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Hear from a client whose case other lawyers turned down.
Real Kent Law client, who gave written permission. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Getting lowballed by the insurance company? Call or text us now. The case review is free.
Read the transcript
Client: Unfortunately, I got into an accident. A lot of attorneys didn't want to take the case. Most of them didn't even want to pick it up. They want something real easy, drop in the bucket and you're done. Not Adam. Adam's like, "Bring it on. This is what I live for." Adam likes a challenge. And I wound up getting a settlement that was much nicer than I was expecting. If you need an attorney that isn't afraid of a challenge, that will start to work from day one and really, really go to work for you... Adam Kent is the one you want.
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Hurt in a crash in Tempe? The insurance company already has adjusters and lawyers working to pay you as little as possible. You need a Tempe personal injury lawyer working just as hard for you. Kent Law focuses on personal injury, and most of our cases are motor vehicle collisions. We've handled thousands of injury cases, and we don't let insurers lowball you. We represent people injured in Tempe from our office in the Ahwatukee area of Phoenix. We take the insurance calls, gather the evidence, and fight for every penny of compensation you deserve. Call (480) 359-KENT for a free case review.
Car crashes and injuries in Tempe
In 2024, Tempe had 6,637 reported crashes. Twenty-nine were fatal crashes, and 2,049 were injury crashes. Those crashes killed 32 people and injured 3,007. Alcohol was involved in 295 of Tempe's crashes that year. (Source: ADOT, 2024 Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, Table 2-5, p. 13.)
Tempe is in Maricopa County, which had 72.74% of all crashes in Arizona in 2024 and 50.13% of the state's fatal crashes (ADOT 2024 Crash Facts, p. 13). Statewide that year, there were 121,107 crashes, 1,228 people killed, and 54,426 people injured (Table 1-1, p. 2).
Every one of those injury crashes left someone with doctor visits, lost paychecks, and a damaged car. In Tempe, the people on the road are a mix of Arizona State University students, commuters passing through, and longtime residents. Witnesses are often visitors who leave town within days. Get their names and phone numbers at the scene. We use them.
Around ASU and downtown Tempe, many crash victims were never in a car. They were walking to class, riding a bike or scooter, or crossing near a light rail or streetcar stop. These cases turn on sightlines, signal timing, and whether the driver was watching the road. We find out.
Most of the crashes we handle happen on city streets and at intersections, not on the interstates. Tempe's busy arterials, such as Rural Road, University Drive, Broadway Road, and Apache Boulevard, carry commuters, students, delivery drivers, and buses through the same intersections every day.
Drunk drivers are part of the Tempe picture too. Downtown Tempe and Mill Avenue are full of bars and restaurants. Statewide in 2024, alcohol-related crashes were 4.56% of all crashes but 27.93% of fatal crashes. They killed 347 people and injured 3,576 (ADOT 2024 Crash Facts, Table 1-1 and Arizona at a Glance, p. 2). If a drunk driver hit you, the criminal case and your injury claim are separate. You do not wait for the criminal case to end. We start your claim now. A business that served the driver can also share responsibility under Arizona's dram shop law (A.R.S. § 4-311 / § 4-312), and we look into that too.
Cases we handle for Tempe residents
We represent people injured in Tempe in every case type below. Each section links to a longer page.
Car accidents and rear-end collisions
Motor vehicle collisions are the core of our practice. Across Arizona in 2024, rear-end crashes were the most common type of multi-vehicle crash: 38,654 crashes, or 37.51%. That included 12,221 injury crashes, 38.35% of all multi-vehicle injury crashes. There were also 16,866 left-turn crashes, 127 of them fatal (ADOT 2024 Crash Facts, Table 3-1, p. 18).
In Tempe, rear-end crashes happen in stop-and-go freeway traffic and at crowded signals near campus and downtown. The driver who gets hit often has neck, back, or head pain that shows up hours or days later. See a doctor even if you feel fine at the scene. Keep every record. Photos of both cars, the crash report number, and the other driver's insurance information let us move fast after a Tempe car crash.
When the other driver's insurer calls, do not give a recorded statement. Send the adjuster to us. That call is designed to help the insurance company, not you. Before you give a recorded statement to any insurer, including your own, call us first.
Learn more on our car accidents page and our rear-end collisions page.
Motorcycle accidents
Riders have almost nothing between them and the road. In Arizona in 2024, 219 motorcycle riders and passengers were killed and 2,503 were injured (ADOT 2024 Crash Facts, Table 1-1, p. 2).
