What Is a Fair Car Accident Settlement in Tucson?
A fair Tucson car accident settlement usually falls between $3,750 and $22,500 for a sprain or whiplash, $35,000 to $147,000 for a fracture, herniated disc or concussion, and $262,500 and up after surgery or a brain or spinal cord injury, with lost pay added. Arizona reduces a claim by your share of fault but never bars it, puts no cap on damages, and allows two years to sue; a claim against the City of Tucson or Pima County needs a notice of claim with a specific amount within 180 days.
Crash in Tucson or anywhere in Pima County? See what your claim is worth, free, in about a minute
Pima County values
What a Tucson injury claim is worth when Arizona never shuts the door on fault
An Arizona claim is built from the medical charges, a multiple that rises with the injury, and the pay lost. Three Arizona rules then make Tucson claims behave differently from most of the country. Fault only reduces a claim; it never erases it. The jury can hear the full billed medical charges, not just what insurance paid. And the state constitution forbids any cap on damages for injury or death.
| Injury | Medical charges, as billed | Typical value range |
|---|---|---|
| Sprain, strain or whiplash | Urgent care or an emergency visit, imaging and several weeks of therapy: about $2,500 to $9,000 | $3,750 to $22,500 |
| Fracture, herniated disc or concussion | Specialists, an MRI, a cast or brace and months of follow-up: about $14,000 to $42,000 | $35,000 to $147,000 |
| Surgery, brain or spinal cord injury, lasting limits | An operation, a hospital stay and rehabilitation: from about $75,000 | $262,500 and up |
FairSettlement method: multiples of 1.5 to 2.5, 2.5 to 3.5 and 3.5 to 5 on the billed medical charges, with lost pay added. Arizona lets an injured person present the full amount billed, Lopez v. Safeway Stores, Inc., 212 Ariz. 198 (App. 2006).
The finding that defines Pima claims
One in three people killed on Pima County roads was not inside a vehicle
Of the 868 people killed in Pima County crashes from 2020 to 2024, 242 were walking and 42 were riding a bicycle, 284 together, about a third. The bicycle share, 4.8 percent, is the highest of any large county in our Arizona and Texas analysis. Pima’s overall death rate, 16.1 a year per 100,000 residents, is also well above the Phoenix area’s.
| 2020 to 2024 | Pima (Tucson) | Maricopa (Phoenix) |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths a year per 100,000 residents | 16.1 | 13.1 |
| People on foot killed | 242, or 27.9% | 801, or 26.2% |
| Bicycle riders killed | 42, or 4.8% | 136, or 4.5% |
| Fatal crashes on rural roads | 119, or 14.6% | 193, or 6.8% |
| Fatal crashes with a drinking driver | 23.5% | 20.8% |
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Census Vintage 2024 population (Pima 1,080,149).
For someone hurt while walking or cycling, the fight is almost always about fault: the driver says the pedestrian stepped out mid-block, or the cyclist rode against traffic. In most states that argument can wipe out the claim. In Arizona it cannot. Under pure comparative fault, a pedestrian found 70 percent at fault still recovers the other 30 percent of the damages. That changes how insurers price Tucson claims, and it means a claim worth pursuing here might be worth nothing in Texas or Georgia.
A.R.S. § 12-2505.
Five years of federal records
Pima County’s traffic deaths, 2020 to 2024
The federal files count 813 fatal crashes and 868 deaths in Pima County across the five years. The number has crept up: 165 deaths in 2020, 186 in 2023 and 182 in 2024. Tucson itself accounts for 640 of the fatal crashes, almost four in five; Marana had 29, Sells on the Tohono O’odham Nation 18, and Oro Valley and Sahuarita 13 each.
Deaths per year in Pima County crashes. 2024 figures are preliminary.
| Killed in Pima crashes | People |
|---|---|
| Drivers | 301 |
| People on foot | 242 |
| Motorcycle riders | 140 |
| Passengers | 133 |
| Bicycle riders | 42 |
| Other | 10 |
- 460 of the 813 fatal crashes happened between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.; 251 on a weekend.
- 191 involved a drinking driver and 257 involved speeding; 100 were hit and runs.
- 173 of the 434 drivers and passengers killed were not wearing a seat belt, 40 percent.
Hover a road to light it on the map
I-10, Ajo Way to Sells, and the wide city arterials
Northwest through Marana toward Phoenix and southeast past the airport and Vail toward New Mexico, Pima’s busiest freight route and the road where most truck crashes happen.
From Tucson’s south side west across the Tohono O’odham Nation to Sells and on toward Why: long two-lane stretches, high speeds and long waits for an ambulance.
South through Sahuarita and Green Valley toward Nogales, the route of cross-border trucking.
North from the city through Casas Adobes and Oro Valley, a six-lane arterial with shopping centers on both sides.
