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Arizona Bicycle Accident Lawyers
For Cyclists Hurt by Drivers
If a driver hit you while you were cycling in Arizona, you are likely seriously hurt and dealing with an insurer already arguing the cyclist was to blame.
Our Arizona bicycle accident lawyers represent injured cyclists across the state, and we know how these crashes happen and how the defense tries to spin them.
Arizona's year-round cycling weather and car-built roads make it one of the more dangerous states to ride, and bicyclist crashes here have climbed to a five-year high.
Arizona law is on the cyclist's side more than drivers admit: a passing vehicle must give you at least three feet, you can recover even if you were partly at fault, and the state caps nothing on what a serious injury is worth.
A cyclist has no protection against a car, so the injuries run severe and the claims are serious.
You pay nothing unless we win. Call (888) 713-6653 for a free, confidential review of your Arizona bicycle accident claim.
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Why Arizona Roads Are Dangerous for Cyclists
Arizona rides year-round, which puts more cyclists on the road for more of the year than almost anywhere else. It also built its roads for cars: wide, fast arterials with long gaps between signals and inconsistent bike infrastructure. The combination is dangerous, and Arizona bicyclist crashes reached a five-year high in recent state crash data.
Most serious bike crashes are not the cyclist's fault. They follow familiar patterns: a driver passing too close, a right hook where a car turns across a cyclist's path, a driver pulling out from a side street or driveway, or a door opened into the bike lane. Each one comes down to a driver who did not account for a cyclist who had every right to the road.
Arizona Bicycle Laws That Affect Your Claim
Two points of Arizona law decide most bike cases: the space a driver owes a cyclist, and the cyclist's right to be on the road in the first place.
Drivers must give at least three feet when passing. Under A.R.S. § 28-735, a driver overtaking a bicycle going the same direction must leave a safe distance of at least three feet until safely past.[1] A driver who clips or sideswipes a cyclist while passing too close has violated this law. It carries enhanced civil penalties when a violation causes harm: up to $500 when the cyclist suffers a serious physical injury, and up to $1,000 if the cyclist is killed. One limit applies: the enhanced penalty does not attach when the cyclist was riding in a traffic lane despite an available bike lane or path.
A cyclist has the rights of a vehicle. Arizona gives a person riding a bicycle on the road the same rights and duties as the driver of a vehicle. A cyclist is entitled to the lane, and a driver who treats a cyclist as if they do not belong there is the one breaking the rules, not the cyclist.
You can recover even if you were partly at fault. Arizona is a pure comparative negligence state under A.R.S. § 12-2505, so a cyclist assigned some fault still recovers the rest.[2] This is why the insurer pushes to put fault on the rider. See how Arizona comparative negligence shapes the recovery.
How Drivers and Insurers Blame the Cyclist
The defense in a bike case reaches for the same move as in a pedestrian case: make it the cyclist's fault. The argument is that the rider ran a light, was not in a bike lane, wore dark clothing, or came out of nowhere.
The answer is the driver's conduct and the physical evidence. A driver who passed within inches, turned across a cyclist's path, or never checked a mirror had the duty and the opportunity to avoid the crash. The point of impact, the vehicle damage, the road position, and any video tell the real story, and they usually contradict the came-out-of-nowhere defense.
Even where a cyclist carries some fault, pure comparative negligence means every point shifted onto them comes off the recovery. Driving that percentage down with evidence is a core part of the work.
Most drivers in these cases swear the cyclist came out of nowhere. The three-foot law and the physical evidence usually show the cyclist was exactly where they had every right to be, and the driver was the one not looking. Injured cyclists facing bias from drivers, insurance companies, and defense teams, but they have every right to fair treatment after serious accidents.
What Is an Arizona Bicycle Accident Case Worth?
There is no honest average. A cyclist's case is built from the severity of the injuries, the available insurance, the fault split, and the lifetime cost of the harm. A serious Arizona case benefits from the state's no-cap rule, so a catastrophic injury is valued on the actual harm rather than a statutory ceiling. See our breakdown of Arizona damage caps.
Recoverable damages include past and future medical care, lost income and earning capacity, pain and suffering, disfigurement, and long-term care costs. Where a drunk or reckless driver caused the crash, punitive damages are available with no statutory cap. If the driver fled, the cyclist's own auto policy may provide recovery through uninsured motorist coverage, even on a bike. When a cyclist does not survive, the family's Arizona wrongful death claim covers the full loss.
How Long Do You Have to File in Arizona?
Most Arizona bicycle injury claims must be filed within two years, and a wrongful death claim runs two years from the date of death. If a government vehicle or a dangerous road or bike-lane design contributed, a written notice of claim is due within 180 days, far sooner than the two-year deadline. See the Arizona statute of limitations, and act early, because the scene and any video evidence in a bike case disappear quickly.