Tempe riders share the road with heavy commuter traffic and drivers hunting for parking or a turn near campus. The driver often says the same thing: "I never saw the bike." That is where our work starts. We go to the scene, study the vehicle damage, and track down video to prove what the driver could have seen. Insurers try to blame the rider. We push back. Under Arizona's comparative fault rule, even if you share some fault, your damages are reduced by your share, generally not barred.
See our motorcycle accidents page.
Pedestrian and bicycle accidents near ASU and downtown
People on foot or on a bike have no protection in a crash. Statewide in 2024, 263 pedestrians were killed and 1,912 were injured, and 12.55% of pedestrian crashes were fatal. Bicyclists had 44 killed and 1,349 injured, and 3.19% of bicycle crashes were fatal (ADOT 2024 Crash Facts, Table 1-1 and Arizona at a Glance, p. 2).
Around ASU and downtown Tempe, crowds move on foot, on bikes, and on scooters. Crashes happen in crosswalks, at driveways, and where bike lanes meet turning traffic. Evidence disappears fast. Nearby businesses and buildings may have cameras, and some systems record over footage quickly. Write down exactly where you were hit and which buildings face that spot. We use it to go after the video before it is gone.
ASU students and out-of-state visitors hurt in Tempe can bring a claim here, even if home is somewhere else.
Read more about pedestrian accidents and bicycle accidents.
Uber and Lyft accidents
Rideshare trips are everywhere in Tempe, especially around ASU, downtown, and on game and concert nights. You may have been a passenger, a rideshare driver, or someone hit by a rideshare car. These cases can involve more than one insurance policy. Which one applies depends on whether the app was on and whether a ride was in progress. Insurers use that confusion to stall. We cut through it.
Screenshot your trip receipt or the app screen showing the ride. Write down the driver's name and plate number. Our Uber and Lyft accidents page explains more.
Truck accidents
Big rigs run through Tempe on the freeways that cross the city. Statewide in 2024, 3,245 truck tractors, with or without semi-trailers, were involved in crashes. Of those, 106 were in fatal crashes and 679 were in injury crashes (ADOT 2024 Crash Facts, Table 5-2, p. 27).
Truck cases are bigger fights than car cases. The trucking company, the driver, and others can each share responsibility, and each has its own insurer and lawyers. Trucking companies keep driver logs and electronic data, and that evidence can be lost if no one demands it early. If a truck hit you in Tempe, call us right away. We send preservation demands fast. See our truck accidents page.
Hit-and-run
In 2024 there were 16,136 hit-and-run crashes in Arizona, about 13.3% of all crashes. Those crashes killed 86 people and injured 4,202 (ADOT 2024 Crash Facts, Table 5-3, p. 28). The Insurance Research Council estimated that 10.6% of Arizona drivers were uninsured in 2023 (via the Insurance Information Institute).
If the driver who hit you in Tempe is never found, or has no insurance, your own policy can step in. Arizona insurers must offer uninsured and underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage in writing, though drivers can turn it down (A.R.S. § 20-259.01). Arizona's minimum liability limits are only $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury (A.R.S. § 28-4009). That rarely covers a serious injury. We review your policy and go after the coverage that may apply. Report the crash to police right away and keep the report number. See our hit-and-run page.
Wrongful death
In 2024, 32 people were killed in crashes in Tempe (ADOT 2024 Crash Facts, Table 2-5, p. 13). Each was someone's parent, child, partner, or friend.
Arizona law allows certain family members to bring a wrongful death claim (A.R.S. §§ 12-611 to 12-613). We tell families who can bring the claim, what it covers, and the deadlines that apply. We handle the insurance company so you can grieve. Learn more on our wrongful death page.
How we handle Tempe injury cases
The insurance company has adjusters and defense lawyers on your case from day one. You need a firm that is just as well prepared and just as aggressive.
We take the fight to the insurance company, and we handle the adjusters so you can heal. We recover millions of dollars for injured clients every year. We handle negotiated settlements, mediation, arbitration and trial. We take on denied and stalled claims, including cases already at the litigation stage. Some insurance adjusters and defense attorneys have hired us for their own injury cases. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Adam C. Kent founded Kent Law in 2011. He began his Arizona legal career in 2006 as a prosecutor with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. Managing Attorney Jonathan Henry brings extensive trial experience to cases that go to court. Attorney Andrew Shaver rounds out the team.
