South Phoenix Car Accident Lawyer

Hurt in a car crash on Baseline Road, Southern Avenue, Broadway Road or Central Avenue? 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 sits just on the other side of South Mountain, about 13 miles from Baseline Road and Central Avenue. Call (480) 359-KENT today. No fee unless we win.

Car crashes in south Phoenix by the numbers

ADOT reports crash totals for the City of Phoenix as a whole, not for south Phoenix alone. Citywide in 2024, Phoenix had 37,472 crashes, including 265 fatal crashes and 10,449 injury crashes. 278 people were killed and 15,057 were injured (ADOT, 2024 Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, Table 2-5). See city-by-city numbers for the Valley in our Phoenix-area crash statistics.

South Phoenix runs from the Salt River down to South Mountain. The 85040 and 85041 ZIP codes cover much of it, and Laveen spreads out to the southwest. Most crashes here happen on the big east-west roads (Broadway Road, Southern Avenue and Baseline Road) and the north-south streets that cross them, like Central Avenue, 7th Street, 7th Avenue, 16th Street, 19th Avenue, 24th Street and 35th Avenue.

The City of Phoenix tracks where people are killed or seriously hurt. Its High Injury Network was built from five years of crash data (2016 through 2020), including 5,473 crashes citywide where someone was killed or seriously injured (City of Phoenix Road Safety Action Plan 2022/2023 Annual Report). Recent safety work shows where the problems are in south Phoenix:

• Southern Avenue: traffic signals rebuilt at 19th Avenue and Southern (February 2023) and 7th Avenue and Southern (June 2023). The fiscal year 2024 budget funded safety construction at 35th Avenue and Southern.
• Baseline Road: a new signal at Baseline Road and 42nd Place (October 2022). The fiscal year 2024 budget funded safety construction at 24th Street and Baseline, and a fiscal year 2026 Highway Safety Improvement Program award will modernize the signal at Jesse Owens Parkway and Baseline Road.
• Broadway Road: a new signal at 27th Avenue and Broadway (May 2023).
• People on foot: a flashing-beacon crosswalk on 32nd Street south of Southern Avenue (November 2023).

Freeways frame the area. I-10 and I-17 run along the north and west, and the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway runs to the west and south, along the west side of Laveen. Freeway crashes are usually handled by Arizona DPS.

What to do after a car accident in south Phoenix

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 before they leave.
6. Look for cameras. Businesses along Baseline Road, Southern Avenue and Broadway Road 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. Phoenix Police usually investigate crashes on city streets. Arizona DPS usually handles I-10, I-17 and the Loop 202.
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 south Phoenix

Rear-end crashes

Rear-end crashes were the most common type of multi-vehicle crash in Arizona in 2024: 38,654 crashes, 37.51% of the total, including 12,221 injury crashes (ADOT, 2024 Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, Table 3-1). In south Phoenix, they happen in stop-and-go traffic on Baseline Road and Southern Avenue, at red lights on Central Avenue and 7th Avenue, and in backups near freeway ramps. See rear-end collisions.

Left-turn and angle crashes

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, Table 3-1). Fault is often disputed. Signal timing, video and damage patterns help show who had the right of way.

Buses, light rail and city vehicles

Valley Metro buses share south Phoenix streets with cars. A crash with a Valley Metro bus or light rail train may be subject to the 180-day notice of claim (A.R.S. § 12-821.01). If a public entity or public employee is responsible, the lawsuit itself generally must be filed within 1 year (A.R.S. § 12-821). Call us early so no deadline slips by.

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 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 of Phoenix 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

State-designated Level I trauma centers in central Phoenix on the Arizona Department of Health Services trauma center list (December 2025 edition) include Valleywise Health on East Roosevelt Street, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, and Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix. 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 south Phoenix 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 south Phoenix crash report

Phoenix Police usually investigate crashes on city streets in south Phoenix and Laveen. Here's how to get a Phoenix police accident report. For a DPS crash report, use the DPS Public Services Portal (psp.azdps.gov). Once you hire us, we request the report for you.

South Phoenix injury lawsuits are usually filed in Maricopa County Superior Court. The downtown Phoenix courthouse is at 201 W. Jefferson St.

Meeting with us

Our office is at 4001 E. Mountain Sky Ave., Ste. 105, Phoenix, AZ 85044, near I-10 and Chandler Boulevard. From most of south Phoenix it's a short trip around South Mountain on I-10 or the Loop 202. 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 south Phoenix personal injury page. We also serve west Phoenix and Maryvale, central Phoenix, Avondale and all of Phoenix. ¿Prefiere español? Lea nuestra página en español: abogado de accidentes en el sur de Phoenix. See all the areas we serve.

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

Se habla español. Interpretation is always available.

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