Scottsdale Car Accident Lawyer

Hurt in a car crash on Scottsdale Road, Shea Boulevard, Hayden Road or the Loop 101? Kent Law can take the fight to the insurance company while you heal. We focus on personal injury, and most of our cases are car crashes. Our Phoenix office is about 18 miles from Scottsdale City Hall. Call (480) 359-KENT today. No fee unless we win.

Car crashes in Scottsdale by the numbers

In 2024, Scottsdale had 4,219 crashes. 15 were fatal crashes and 1,421 were injury crashes. 15 people were killed and 2,113 were injured, and 226 crashes were alcohol-related (ADOT, 2024 Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, Table 2-5). See how Scottsdale compares with other Valley cities in our Phoenix-area crash statistics.

Scottsdale stretches a long way from south to north. Most city-street crashes happen on the main roads and at their signals: Scottsdale Road, Hayden Road, Pima Road, Shea Boulevard, Indian School Road, Camelback Road and McDowell Road. The Loop 101 (Pima Freeway) runs through the city, and freeway crashes are usually handled by Arizona DPS. Most of the crashes we handle happen on city streets and at intersections.

What to do after a car accident in Scottsdale

1. Call 911. Report the crash and any injuries. If you can move safely, get out of traffic.
2. Get medical care the same day. Some injuries, like whiplash and concussions, show up hours later. A same-day visit also links your injuries to the crash.
3. Take photos. Get both cars, the plates, the damage, the signals, the lane markings and your injuries.
4. Get the other driver's information. Name, phone number, license, plate, insurance company and policy number. A photo of their insurance card works.
5. Talk to witnesses. Get names and phone numbers. On Old Town and nightlife nights, witnesses leave fast.
6. Look for cameras. Businesses along Scottsdale Road, Hayden Road and Shea Boulevard may have video. So may doorbell cameras on neighborhood streets. Write down where you see them and tell us. Footage doesn't last forever.
7. Get the report number. Scottsdale Police usually investigate crashes on city streets. Arizona DPS usually handles Loop 101.
8. Call us before any recorded statement. Call Kent Law at (480) 359-KENT before you talk to any insurance adjuster on the record.

Common car crashes in Scottsdale

Left-turn and angle crashes

Wide arterials mean long left turns across several lanes. Statewide in 2024, Arizona had 16,866 left-turn crashes. 127 were fatal and 6,438 caused injuries. There were also 18,182 angle crashes, often called T-bone crashes, and 96 were fatal (ADOT, 2024 Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, Table 3-1). Signal timing, video and damage patterns help show who had the right of way.

Rear-end crashes

Stop-and-go traffic on Scottsdale Road, backups at Loop 101 ramps and sudden stops near Old Town and the Fashion Square area all set up rear-end crashes. Rear-end was the most common type of multi-vehicle crash in Arizona in 2024: 38,654 crashes, or 37.51%, including 12,221 injury crashes (ADOT, Table 3-1). See rear-end collisions.

Drunk driving crashes

Scottsdale had 226 alcohol-related crashes in 2024 (ADOT, Table 2-5). If a drunk driver hit you, see drunk driving accident claims.

Uber, Lyft, hit-and-run and uninsured drivers

About 10.6% of Arizona drivers were uninsured in 2023, according to the Insurance Research Council (via the Insurance Information Institute). If the driver who hit you had no insurance or drove away, your own uninsured or underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage may pay for your injuries. See hit-and-run accidents, Uber and Lyft accidents and uninsured and underinsured motorist claims.

Arizona rules that affect your claim

Arizona generally requires most auto policies to carry at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash for injuries (A.R.S. § 28-4009), and a hospital stay can go far past that. We look for every policy that may cover you.

If you were partly at fault, you may still have a claim. Under Arizona's pure comparative fault law, your damages are generally reduced by your share of fault, not wiped out (A.R.S. § 12-2505). Read more about Arizona comparative fault.

Deadlines matter. In Arizona, most injury lawsuits must generally be filed within 2 years (A.R.S. § 12-542). Claims against the government move faster. If a public entity or public employee caused your crash, such as a city vehicle, you generally must file a notice of claim within 180 days (A.R.S. § 12-821.01). The lawsuit itself generally must be filed within 1 year (A.R.S. § 12-821). Call us early so we can protect your claim.

If you're in the hospital

HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center, at 7400 E. Osborn Road, is a state-designated Level I trauma center on the Arizona Department of Health Services trauma center list (December 2025 edition). You don't have to leave your bed to talk to us. We can come to you at the hospital or at home, or talk by phone or video.

How we handle Scottsdale car accident cases

We move from day one. We get the crash report, look for video before it's erased, talk to witnesses, and hire crash reconstructionists and other outside professionals when a case needs them. We deal with the insurance company, so you don't have to take their calls.

Here's our track record. Kent Law recovers millions of dollars for injured clients every year, and we have handled thousands of injury cases. We handle negotiated settlements, mediation, arbitration and trial. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Getting your Scottsdale crash report

Scottsdale Police usually investigate crashes on city streets. The department offers collision reports online through CARFAX CRASHDOCS.org; you need the last name of an involved party, the collision date, the departmental report (DR) number and a credit card. You can also request the report directly from Scottsdale Police Records, which takes longer. For a DPS crash report, use the DPS Public Services Portal (psp.azdps.gov). Once you hire us, we request the report for you. Scottsdale injury lawsuits are usually filed in Maricopa County Superior Court.

Meeting with us

Our office is at 4001 E. Mountain Sky Ave., Ste. 105, Phoenix, AZ 85044, about 18 miles from Scottsdale City Hall. We usually meet at our office, but if you can't get here, we can come to you at the hospital or at home, or meet by phone or video.

For other injury cases, see our Scottsdale personal injury page. We also serve Tempe, Mesa, central Phoenix and all of Phoenix. See all the areas we serve.

Hurt in a Scottsdale car crash? Call Kent Law at (480) 359-KENT. No fee unless we win.

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This page is general information, not legal advice. Every case is different.