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Phoenix Personal Injury Lawyers
2700 N Central Ave Suite 320, Phoenix, AZ 85004, United States
Phone: (602) 905-7766
Call us at (855) 855-8910
Call us at (855) 855-8910
In Tucson, you don't have to prove the dog owner knew their animal was dangerous. That's what makes Arizona different from most states. Under A.R.S. § 11-1025 [1], the owner is on the hook if the bite happens in a public place or on private property where you had a legal right to be.
No history of aggression needed. No "one-bite rule." If you were where you were supposed to be and the dog bit you, the owner pays. Period.
So what can the owner do about it? Really just one thing - prove you provoked the dog. That's it. A.R.S. § 11-1027 makes provocation the only defense. And honestly? That defense rarely holds up.
Worth knowing: Arizona banned breed-specific legislation through Senate Bill 1248. Courts can't look at what kind of dog bit you when deciding liability. Doesn't matter if it was a pit bull or a golden retriever. Also, strict liability only covers actual bites. Got knocked down by an off-leash dog but didn't get bitten? You'd file under negligence instead, which is a different legal path.
Quick version of how Arizona dog bite law works: A.R.S. § 11-1025 creates strict liability. Owner is liable regardless of the dog's past behavior. You need to have been in a public place or lawfully on private property. Provocation under A.R.S. § 11-1027 is the only way out for the owner.
For mail carriers bitten on the job, as well as delivery drivers and meter readers, a comp claim runs in parallel with Arizona's strict liability statute against the dog owner.
Midtown, south side, Catalina Foothills - doesn't matter where in Tucson it happened. What you do next is the same.
First thing? Doctor. Right away. I don't care if the puncture wound looks small. Tucson's heat makes infection risk worse than you'd think - bacteria love warmth. A wound that looks minor at noon can be red and swollen by dinner.
Then call Pima County Animal Care Center [2] at (520) 724-5900. Arizona law says anyone with direct knowledge of a bite has to report it. Not optional. Their Animal Protection officers pick up 24/7, holidays included.
What happens next: the dog goes into a 10-day quarantine so they can check for rabies. If the dog doesn't have current vaccinations, it goes to a vet or the county pound for that period.
While all of that is happening, you need to gather evidence. Don't wait on this.
Skip any of those steps and you make your own case harder down the road.
Bite victims who stumble backwards often end up with the same kind of secondary injuries we see from falls on someone else's property — wrist fractures, torn rotator cuffs, and head impacts from hitting concrete.
Here's what catches people off guard about dog bites. The wound itself is just the beginning.
A puncture that seems manageable on Tuesday can land you back in the ER by Thursday. We're talking deep lacerations, crushed bones in the hand, nerve damage that leaves fingers numb. Dogs have tremendous bite force, and the damage goes deeper than the skin.
Then there's infection. This is the part that scares doctors. Pasteurella, Staph, Capnocytophaga - these bacteria live in dog saliva. In the Tucson heat, they multiply fast. Red streaks around the wound, swelling that won't quit, fever - those are signs you need antibiotics and maybe IV treatment.
Kids get the worst of it, size-wise. A dog that bites an adult on the arm catches a child in the face. Facial reconstruction, scarring, emotional trauma that lasts years. Older adults deal with slower healing and higher infection rates.
And the long game? Some dog bite victims face permanent scarring. Others develop lasting anxiety around animals. Reconstructive surgeries can stretch across months. Chronic pain at the bite site is more common than people realize.
All of this matters for your case. Every complication, every surgery, every scar adds to what the insurance company owes you.
Got medical bills piling up after a dog bite in Tucson? Lost time at work? Scarring you'll carry for years? Talk to an attorney. Arizona's strict liability law puts you in a strong position from day one.
But here's the catch - you're on a clock. Strict liability claims have a one-year deadline under A.R.S. § 12-541. One year from the bite. Miss it and the courthouse door closes. You can file a separate negligence claim within two years under A.R.S. § 12-542, but waiting around doesn't help anybody.
Something most people don't know: you can absolutely file a claim when a friend's dog bites you. That makes people uncomfortable, but here's the reality - the claim goes against their homeowner's insurance policy, not their bank account. You're not taking money from your buddy. An insurance company writes the check.
If you walk around Sam Hughes or Barrio Viejo, you see dogs off-leash all the time. Same in Iron Horse. These are high foot-traffic neighborhoods where encounters happen. With Tucson growing fast toward Vail and Marana, there are more new subdivisions and more unfamiliar dogs sharing tight spaces.
A free case review won't cost you a dime, and it gives you a real answer about where you stand. The Arizona Attorney General's Office of Victim Services [3] can also connect you with advocacy resources.
If the attack happened at a rental home or apartment complex, property owner liability claims can run alongside the case against the dog's owner — especially when the landlord knew about the animal's history.
