Being struck by a car or other motor vehicle is one of the most physically devastating things that can happen to a person. Pedestrians have no metal frame, no airbags, and no seatbelt absorbing the force of impact. The pedestrian accident injuries that result are frequently severe, often permanent, and sometimes fatal. Arizona law gives injured pedestrians the right to pursue compensation from the driver responsible, and this page covers the full range of injuries those crashes produce, what compensation is available, and what to do immediately after a collision.
Why Pedestrian Injuries Are Typically Severe
A car traveling at 30 miles per hour strikes a pedestrian with enormous force. The body absorbs the initial hit, is often thrown upward onto the hood or windshield, and then strikes the pavement on the way down. This sequence creates multiple separate injury events in a single collision. The severity depends on the vehicle's speed, the direct impact point on the body, and whether the pedestrian had any warning at all.
The pedestrian safety statistics are sobering. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 7,522 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in the United States in 2022, and hundreds of thousands more were injured. Most involve a driver who was speeding, distracted, or impaired. In Arizona, where pedestrian fatal crash rates have consistently ranked among the highest per capita nationally, these crashes are a regular part of the legal landscape. Understanding what causes pedestrian accidents in the first place is useful context for understanding why the injuries are so serious.
According to the Arizona Department of Transportation's 2024 crash data, Maricopa County recorded 25,990 injury crashes and 560 fatal crashes in a single year. Pedestrian crashes represent a disproportionate share of the fatal and serious injury categories because of the absence of any protective equipment. Each fatality in those numbers represents a family dealing with loss that insurance alone cannot make right.
Head and Traumatic Brain Injuries
Head injuries are among the most common and most consequential outcomes of a car striking a pedestrian. The impact may come directly from the vehicle or from the pedestrian's head striking the pavement, curb, or another object after being thrown. Traumatic brain injuries can range from mild concussions to severe damage with permanent consequences.
The challenge with brain injuries is that symptoms are not always immediate. A pedestrian may feel disoriented at the scene but believe they are otherwise fine. Symptoms, including headaches, cognitive fog, memory problems, and personality changes, can emerge days or weeks later. This delayed presentation is one reason medical evaluation immediately after any pedestrian accident is non-negotiable, even when you feel capable of walking away.
Serious traumatic brain injuries can result in permanent cognitive impairment, seizure disorders, and the need for long-term care. Documentation of both immediate and projected future costs is often where the most significant compensation in these cases is found.
Spinal Cord and Back Injuries
Spinal cord injuries are among the most life-altering outcomes of a collision. Depending on the location and severity of the damage, a spinal cord injury can result in partial or complete paralysis, loss of sensation, and loss of bowel and bladder control. Even injuries that do not cause paralysis, such as herniated discs and fractured vertebrae, can produce chronic pain and long-term functional limitations.
The financial cost of a serious spinal cord injury is staggering. The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation estimates that the lifetime cost of care for a person with a complete cervical spinal cord injury exceeds $5 million. Insurance policies rarely cover that full amount, which is exactly why pedestrian injuries of this severity require an attorney with the experience to document and pursue every available category of damages.
Fractures and Orthopedic Injuries
Broken bones are among the most frequent outcomes of pedestrian collisions. The legs, hips, pelvis, arms, and wrists are particularly vulnerable because of how pedestrians absorb a car impact and then land on the ground. Hip fractures in older pedestrians carry especially high mortality risk in the months following injury, contributing to deaths that occur weeks after the initial accident.
Multiple fractures often require surgery, hardware implantation, and months of physical therapy. Complications, including nonunion, infection, and post-traumatic arthritis, can extend the recovery timeline significantly and create long-term medical costs that must be fully accounted for in any demand.
Joint, Soft Tissue, and Internal Injuries
Severe joint damage to ligaments, tendons, and cartilage is common in these collisions. The knees, hips, and shoulders typically absorb the first wave of impact, and the torsional forces involved can tear these structures in ways that require surgical repair and lengthy rehabilitation. Chronic joint instability and pain are frequent long-term consequences.
Internal organ injuries are less visible but equally serious. The force of a car striking a pedestrian can rupture the spleen, lacerate the liver, puncture a lung, or cause bleeding around the heart. These injuries are not always apparent at the scene. Emergency imaging is the only way to rule out life-threatening internal damage, which is another reason immediate medical evaluation matters so much after any pedestrian collision.
