneous documentation settle better than cases with treatment gaps.
Arizona law recognizes three categories of damages: economic damages, non-economic damages, and in narrow cases, punitive damages. We cover each below.
In Arizona, you generally have 2 years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. That’s under A.R.S. § 12-542. Miss that deadline and the claim is gone, regardless of how serious the injury was or how clear the liability is.
A few important exceptions:
For a deeper breakdown of how these deadlines apply to different case types, see our page on the Arizona statute of limitations.
The practical takeaway: 2 years sounds like a long time. It isn’t. Evidence disappears. Witnesses move. Surveillance footage gets overwritten. We tell clients to call within weeks of the crash, not years.
You don’t pay attorney’s fees up front. We work on a contingency fee basis, which means our fee is a percentage of the recovery if we win. If we don’t recover, you don’t pay attorney’s fees.
The standard contingency in Arizona car accident cases runs between 33⅓% and 40%, depending on whether the case settles before suit, after suit, or after appeal. The exact split is in your written fee agreement, which we go through with you line by line before you sign.
Case costs are separate from attorney’s fees. Costs include things like medical record requests, expert witness fees, court filing fees, deposition transcripts, and accident reconstruction. We front those costs during the case. They’re reimbursed from the recovery at the end. If we don’t recover, the fee agreement governs how costs are handled.
The free consultation is genuinely free. There’s no obligation to hire us after we talk.
Every collision is different, but the patterns repeat. We’ve worked the following case types in Phoenix and across Maricopa County:
Rear-end crashes are common on Phoenix freeways and in stop-and-go traffic along Camelback, Indian School, and Bell Road. Liability is usually clear (the trailing driver is presumed at fault), but injury fights are common. Carriers like to argue low-speed rear-ends can’t cause real injury. Imaging and medical records say otherwise.
Head-on crashes often happen on rural highways, two-lane roads, and from wrong-way drivers on Phoenix freeways (a chronic problem on I-17 and I-10). These cases tend to involve severe injuries, fatalities, and sometimes criminal charges that affect the civil case.
Intersection T-bones are typically caused by red-light runs, failure to yield on left turns, or stop sign violations. Liability often turns on the AZ Crash Report and witness statements. We pull traffic-signal data when it’s available.
Rollovers usually involve SUVs, lifted trucks, or high-speed evasive maneuvers. They sometimes involve a tire defect or roadway condition. Cause analysis matters because the defendant can be the driver, a manufacturer, or a road agency.
A driver who flees the scene violates A.R.S. § 28-661. If they’re never identified, your case usually depends on your own uninsured motorist coverage. We’ve handled hit-and-run UM claims many times. The carrier will scrutinize the claim hard, so documentation matters from day one.
A surprising number of Arizona drivers carry no insurance or only state-minimum coverage. If the at-fault driver has no policy or a policy that doesn’t cover your damages, your own UM/UIM coverage kicks in. We’ve written more on what to do if the other driver has no insurance.
Rideshare crashes involve overlapping coverage between the driver’s personal policy and the rideshare company’s commercial policy, with available limits depending on what the app was doing at the time. Our Phoenix Uber accident lawyers and our resources on Lyft accident claims in Phoenix cover this in depth.
When a family member is killed in a Phoenix crash, the wrongful death claim belongs to the statutory beneficiaries (surviving spouse, children, parents). The 2-year limitations period runs from date of death. Damages include the survivors’ loss of companionship, financial support, and the decedent’s pre-death pain and suffering when the estate brings a survival action.
Arizona recognizes three damage categories. Most car accident cases involve the first two. A small subset involve the third.
These are the quantifiable financial losses. Medical bills (past and future), lost wages, lost earning capacity, property damage, rental car costs, medical mileage, and out-of-pocket expenses tied to the crash. You prove them with records: bills, paystubs, employer letters, repair estimates, and treating-physician opinions for future care.
These cover harm that isn’t a line item on a bill: pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, disfigurement, and loss of consortium for spouses.
Here’s a point most people don’t know: Arizona’s constitution prohibits caps on damages in personal injury and wrongful death cases. Article II, § 31 and Article XVIII, § 6 of the Arizona Constitution bar the legislature from limiting recovery. Many states cap non-economic damages at $250,000 or $500,000. Arizona does not. That’s a meaningful structural advantage in serious cases.