Our staff speak Spanish, and interpretation is always available.
Where your Tempe case is handled
Tempe Police investigate crashes on Tempe city streets. Freeway crashes can be handled by a different agency, such as the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Ask the officer at the scene which agency is writing the report.
To get a Tempe Police crash report:
- Online: Most reports from November 1, 2021 on are on BuyCrash. You need the Tempe Police report number (called a "GO#"), the crash date, and a credit card. The price shows at checkout.
- DUI or deadly crashes: These reports are not on BuyCrash. Ask Tempe Police Records for them instead.
- Tempe Police Records: Send a request through the city's records page (choose "Police Records"), email PD_RecordsRequests@tempe.gov, or go to 120 E. 5th Street in Tempe, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The city charges a small fee from its Police Records Fee Schedule. Questions: 480-350-8588.
- Some personal details, like birth dates and phone numbers, are blacked out.
When you hire us, we request the report for you.
If the insurance company will not pay what your case is worth, we file suit and keep going. Tempe cases that go to court are usually filed in Maricopa County Superior Court. We explain every step before it happens.
Deadlines are strict. In Arizona, the deadline to file most injury lawsuits is generally 2 years (A.R.S. § 12-542). If a public entity or public employee is responsible, a notice of claim is generally required within 180 days (A.R.S. § 12-821.01), and the lawsuit must generally be filed within one year (A.R.S. § 12-821). In Tempe, that covers a crash with a City of Tempe vehicle or a vehicle owned by Arizona State University, a state university. Those windows are short. If a public vehicle hit you, call us now.
Meeting with us from Tempe
Our office is at 4001 E. Mountain Sky Ave., Ste. 105, Phoenix, AZ 85044, in the Ahwatukee area of Phoenix. We usually meet at our office. If you can't get here, we can come to you at the hospital or at home, or meet by phone or video.
Calling for a family member who is still in the hospital? That is fine. Have the crash report number, your insurance card, and any photos handy. If you do not have them yet, call anyway. Call (480) 359-KENT and tell us what happened.
Other areas we serve
We also represent injured people in Phoenix, Chandler, Gilbert, and Mesa, all from our Phoenix office in Ahwatukee. See all areas we serve, or visit our pages for Chandler, Gilbert, and Mesa.
Hurt in Tempe? Call (480) 359-KENT.
Free case review. No fee unless we win.
Se habla español. Interpretation is always available.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have an office in Tempe?
No. We serve Tempe clients from our Phoenix office in Ahwatukee at 4001 E. Mountain Sky Ave., Ste. 105, Phoenix, AZ 85044. We usually meet at our office. If you can't get here, we can come to you at the hospital or at home, or meet by phone or video. Call (480) 359-KENT to set up your free case review. Se habla español.
What should I do after a crash in Tempe?
Call 911 if anyone is hurt. Get to a safe spot. Photograph the vehicles, the scene, and your injuries. Get the other driver's name, insurance, and plate number, plus names and phone numbers for any witnesses. Get the report number from the officer. See a doctor, even if you feel fine. Call us before you give a recorded statement to any insurer, including your own, at (480) 359-KENT. The case review is free.
How do I get a Tempe police crash report?
Most Tempe Police crash reports from November 1, 2021 on are online at BuyCrash. You need the report number (GO#), the crash date, and a credit card. DUI and deadly crash reports are not on BuyCrash. For those, request the report from Tempe Police Records online at tempe.gov, by email at PD_RecordsRequests@tempe.gov, or in person at 120 E. 5th Street (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.). When you hire us, we request the report for you.
How long do I have to file?
In Arizona, the deadline to file most injury lawsuits is generally 2 years (A.R.S. § 12-542). If a city, county, or state entity or employee is responsible, a notice of claim is generally required within 180 days (A.R.S. § 12-821.01), and the lawsuit must generally be filed within one year (A.R.S. § 12-821). Miss a deadline and your claim can be lost. Call us now.
What does it cost?
We work on a contingency fee, so there is no fee unless we win. Your case review is free. Before you sign anything, we walk you through the written fee agreement.
I was hit while walking or biking in Tempe. What if the insurer says it was partly my fault?
That usually does not end your claim. Under Arizona's comparative fault rule, your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault, generally not barred (A.R.S. § 12-2505). Insurers use fault arguments to cut what they pay. We push back with the evidence. Call (480) 359-KENT.
Sources
This page is general information, not legal advice. Every case is different.