NHTSA FARS trafficway names, Pima County, 2020 to 2024. Inside the city, Valencia Road had 17 fatal crashes, 22nd Street 16, Grant Road 15 and Speedway Boulevard 14: wide arterials where many of the pedestrian deaths occurred.
Arizona rules
Five Arizona rules that change a Tucson claim
Your damages are reduced by your share of fault, whatever that share is. There is no point at which the claim is barred.
A.R.S. § 12-2505Arizona generally abolished joint liability: if two drivers are at fault, each pays its percentage, so an uninsured second driver’s share can go unpaid.
A.R.S. § 12-2506The Arizona Constitution forbids any law limiting the amount of damages recovered for death or injury, so pain and suffering has no ceiling.
Ariz. Const. art. 2, § 31; art. 18, § 6Arizona drivers must carry $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 per crash and $15,000 for property. Insurers must offer uninsured and underinsured coverage in writing, but you can turn it down.
A.R.S. §§ 28-4009, 20-259.01Not wearing a seat belt can be weighed as fault when it made the injuries worse. With 40 percent of Pima occupants killed unbelted, insurers raise it often.
Law v. Superior Court, 157 Ariz. 147 (1988)A Tucson twist
When the other vehicle belongs to the federal government
Tucson has an unusual number of federal vehicles on its roads: Border Patrol units from the Tucson Sector, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base traffic, postal trucks and the federal agencies along the border. A crash with a federal employee driving on duty is not a claim against an insurance company. It goes through the Federal Tort Claims Act, with its own rules.
| Step | Federal vehicle | Private driver |
|---|---|---|
| First step | Written administrative claim to the agency, with a specific dollar amount | Claim to the driver’s insurer |
| Deadline | Two years to present the claim to the agency | Two years to sue |
| Waiting period | The agency has six months to decide before you can sue | None |
| Who decides at trial | A federal judge, no jury | A jury on request |
28 U.S.C. §§ 2401(b), 2402, 2675. Federal cases in Tucson are heard at the Evo A. DeConcini U.S. Courthouse, 405 W Congress St.
The amount named in the administrative claim usually caps what can be recovered later, so the claim should not be filed before the injury is understood. On State Route 86, crashes on the Tohono O’odham Nation can also involve tribal police and, when a tribal program employee was driving, the same federal claim process.
The clocks
Two years to sue, and 180 days to notify a public entity
An Arizona injury lawsuit must be filed within two years. A claim against the City of Tucson, Pima County, the state or another public entity runs on a stricter track: a notice of claim within 180 days, served on the person authorized to accept it, containing the facts and a specific amount for which the claim can be settled. A notice without a specific dollar figure is not valid. The lawsuit itself must then be filed within one year.
| Vehicle or road of | Notice of claim | Lawsuit |
|---|---|---|
| City of Tucson, including Sun Tran buses and city trucks | 180 days, with a specific amount | 1 year |
| Pima County, including the sheriff’s department | 180 days, with a specific amount | 1 year |
| State of Arizona, including ADOT and DPS | 180 days, with a specific amount | 1 year |
| A federal agency | 2 years, administrative claim | After the agency decides |
A.R.S. §§ 12-542, 12-821, 12-821.01; Deer Valley Unified School District v. Houser, 214 Ariz. 293 (2007); 28 U.S.C. § 2401(b).
Run the numbers
Pima County claim estimator
Enter the medical charges as billed. Because Arizona never bars a claim for fault, the slider goes all the way to 95 percent: move it to see what a disputed crash is still worth.
Enter the medical charges for a range; lost pay is optional.
Courts, reports and trauma care
Where a Pima County case is filed, and where the records are
Injury lawsuits of any size are filed here. Since 2017 the court has run the FASTAR program for cases seeking $50,000 or less, which offers a short trial or arbitration instead of a full trial. Justice courts hear claims up to $10,000.
You need the case number and a driver’s last name. The Pima County Sheriff reports crashes outside city limits, and the Arizona Department of Public Safety covers I-10 and I-19.
The only Level I trauma center in southern Arizona, where most of Pima’s serious crash injuries are treated.
Federal Tort Claims Act cases, and suits between parties from different states above $75,000.
Pima County Superior Court; Arizona Supreme Court Administrative Order 2017-116; A.R.S. § 22-201; City of Tucson, Request Tucson Police Public Records; University of Arizona.
Worked examples
Three Pima County claims, start to finish
Built on the patterns in Pima’s crash records; illustrations, not actual cases.
- Broken leg and pelvis, billed
- $96,000
- × 3.5 to 5, plus $14,000 lost pay
- $350,000 to $494,000
- Jury finds him 40 percent at fault
- − $140,000 to $197,600
- Fair value after the reduction
- $210,000 to $296,400
In a state with a 50 or 51 percent bar this claim survives too, but at 60 percent fault it would be gone; in Arizona it would still be worth 40 percent of the damages. The practical limit is the driver’s insurance: at the $25,000 minimum, the walker’s own underinsured coverage matters most.
