Rider injuries Tucson, Arizona
Start a free crash review with our partner law firm. Then use the rider symptom timeline and the Tucson records guide below while you recover.
Step 1 of 5
Four quick questions, then request a free case review. No obligation to hire an attorney.
This check is for people with injuries. Pain often starts days after a crash. If it does, see a doctor first. Then come back and check again.
You may still have options. Most Arizona injury claims can be filed for up to 2 years, and a licensed Arizona attorney can tell you where you stand.
This check is for people who have not signed with a lawyer for this accident. The lawyer you signed with can tell you where your claim stands.
Your request is in. Keep your phone nearby.
We will call
The call comes between 8am and 8pm Arizona time, from a number you may not recognise. A specialist asks a few questions, then connects you to our partner law firm.
By the Old Pueblo Rider Guide editors Updated Sources: CDC, MedlinePlus, Arizona Revised Statutes
The free review
Tap through the review and leave a name and a number.
A specialist rings between 8am and 8pm Arizona time, maybe from a number you do not know, and asks a few questions.
The specialist can connect you to our partner, who may arrange an attorney review. Going ahead is your choice.
Your first weeks
Four things riders sort out in the first weeks after a Tucson crash.
Rider symptom timeline
Show signs for
The first hours
No new signs for this area at this stage.
HeadEmergency
Call 911 or go to an emergency department now.
Source: CDC
BonesEmergency
Call 911 for a possible break in the head, neck, back, hip, pelvis or upper leg, for bone through the skin, or if the skin below the injury is pale, cold, clammy or blue. Other breaks still need prompt care.
Source: MedlinePlus
Skin
Road rash is a scrape (abrasion): skin rubbed off by the road. Grit can stay in it even when you cannot see any.
Any of these: see a clinician to have it checked.
Source: MedlinePlus
The first three days
No new signs for this area at this stage.
Head
Some concussion symptoms do not appear for hours or days after the injury.
Get checked, and keep watching for the danger signs above.
Source: CDC
Neck and back
Whiplash pain may not start right away. It can take hours to weeks to develop.
Get checked, and mention the crash.
Source: MedlinePlus
While the skin starts to heal
No new signs for this area at this stage.
Skin
For about 2 to 5 days a healing wound can be a little swollen, pink or red and sore, with some clear fluid. Watch for:
Any of these: contact a clinician promptly.
Source: MedlinePlus
As the first injuries settle
No new signs for this area at this stage.
Sleep and mood
A week or two after a concussion, you may feel more emotional than usual or have trouble sleeping. Most people with a mild concussion feel better within a couple of weeks.
Not improving? Go back to your clinician.
Source: CDC
Skin
New tissue grows over the wound for about 3 weeks.
Either one: contact a clinician.
Source: MedlinePlus
And longer
No new signs for this area at this stage.
Sleep and mood
Post-traumatic stress disorder is diagnosed when symptoms last at least 30 days. If symptoms do not improve soon, or upset you a lot, contact your provider. In a crisis, call or text 988.
Source: MedlinePlus
Skin
A scar can take as long as 2 years to fade, and some never fade completely.
Source: MedlinePlus
Another driver caused the crash? Begin the free review
Plenty of riders settle a small claim with the insurer on their own. A motorcycle accident lawyer in Tucson is more useful when:
If only the bike was scratched and nobody was hurt, you may not need one.
Arizona requires a helmet only for operators and passengers under 18. Every operator must wear protective glasses, goggles or a transparent face shield, unless the motorcycle has a protective windshield (A.R.S. § 28-964). The bike needs a rear-view mirror, a seat and footrests for the operator, and a seat and footrests for any passenger.
A motorcycle is entitled to the full use of a lane, and no driver may take that lane from you. Two motorcycles may ride side by side in one lane, but not more (A.R.S. § 28-903).
Lane filtering is legal in Arizona, but only when every condition is met:
Riding between lanes of moving traffic, often called lane splitting, is not allowed (A.R.S. § 28-903). After a crash, an insurer will ask about each condition. Write down the speed limit, the number of lanes and whether traffic was stopped while you still remember.