Punitive damages punish particularly bad conduct. Arizona’s standard is high: you have to prove the defendant acted with an “evil mind,” meaning conscious disregard for the rights of others (the Linthicum v. Nationwide standard). DUI cases sometimes qualify. Reckless street racing can. Ordinary negligence (someone looked at their phone for a second and rear-ended you) does not.
The most common causes we see in Phoenix cases:
For more recent data, see our breakdown of Phoenix car accident statistics.
Some Phoenix corridors generate more crash volume than others. If your crash happened in one of these areas, we’ve likely worked claims involving the same intersection or stretch of freeway:
Knowing the location helps with witnesses, available video, and signal-timing data we can request.
This is a misunderstood parts of an Arizona car accident claim, and the insurance company will use the confusion against you if you let them.
Arizona is a pure comparative negligence state under A.R.S. § 12-2505. That means:
That’s different from most states. Many use a “modified” rule that bars recovery once you hit 50% or 51% fault. Arizona doesn’t have that bar.
You’re driving on Camelback Road. The light turns yellow as you enter the intersection. Another driver runs the red light coming the other way and T-bones you. Your total damages (medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering) are $100,000.
The jury decides you were 30% at fault for entering on a yellow, and the other driver was 70% at fault for running the red. Your recovery is $100,000 × 70% = $70,000.
If the jury had found you 99% at fault and the other driver only 1% at fault, you could still recover $1,000. You don’t get zeroed out the way you would in a modified-comparative state.
This matters because adjusters often inflate your share of fault during settlement talks to drive your number down. A claim with documented 10% comparative fault attached should still settle for 90% of value, not 50%. We push back on inflated fault allocations.
For a deeper explanation, see our page on Arizona’s comparative negligence rule.
Don’t write off your case because you think you bear some blame. A few realities:
Call before you assume you have no case. Free case review: (602) 345-1818.
For policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2020, Arizona requires the following minimum liability limits under A.R.S. § 28-4009:
Before July 2020, the minimums were lower (15/30/10). The change matters when you’re dealing with a crash from 2019 or earlier, because the at-fault driver’s policy may carry the old lower limits.
These are minimums, not adequate limits. $25,000 in coverage doesn’t go far against a serious orthopedic injury. A single ER visit, MRI, and physical therapy course can blow past $25K before you even discuss future care or non-economic damages. That’s why UM/UIM matters.
Under A.R.S. § 20-259.01, Arizona insurers must offer uninsured motorist (UM) and underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage when you buy or renew a policy. You can reject it, but the rejection must be in writing. If your carrier didn’t get a valid written rejection, the coverage may apply by default at minimum limits.
Uninsured Motorist (UM) pays your damages when the at-fault driver has no insurance, or in hit-and-run cases where the driver is never identified.
Underinsured Motorist (UIM) pays the difference when the at-fault driver has insurance but not enough. Example: the other driver has $25,000 in coverage and you have $100,000 in damages. Their carrier pays $25K. Your UIM steps in to cover the remaining $75K up to your UIM limit.
If you’re not sure whether you have UM/UIM coverage, pull your declarations page. It’s usually a one-page document from your insurer that lists each coverage type and limit. Bring it to your consultation.
We’ve handled many cases where the recovery came almost entirely from the client’s own UM/UIM policy because the at-fault driver was either uninsured, underinsured, or never identified. Don’t assume you have no claim just because the at-fault driver was broke.
The other driver’s adjuster will call fast, often within 24 to 48 hours. Here’s how to handle it.
1. Don’t give a recorded statement. You’re generally not required to give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance company. Your own carrier has cooperation requirements under your policy. The other carrier doesn’t have that leverage. A recorded statement taken in the first 48 hours, when you’re injured and on pain medication, will be picked apart for inconsistencies later.
2. Don’t accept the first offer. First offers in the days after a crash are almost always low. They’re designed to close the file before you know the extent of your injuries. Once you sign a release, the claim is over even if you need surgery six months later.
3. Don’t sign medical authorizations. The carrier will send broad authorizations asking for “all medical records.” Those go back years and let them mine your medical history for pre-existing conditions to argue against your claim. We send targeted authorizations limited to the relevant time period and body parts.
4. Get the adjuster’s name, claim number, and direct line. Then tell them you’ll respond after speaking with an attorney. That’s a complete sentence.
5. Call us. Free case review: (602) 345-1818. We answer 24/7. The earlier we’re involved, the more leverage we preserve.
If you’re reading this in the immediate aftermath of a crash, here’s the practical checklist.