Psychological Trauma After a Vehicle Strike
The trauma of being struck by a vehicle does not end with physical recovery. Post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and fear of walking in traffic are common psychological consequences for survivors. These conditions are real injuries with real impacts on quality of life, and they are compensable under Arizona personal injury law just as physical injuries are.
Documenting psychological injuries requires consistent treatment records and often expert testimony. An attorney handling a pedestrian accident injury case will coordinate with treating mental health professionals to ensure these losses are fully accounted for in any demand or settlement.
Wrongful Death in Pedestrian Fatal Accident Cases
Not every collision ends with a survivor. When a crash is fatal, the deceased's family has the right to pursue a wrongful death claim against the responsible parties. In Arizona, wrongful death claims allow surviving family members to recover for their own losses, including loss of financial support, loss of companionship, and the grief of losing a family member due to someone else's negligence. The same two-year statute of limitations applies.
Compensation Available After Pedestrian Collisions
Arizona personal injury law allows pedestrian collision victims to pursue compensation for the full range of losses caused by the crash. The categories of damages in a typical case include:
| Damage Category | What It Covers |
| Medical expenses | Emergency care, surgery, hospitalization, rehabilitation, and future treatment |
| Lost wages | Income lost during recovery and reduced future earning capacity |
| Pain and suffering | Physical pain, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life |
| Home modifications | Accessibility changes required by permanent disability |
| Long-term care | In-home care, assisted living, and ongoing medical support |
| Punitive damages | Available when the driver's conduct was reckless or intentional |
The total value depends on the severity of the injuries, the projected long-term impact, and the quality of evidence developed. For a detailed look at what recovery typically looks like in these cases, how much compensation you can get for a pedestrian accident covers the factors that affect the final number. Arizona uses a pure comparative negligence system, meaning a pedestrian who bears some percentage of responsibility can still recover damages, reduced proportionally by that percentage.
One aspect of the payout process that many injured pedestrians do not anticipate is the role of medical liens. When health insurance, Medicare, or a hospital covered your care after the crash, those entities may have a right to reimbursement from your settlement. Understanding what a lien on a personal injury settlement means and how it affects your payout is worth reading before any settlement discussions begin.
Steps to Take After Being Injured
What you do in the hours and days following a pedestrian collision directly affects your ability to recover full compensation.
- Seek medical attention immediately. Do not decline evaluation at the scene. Symptoms of brain injuries, internal bleeding, and spinal damage can be delayed. A documented medical evaluation creates the timeline that connects your injuries to the crash.
- Get a police report filed. The report documents the driver's information, the location and conditions, and any initial observations about what happened.
- Photograph the scene and your injuries. If you are physically able, document the vehicle, road conditions, crosswalk markings or their absence, and any visible injuries.
- Get witness contact information. Independent witnesses who saw the crash or the driver's behavior beforehand are among the most valuable evidence sources.
- Do not speak to the driver's insurer without legal counsel. Early recorded statements are used to minimize claims. An attorney should be involved before any substantive communication with the opposing insurer.
- Contact a pedestrian accident attorney promptly. Evidence disappears, surveillance footage gets overwritten, and the statute of limitations runs. Earlier involvement means better evidence preservation. If you are unsure whether you need representation, this piece on whether you need a pedestrian accident attorney walks through the situations where it matters most.
Relevant Reading
These resources cover the specific circumstances and questions that come up most often in pedestrian accident cases in Arizona:
- How Early Sunsets Contribute to Pedestrian Crashes in Winter — Visibility conditions in the Phoenix area during winter months, and how low-light crashes affect the liability analysis.
- Can You File a Claim for Pedestrian Accidents Caused by Traffic Signal Malfunctions? — When a malfunctioning signal contributed to a crash, the municipality may share liability. This piece explains how those claims work.
- Phoenix Pedestrian Accident Attorney — A full overview of how pedestrian accident claims work in Arizona, including the legal standards, insurance process, and what to expect at each stage.
- What Are the Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents? — The driver behaviors and road conditions that most frequently lead to pedestrian collisions, and how cause affects the liability determination.
What to Do If You Were Injured in Phoenix
Pedestrian accident injuries range from fractures that heal in months to brain and spinal cord damage that reshapes the rest of a person's life. The severity of what happened to you determines how much is at stake in any claim, and the evidence gathered in the days after the crash determines how much of that you can actually recover.
Arizona's comparative fault system means you have a path to compensation even when the circumstances are complicated. What closes that gap between what you deserve and what an insurer is willing to offer is documentation, legal knowledge of how Arizona pedestrian law works, and an attorney who understands how to build the case from the ground up.