Here's what actually happens when you bring a dog bite case to us.
First, we dig into the dog's background. Has this animal bitten someone before? Were there complaints filed with Pima County Animal Care Center? If the answer is yes, your case just got stronger. Prior incidents tell the insurance company this wasn't a one-off.
Then we look at the owner's coverage. Most homeowner's and renter's policies cover dog bite liability. We find the policy, check the limits, and file directly against it.
From there, it's about documentation. We build the file from your first ER visit forward. Every doctor's note, prescription, therapy appointment, and follow-up goes in. Pima County bite reports and quarantine records get added too. Nothing gets left out.
If the insurer tries to lowball you - and they will - we push back. Hard. And if the policy limit doesn't cover what you're actually owed, we take it to court. That's not a threat. That's the process. Our attorneys have taken cases to verdict and won far above what the other side offered, including a $1.8 million verdict that came back at over 10 times the defendant's last number on the table.
Your part? Keep your doctor appointments. Save your paperwork. And whatever you do, don't give a recorded statement to the insurance company without talking to us first. Don't accept their first offer either. It's never their best.
Dog bite claims are only one part of what else our Tucson lawyers handle, and we bring the same investigation and documentation discipline to every one of them.
People always ask what a dog bite case is worth. Fair question, but the honest answer is: it depends on you.
Arizona dog bite claims average somewhere between $44,000 and $65,000. But that range is all over the place depending on how bad the injuries are.
What goes into the number: your medical bills from the emergency room through the last follow-up visit. Lost paychecks if you missed work. Future earning problems if the injury affects what you can do. Pain and suffering. Scarring - especially facial scars, which juries take seriously. Emotional distress. Even property damage, like the jacket the dog tore or the phone you dropped.
Deep puncture wounds with tissue loss - what doctors call Level 4 bites - push settlements higher. So does reconstructive surgery. Cases involving children and older adults tend to result in larger awards because the injuries hit harder and recovery takes longer.
Here's the insurance picture: most homeowner's policies cover between $100,000 and $300,000 in liability. Some people have umbrella policies on top of that. If the dog owner has no insurance? There may still be options depending on where the bite happened and who else shares responsibility.
One thing I tell every client: the insurer's first offer exists to make the problem go away cheap. They're counting on you not knowing what your case is actually worth. Your attorney's job is to make sure the final number covers everything - not just the bills sitting on your kitchen counter today, but the treatment and impact still coming.
Our attorneys have a track record of fighting for people with serious injuries across Arizona. Every case is different. But these results give you a sense of what the right legal team can do.
We represented an elderly woman who was struck by a commercial vehicle. The other side said it wasn't their fault. The injuries included a traumatic brain injury that changed her daily life. We pushed through the liability dispute and secured a $5.5 million settlement to cover her ongoing care.
A client came to us with a severe throat injury. Again, the other side contested liability. We didn't back down. The case resolved for a $3 million settlement without going to trial.
And in a case that did go to a jury, our team won a $2.95 million verdict for a client whose injuries the defense tried to downplay as minor. The jury disagreed.
Every case is different. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Our attorneys have handled personal injury cases across Arizona and California. We know how Tucson insurance companies operate, and we know how to push back.
That number reflects real results for real families — medical bills paid, lost wages recovered, and futures protected.
You pay nothing upfront. Our fee comes out of your settlement or verdict. If we do not win your case, you owe us nothing.
Accidents do not follow business hours. Neither do we. Call (602) 905-7766 any time — nights, weekends, and holidays.
We serve Tucson clients from our Phoenix office at 2700 N Central Ave, Suite 320. We know Arizona roads, courts, and insurance adjusters — and we travel to meet you when it matters.
“After a crash, you need a team that answers the phone, explains your options, and fights for every dollar you are owed. That is what we do at The Simon Law Group.”
Over 250 years of combined attorney experience
Serving Tucson from Phoenix | 2700 N Central Ave, Suite 320 | Licensed in AZ & CA
Yes. Arizona law requires anyone with direct knowledge of a bite to report it to Pima County Animal Care Center at (520) 724-5900. Their officers respond 24/7, including holidays.
The quarantine checks whether the dog has rabies. If the dog doesn't have current vaccinations, it must be held at a veterinary facility or county pound for the full 10-day observation period.
Yes. The claim goes against their homeowner's insurance policy, not against them personally. You're filing against the insurance company, not your friend.
Provocation is the main defense under A.R.S. § 11-1027. If the owner can prove you provoked the dog, strict liability may not apply. But that defense is hard to prove and rarely succeeds.
One year for a strict liability claim under A.R.S. § 12-541. Two years for a negligence claim under A.R.S. § 12-542. Don't wait - evidence fades and deadlines are firm.
The owner is still liable under Arizona's strict liability law. You may also have a separate negligence claim against whoever was supposed to be controlling the dog at the time.
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