- Fractured collarbone, billed
- $21,500
- × 2.5 to 3.5, plus $3,100 lost pay
- $56,850 to $78,350
- Fair value
- $56,850 to $78,350
The cyclist’s health plan paid $8,900 of the $21,500, but Arizona lets the jury hear the billed amount, so the claim is valued on $21,500. The plan will usually ask to be repaid from the settlement.
- Spinal fusion, billed
- $148,000
- × 3.5 to 5, plus $36,000 lost pay
- $554,000 to $776,000
- Amount to name in the federal claim
- at least the full value
The claim goes to the agency first, within two years, and the figure named usually becomes the ceiling. A judge, not a jury, would decide it in federal court if the agency denies it.
A.R.S. § 12-2505; Lopez v. Safeway Stores, Inc., 212 Ariz. 198 (App. 2006); 28 U.S.C. §§ 2402, 2675.
Questions people in Tucson ask
Tucson and Pima County questions
What is a fair car accident settlement in Tucson?
Most Pima County claims land between $3,750 and $22,500 for soft tissue injuries, $35,000 to $147,000 for fractures, disc injuries or concussions, and $262,500 or more after surgery or a brain or spinal cord injury, plus lost pay. Arizona values the medical part on the billed charges.
Can I still recover if I was mostly at fault in Arizona?
Yes. Arizona uses pure comparative fault: your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault, but the claim is never barred. A pedestrian found 70 percent at fault still recovers 30 percent of the damages. A.R.S. § 12-2505.
Is there a cap on pain and suffering in Arizona?
No. The Arizona Constitution forbids any law limiting the amount of damages recovered for injury or death. Ariz. Const. art. 2, § 31.
How long do I have to sue after a Tucson car accident?
Two years from the crash under A.R.S. § 12-542. Claims against a public entity need a notice of claim within 180 days and a lawsuit within one year.
What if a City of Tucson or Pima County vehicle hit me?
Serve a notice of claim within 180 days on the person authorized to accept it, with the facts and a specific amount for which you would settle. Without a specific figure the notice is invalid, and the claim can be lost. A.R.S. § 12-821.01.
What if a Border Patrol or other federal vehicle hit me?
The claim goes through the Federal Tort Claims Act: a written administrative claim to the agency within two years, naming a dollar amount. The agency has six months to decide before you can sue, and a federal judge, not a jury, hears the case. 28 U.S.C. §§ 2401(b), 2402, 2675.
Does Arizona count my full medical bills or what insurance paid?
The full billed amount can be presented under Arizona’s collateral source rule, Lopez v. Safeway Stores, 212 Ariz. 198 (App. 2006). Your health plan may then claim repayment from the settlement.
Can not wearing a seat belt reduce my Tucson claim?
Yes, if the insurer shows the belt would have prevented or lessened the injuries. Arizona treats it as part of comparative fault, Law v. Superior Court, 157 Ariz. 147 (1988).
How do I get a Tucson police crash report?
Tucson Police collision reports are sold online through Crashdocs; you need the case number and a driver’s last name. The Pima County Sheriff handles crashes outside city limits and the Arizona Department of Public Safety covers the interstates.
What insurance does an Arizona driver have to carry?
At least $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 per crash and $15,000 for property damage, A.R.S. § 28-4009. Uninsured and underinsured coverage must be offered in writing but can be rejected, so check your own policy.
Where every number comes from
Sources
- NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Pima and Maricopa County records, 2020 to 2024 (latest year preliminary). www.nhtsa.gov
- Census Bureau Vintage 2024 population estimates. www.census.gov
- A.R.S. §§ 12-542, 12-821, 12-821.01, 12-2505, 12-2506. www.azleg.gov
- A.R.S. §§ 20-259.01, 22-201, 28-4009. www.azleg.gov
- Arizona Constitution, article 2, section 31; article 18, section 6. www.azleg.gov
- Federal Tort Claims Act, 28 U.S.C. §§ 2401(b), 2402, 2675. www.law.cornell.edu
- Lopez v. Safeway Stores, Inc., 212 Ariz. 198 (App. 2006).
- Law v. Superior Court, 157 Ariz. 147 (1988).
- Deer Valley Unified School District v. Houser, 214 Ariz. 293 (2007).
- Arizona Supreme Court, Administrative Order 2017-116, Pima County FASTAR program.
- City of Tucson, Request Tucson Police Public Records. www.tucsonaz.gov
- Banner University Medical Center Tucson. en.wikipedia.org
Know your Pima County number before the insurer calls
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