Arizona follows pure comparative negligence. A share of the blame does not end a claim; the damages go down by the rider’s share of fault, with no 50% cut-off. For example, with $60,000 in losses and 20% of the fault, the award would be $48,000. The reduction is not available to someone who caused or contributed to the injury intentionally, wilfully or wantonly (A.R.S. § 12-2505).
| Claim | Time limit | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Injury lawsuit | 2 years after the claim arises; for a death, 2 years after the death | A.R.S. § 12-542 |
| Damage to the motorcycle or gear | 2 years | A.R.S. § 12-542(3) |
| Notice of claim to a public entity or employee | 180 days, with the facts and a specific settlement amount; a late claim is barred | A.R.S. § 12-821.01 |
| Lawsuit against a public entity or employee | 1 year | A.R.S. § 12-821 |
Public entities include the City of Tucson, Pima County and ADOT. A notice of claim counts as denied 60 days after it is filed unless it is denied sooner in writing.
Arizona is an at-fault state with no PIP no-fault system, so a claim for damage goes to the liability insurer of the driver who caused it. The minimum property damage cover is $15,000 per crash on policies issued or renewed since July 1, 2020 (A.R.S. § 28-4009). A helmet, jacket, gloves and boots are property too. Keep them unrepaired, photograph them next to the bike, and keep the receipts. The 2-year property limit applies to all of it.
Every lawyer licensed in Arizona is listed in the State Bar of Arizona member directory. Search by name, then look at the “activity” information to see whether the lawyer has ever been disciplined.
Before you sign, ask who will handle your file from day to day, how the fee and case costs are worked out, and whether the lawyer has taken a rider’s case to trial at the Pima County Superior Court on Congress Street.
The review asks four things: whether you were hurt, who caused the crash, when it happened, and whether you have signed with a lawyer for it. For who caused it, you can pick another driver, a commercial truck, work van or rideshare, being a passenger, or “Not sure”.
After that, the form asks for a name, a phone number and an optional email so a specialist can call you. A sent form is a request, not an accepted case. The path suits riders hurt in the last six months who have not signed with a lawyer.
Pima County records
The road decides which agency writes the report. In Arizona the investigating officer writes it, not the rider. A full report is required when someone is hurt or killed, damage is over $2,000, or a citation is issued (A.R.S. § 28-667).
From the Arizona Department of Health Services list of designated trauma centers.
Arizona’s Level I pediatric trauma center is Phoenix Children’s Hospital in Phoenix. Every designated center must be able to resuscitate, stabilize and transfer children. ADHS list
Common questions
Yes. The first review costs nothing, and you do not have to hire an attorney afterwards.
Arizona’s helmet rule covers operators and passengers under 18; it does not require adults to wear one (A.R.S. § 28-964). Arizona’s fault rule reduces damages by a claimant’s share of fault and does not bar the claim (A.R.S. § 12-2505). How fault is shared in your crash is a question for a licensed Arizona attorney.
Yes, within limits set by state law. A two-wheeled motorcycle may pass vehicles stopped in the same direction, when safe, on a street with at least two lanes in that direction and a 45 mph or lower speed limit, at 15 mph or less. Riding between lanes of moving traffic is not allowed (A.R.S. § 28-903).
The Tucson Police Department sells collision reports online through Crashdocs, as its records page explains. A crash on I-10 or I-19 worked by state troopers is a DPS report, and a crash in unincorporated Pima County is a sheriff’s report.
Generally 2 years from the crash to file an injury lawsuit, and 2 years for damage to the motorcycle. A claim against a public entity, such as the City of Tucson, Pima County or ADOT, needs a notice of claim within 180 days and a lawsuit within 1 year.
The Arizona Department of Health Services lists two in Tucson: Banner – University Medical Center Tucson on N. Campbell Ave. and Carondelet St. Joseph’s Hospital on N. Wilmot Rd.
No. You are asking for a call. A specialist goes over the details with you first and can connect you to our partner; an attorney review may follow.
Old Pueblo Rider Guide