Premises Liability, Slip & Fall, and Dog Bite Lawyers in Phoenix, Arizona

When you are injured on someone else's property — a grocery store, a restaurant, an apartment complex, a parking lot, or a neighbor's yard — Arizona law holds the property owner responsible for keeping the premises reasonably safe. When owners ignore that duty, you have the right to pursue full compensation. At Caruso Injury Law, we handle slip and fall accidents, dog bite attacks, negligent security, and every other premises liability claim across the Valley, and we know exactly how owners and their insurers fight these cases — and how to beat them.

Common Premises Liability Cases We Handle

• Slip and Fall Accidents — wet or freshly mopped floors, spills, uneven or broken flooring, and unmarked hazards in stores, restaurants, and public spaces
• Trip and Fall Accidents — cracked sidewalks, torn carpeting, poor lighting, and unmarked steps
• Dog Bites and Animal Attacks — injuries caused by dogs or other animals
• Negligent Security — assaults or robberies enabled by inadequate lighting, locks, or security
• Swimming Pool Accidents — drownings and injuries from unsafe pool conditions or inadequate barriers
• Falling Objects — items falling from shelves, scaffolding, or overhead storage

What You Must Prove in an Arizona Premises Liability Case

To win, we generally must establish that (1) a dangerous condition existed, (2) the owner knew or should have known about it, and (3) the owner failed to fix it or warn you within a reasonable time. A fall by itself is not enough — the case turns on whether the owner acted reasonably. Insurers almost always attack element two, arguing the hazard was “too new” to be known. Alec J. Caruso spent years making exactly that argument on the defense side, and now counters it with maintenance logs, surveillance footage, incident-report histories, and witness testimony.

Arizona's Duty of Care: Your Status on the Property Matters

Arizona is one of the few states that still classifies visitors to determine the duty owed. Invitees — customers, restaurant patrons, and hotel guests present for the owner's business benefit — are owed the highest duty: the owner must inspect for hazards, fix known and discoverable dangers, and warn of risks that cannot be corrected immediately. Licensees (social guests) must be warned of known dangers, but the owner need not inspect for unknown ones. Trespassers are generally owed only a duty to avoid willful or wanton harm, with special protection for children under the attractive-nuisance doctrine. Most slip-and-fall claims involve invitees, which is why stores and restaurants are held to a high standard when they ignore spills or fail to inspect.

Comparative Fault, Deadlines, and Damages

Under Arizona's pure comparative negligence rule (A.R.S. § 12-2505), you can recover even if you are found partly at fault — your award is reduced by your percentage, with no cutoff that bars recovery. The deadline to file is generally two years from the date of injury (A.R.S. § 12-542); if a government property is involved, a notice of claim is due within 180 days (A.R.S. § 12-821.01). The Arizona Constitution (Article 2, Section 31) places no cap on your compensatory damages. Because surveillance video is often overwritten within days, acting quickly is critical.

Arizona Dog Bite Law: Strict Liability

Arizona is a strict liability state for dog bites under A.R.S. § 11-1025. Unlike the “one-bite rule” in many states, you do not have to prove the dog was previously dangerous: if a dog bites you in a public place or while you are lawfully on private property, the owner is liable — even if the dog never bit anyone before. This matters especially for children, who are the most frequent victims, and bites often happen at the home of someone the family knows. In nearly every case we pursue the owner's homeowner's or renter's insurance, not the person individually — that is exactly what those policies exist for.

What Compensation Can You Recover?

• Medical bills — past and future treatment, including surgery and rehabilitation
• Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
• Pain and suffering and emotional distress
• Scarring and disfigurement, particularly in dog-bite cases
• Psychological trauma, including anxiety and PTSD after an attack or serious fall
• Punitive damages where an owner knowingly ignored a dangerous condition

Talk With a Phoenix Premises Liability Lawyer

Call (602) 247-8600 for a free, confidential case review. We work on contingency, so you owe no attorney fee unless we win.

This page is attorney advertising and is provided for general informational purposes only; it is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Caruso Injury Law handles matters on a contingency-fee basis; clients may be responsible for certain case costs regardless of outcome. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Alec J. Caruso is licensed in Arizona and is not certified as a specialist by the State Bar of Arizona.