Tempe Car Accident Lawyer

Trusted car accident lawyers serving clients across Tempe, AZ and the surrounding area.

Car accidents are the most common type of personal injury claim. If you were hit by a negligent driver, Arizona law allows you to seek compensation for losses like property damage, medical bills, missed work, and more.

Yearin Law Office has represented injured Arizonans since 1991. Our Tempe, AZ car accident lawyer can handle the legal aspects of your claim while you focus on healing. We only represent victims, never insurance companies. Consultations are free, and we charge no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.

Car Accident Lawyer Tempe, AZ

A car accident lawyer is a personal injury attorney who represents people hurt in collisions and pursues compensation from the at-fault driver and that driver’s insurer. The work covers investigation, medical record collection, claim valuation, negotiation, and trial when an insurance company refuses to pay what a case is actually worth.

Types of Car Accident Cases We Handle in Tempe

Every car accident case is different. Some involve a single negligent driver and one insurance policy. Others involve commercial vehicles, rideshare companies, or multiple layers of coverage that must each be identified and pursued. Our firm handles the full range for Tempe clients, including:

• Rear-end collisions. These are among the most common crashes on Tempe streets, often at signals along Rural Road or Baseline Road. Whiplash and back injuries from these wrecks can linger long after the bumper is repaired.
• Distracted driving accidents. NHTSA reports that distracted driving claimed 3,208 lives nationwide in 2024. We obtain phone records and witness statements to prove the other driver was not watching the road.
• Drunk driving accidents. Impaired drivers cause some of the most violent collisions we see. Punitive damages may be available on top of compensation for your other losses.
• Truck accidents. Collisions with commercial vehicles raise questions of federal safety rules, driver logs, and company liability. These cases demand fast evidence preservation before records disappear.
• Motorcycle accidents. Riders suffer disproportionate harm in crashes and then face unfair bias from adjusters. We push back on both.
• Bicycle accidents. Tempe’s bike lanes see heavy daily use, and drivers regularly fail to yield to cyclists at intersections and driveways.
• Scooter accidents. Rented scooters are everywhere around Mill Avenue. Claims involving them raise unusual insurance coverage questions that most riders never anticipate.
• Uber accidents. Rideshare collisions involve tiered commercial policies that depend on what the driver’s app showed at the moment of impact.
• Lyft accidents. Whether you were a passenger, another driver, or a pedestrian, we identify every policy that applies to your injuries.
• Wrongful death. When a crash takes a life, surviving family members may bring a claim for their losses. We handle these cases with care and resolve.

Why Choose Yearin Law Office as My Car Accident Lawyer in Tempe, AZ?

Recognition Earned Over 36 Years of Trial Work

Don Yearin founded our firm and has tried injury cases in Arizona courts since 1991. Martindale-Hubbell has given him its AV Preeminent Rating, the highest mark available for legal ability and ethical standards. The National Trial Lawyers has named him a Top 100 Civil Plaintiff attorney, and in 2025 he was selected for Premier Lawyers of America, an invitation-only organization limited to a small fraction of attorneys nationwide. He is an Arizona native who earned his business degree from Arizona State University in 1986 and his law degree from the UA College of Law in 1990.

Results for Injured Clients

Insurance companies know which firms are willing to take a case to trial, and that reputation affects how they negotiate. Our firm has tried injury cases to verdict for more than three decades. That willingness has produced millions of dollars recovered for our clients through verdicts and settlements, including trial wins after insurers refused to make fair offers. Car accident representation sits at the center of our work as a personal injury lawyer in Tempe, AZ, and every case is handled on a contingency basis. You pay nothing up front, and you owe no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you. When an insurer delays or denies a valid claim, we respond with documented demands, and we are prepared to present the case to a jury when negotiation fails.

What Is Important to Understand About a Car Accident Case?

Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Car Accident Cases

Arizona law allows an injured person to recover for the losses a crash causes. Compensation generally falls into a few categories:

• Medical expenses, covering both past bills and the projected cost of future care
• Lost wages and reduced earning capacity when injuries keep you away from work
• Pain and suffering, including physical pain and the loss of activities you once enjoyed
• Property damage to your vehicle and personal belongings
• Punitive damages in limited cases involving reckless conduct, such as drunk driving

Liability is decided on negligence, which means the failure to use reasonable care behind the wheel. Arizona follows a pure comparative negligence rule under A.R.S. 12-2505. If you share some fault, your recovery is reduced by your percentage, but it is not eliminated. A driver found 20 percent at fault still recovers 80 percent of proven damages. The Arizona Constitution also prohibits laws capping the damages recoverable for personal injury or death, which keeps full compensation available in serious cases. Insurers know these Arizona fault laws well and often inflate your share of blame to shrink the payout.

What Are Important Aspects of a Car Accident Case?

Strong cases are built on evidence. A few elements matter more than all the rest:

• Medical care that starts early. Seeing a doctor right away ties your injuries to the crash and protects your health. Gaps in treatment hand the insurer an argument.
• Evidence preserved quickly. Photos, witness contact information, and other evidence from the scene fade fast. We move early to lock it down.
• A full picture of your injuries. Some harm, including concussions, takes days or weeks to reveal its true severity. Settling before you know the extent of your condition is a mistake that cannot be undone.
• Caution with the insurance company. Adjusters often push that first offer before you know what your care will cost. Early settlements are usually low settlements.

What Is the Car Accident Case Timeline?

Every claim moves at its own pace, but most follow a familiar process from crash to resolution:

• Investigation and treatment. We gather records and evidence while you complete medical care, often over several months.
• Demand and negotiation. Once your condition stabilizes, we send a demand package and negotiate with the insurer.
• Filing suit. If the insurance company will not pay fair value, we file a lawsuit, typically in Maricopa County Superior Court.
• Discovery. Both sides exchange documents and take depositions, a phase that can run six months to a year.
• Resolution. Most cases settle. Those that do not go to trial, and we prepare every file as if it will.

What Should You Bring to Your Car Accident Consultation?

You do not need evidence to meet with us. Bring any documentation you have:

• The police report or the report number from your crash
• Photos of the vehicles, the scene, and your injuries
• Your insurance policy and any letters or voicemails from adjusters
• Medical records, or simply the names of the providers who treated you

The consultation is free and confidential. We will review the facts, give you a straight assessment from a Tempe car accident attorney, and explain your options before you make any decision.

What Are Important Arizona Legal Resources for Car Accident Cases?

Arizona publishes its statutes and crash data online, and a few official sources are worth knowing. These cover the filing deadlines, fault rules, and damages principles that shape most injury claims.

• A.R.S. 12-542 sets a two-year limitation period for most Arizona injury lawsuits, measured from the date of the crash.
• The Arizona Legislature’s Title 12 index collects the state’s civil filing deadlines and negligence statutes in one place.
• ADOT’s 2024 Crash Facts report recorded 1,228 traffic deaths and more than 121,000 crashes statewide in 2024.

Deadlines can be shorter in certain situations, including claims against government entities, so it pays to confirm your specific timeline promptly with a car accident lawyer in Tempe.

Reach Out to Yearin Law Office to Schedule a Consultation

If another driver’s carelessness caused your crash, talk to us before you talk to their insurer. The consultation costs nothing, and you owe no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you. Contact us through our website, and we will respond promptly, usually within one business day. A car accident lawyer serving Tempe, AZ will review your situation and explain your options.